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.
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.
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.
The following photograph taken in Ballendean, Queenland is of a male Hylaeus (Hylaeorhiza) nubilosus roosting.
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.
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
Footnote & References
- Many thanks to Gary Taylor on how Hylaeorhiza nubilosus may have travelled to WA.
- Photograph Hylaeus (Hylaeorhiza nubilosus), Geraldton WA © Gary Taylor
- Photograph Hylaeus (Hylaeorhiza) nubilosus, Walaga Lake NSW © Deb Taylor
- Hylaeus nubilosus, Emerald Beach NSW © Norm Farmer
- Photographs Hylaeus (Hylaeorhiza) nubilosus, Ballendean QLD © Marc Newman, Flickr
- Hylaeus (Hylaeorhiza) nubilosus (Smith, 1853), Plasterer Bee, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/Hylaeus (Hylaeorhiza) nubilosus
Hylaeus nubilosusMud nest Yellow Mask / White Mask
Hylaeus spp – Masked BeeHylaeus Index Hylaeus albonitens Hylaeus alcyoneus Hylaeus constrictiformis Hylaeus douglasi Hylaeus elegans Hylaeus dromedarius Hylaeus euxanthus Hylaeus maiellus Hylaeus nubilosus Hylaeus nubilosus Mud nest Hylaeus nubilosus Yellow Mask / White Mask Hylaeus (Prosopisteron) Hylaeus (Prosopisteron) sanguinipictus Hylaeus proximus Hylaeus ruficeps Hylaeus (Euprosopoides) ruficeps ruficeps Hylaeus theodorei Hylaeus trilobatus Hylaeus violaceus Hylaeus vittatifrons
BeesBees Anatomy Bee Behaviour Blogging Bees… Bees – image index Bees – Index Lists Unidentified Australian Native Bees Amegilla Bees Apis mellifera Austroplebeia australis Austrothurgus Braunsapis sp Ceylalictus perditellus Colletidae Euryglossinae Exoneura Hyleoides bivulnerata Lasioglossum Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) Lasioglossum (Homalictus) Leioproctus pappus Lipotriches Megachile Meroglossa Resin Bees and Resin Pot Bees Stenotritidae Tetragonula Thyreus Xylocopa
