Over A Dozen New & Rare Bees Discovered In NCW

A new program designed to locate and identify Washington's various bee species and the native plants they use as hosts has made a honeypot of unexpected discoveries in its inaugural year.

The Washington State Department of Agriculture’s (WSDA) Washington Bee Atlas announced this week that it has found numerous bees that have never been recorded in the state before, as well as several rare native bees.

Last year, 67 volunteers with the Atlas program collected a total of over 17,000 bee specimens from more than 600 host plants. Although many of the bees have yet to be properly identified, the WSDA is already reporting several remarkable discoveries, including one type of bee which hasn't been recorded in the state since 1917 and 15 species which have never been collected in Washington before.

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Most of the new and rare bee varieties the Atlas found were in Central Washington, including 10 in Chelan County and nine in neighboring Grant County, along with four in Kittitas County; two in Okanogan County; and one in Douglas County.

Eight of the new bees in Chelan County were found by Atlas volunteer Autumn Maust as part of a graduate research project through the University of Washington, and researchers say the vast number of new and rare bees collected in Central Washington is likely due to their adapting to the dry microclimates found east of the Cascades.

Among the new and rare bees found by the Atlas are:

• Anthophora crotchii – a charismatic and rare digger bee previously only known from a small population near the Tri-Cities – collected in both Kittitas and Grant counties.
•  Ashmeadiella sculleni – a new bee collected in Yakima and Grant counties.
•  Atoposmia abjecta abjecta – a new bee collected in Chelan County.
• Biastes fulviventris – a new and rare kleptoparasitic bee – meaning it sneaks into the nests of other bees to lay its eggs – with two forks on its abdomen, collected in Chelan, Kittitas and Okanogan Counties.
• Calliopsis personata – a rare mining bee collected in Grant County.
• Coelioxys funerarius – a new kleptoparasitic bee collected in Chelan County.
• Diadasia australis – a new bee collected in Yakima County.
• Diadasia nitidifrons – a rare specialist on globemallow, collected in Yakima County. This bee was last documented in Washington in 1919. The possibility remains that this could also be an undescribed species.
• Dianthidium cressoni – a new bee collected in Chelan County.
• Dianthidium singulare – a new bee collected in Chelan County.
• Dioxys aurifuscus – a new bee collected in Grant County.
• Dufourea dilatipes – a new bee collected in Chelan and Douglas counties.
• Eucera mohavensis – a new bee collected in Grant County.
• Melissodes dagosus – a rare and unusual sunflower specialist collected in Grant and Kittitas Counties. This species was last documented in the state in 1973.
• Melissodes nigracauda – a new bee collected in Chelan County and a vast range extension. The nearest records of this species are from California.
• Melissodes saponellus – a rare bee collected in Grant County.
• Osmia cara – a rare mason bee collected in Okanogan County.
• Osmia cyaneonitans – a new bee collected in Chelan County.
• Osmia rawlinsi – a rare mason bee collected in Yakima and Grant Counties.
• Osmia trifoliama – a rare mason bee collected in Thurston County.
• Osmia vandykei – a rare mason bee with clubbed antennae collected in Grant and Kittitas Counties.
• Panurginus ineptus – a rare bee collected in Chelan County.
• Stelis heronae – a new bee collected in Chelan County.
• Stelis laticincta – a rare bee collected in Clark County.
• Stelis subcaerulea – a rare bee collected in Pierce and Yakima Counties. This is the first record of this species in Western Washington.
• Xylocopa virginica – a very large and new carpenter bee collected in Benton County.

The purpose of the Washington Bee Atlas is to locate and document the state's native bees to better understand which varieties currently call Washington home, find out which are thriving, and which need conservation support.

The Atlas is still seeking volunteers to help with their efforts. Anyone over 18 years of age is eligible, and volunteers must complete an extensive training which is similar to Washington State University's Master Gardener training program.

To find out more or to register for Atlas training, click here.