Bug Squad

There are "bees" and there are "flies." And then there are "bee flies." Bee flies? They're so named because they look somewhat like bees. Order: Diptera. Family: Bombyliidae. We spotted a single bee fly, as identified by UC Davis forensic entomologist Bob Kimsey, foraging on our sedum yesterday.

"A" is for anemone, "B" is for bumble bee and "C" is for coneflower. A visit to the Oregon state capitol grounds in Salem last Tuesday found scores of yellow-faced bumble bees (Bombus vosnesenskii) working the anemones and purple coneflowers.

When the Hagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven's grand opening celebration takes place on Saturday, Sept. 11, visitors can expect to see scores of flowers, including the ever-popular catmint (Nepeta). Honey bees love the mints. So do bumble bees, carpenter bees, butterflies and assorted other insects.

Leafcutter bees (Megachile spp.), so named because they cut leaves and petals to line their nests, are smaller than the honey bees but move faster. These native bees are easily recognizable by the black-white bands on their abdomen. Catching them in flight requires a lot of patience.

If we were to describe the cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae) in one word, it would be "lovely." Especially when it nectars from catmint (Nepeta) in the early evening, as the sun drops low in the horizon.