Hylaeus nubilosusMud nest Yellow Mask / White Mask

The species Hylaeus nubilosus belongs to a group of bees commonly known as Masked Bees. This group of bees get their name from the distinctive yellow or white markings on their face.

Hylaeus nubilosus is a species of bee that typical have a white masked face and a yellow patch, although there have been observations of Hylaeus nubilosus with a yellow masked face.

Hylaeus nubilosus, Geraldton WA © Gary Taylor
Hylaeus nubilosus, Geraldton, Midwest WA © Gary Taylor

Like many of the Masked Bees, they are often found in urban areas, forests, woodlands, and heath. Hylaeus nubilosus have been observed in bee hotels found in urban home gardens.

Cloudy Masked Bee (Hylaeus nubilosus), Wallaga Lake NSW © Deb Taylor
Cloudy Masked Bee (Hylaeus nubilosus), Wallaga Lake NSW © Deb Taylor

Once an eastern states species of bee (up until about the turn of the century), Hylaeus nubilosus has now established in Western Australia. Like many in the group of Masked Bees, they have been seen nesting in bamboo canes and small holes in timber (including the urban garden bee hotels made of drilled holes in hardwood and similar), although it has been observed that Hylaeus nubilosus appear to have a preference for nesting in the disused mud nests of Eumenidae and Sphecidae wasps. It is suggested that this behaviour may have facilitated the bee arriving in Western Australia, nesting under a caravan or trailer travelling across Australia.

Hylaeus nubilosus capping cell in disused wasp mud nest, Emerald Beach NSW © Norm Farmer
Hylaeus nubilosus capping cell in disused wasp mud nest, Emerald Beach NSW © Norm Farmer

The following photograph taken in Ballendean, Queenland is of a male Hylaeus (Hylaeorhiza) nubilosus roosting.

Hylaeus (Hylaeorhiza) nubilosus male roosting © Marc Newman
Hylaeus (Hylaeorhiza) nubilosus male roosting © Marc Newman

The following photograph taken in Ballendean, Queenland is of a female Hylaeus (Hylaeorhiza) nubilosus bubbling with ingested pollen mixed with nectar. This bee is 7.7 mm long.

Hylaeus (Hylaeorhiza) nubilosus female bubbling © Marc Newman
Hylaeus (Hylaeorhiza) nubilosus female bubbling © Marc Newman

Check out the Cloudy Masked Bee (Hylaeus nubilosus) at Wallaga Lake NSW.

  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Subphylum: Hexapoda
  • Class: Insecta
  • Informal: Pterygotes
  • Order: Hymenoptera
  • Superfamily: Apoidea
  • Informal: Apiformes
  • Family: Colletidae
  • Subfamily: Hylaeinae
  • Genus: Hylaeus
  • Subgenus: infrageneric Hylaeorhiza
  • Species: Hylaeus nubilosus
Hylaeus (Hylaeorhiza) nubilosus © Marc Newman
Female Hylaeus (Hylaeorhiza) nubilosus © Marc Newman

Footnote & References

  1. Many thanks to Gary Taylor on how Hylaeorhiza nubilosus may have travelled to WA.
  2. Photograph Hylaeus (Hylaeorhiza nubilosus), Geraldton WA © Gary Taylor
  3. Photograph Hylaeus (Hylaeorhiza) nubilosus, Walaga Lake NSW © Deb Taylor
  4. Photographs Hylaeus (Hylaeorhiza) nubilosus, Ballendean QLD © Marc Newman, Flickr
  5. Hylaeus (Hylaeorhiza) nubilosus (Smith, 1853), Plasterer Bee, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/fb182002-3838-4f64-b056-3f2f8c6ae8f5

Hylaeus nubilosusMud nest Yellow Mask / White Mask

Hylaeus spp – Masked BeeHylaeus (Prosopisteron) Hylaeus albonitens Hylaeus alcyoneus Hylaeus constrictiformis Hylaeus douglasi Hylaeus elegans Hylaeus euxanthus Hylaeus maiellus Hylaeus nubilosus Hylaeus nubilosus Mud nest Hylaeus nubilosus Yellow Mask / White Mask Hylaeus proximus Hylaeus ruficeps Hylaeus (Euprosopoides) ruficeps ruficeps Hylaeus theodorei Hylaeus violaceus Hylaeus vittatifrons

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