The Coppery Metallic-Furrow Bee is a small of East Asia, including Japan and Korea, and it isn't found in the United States. It's 1/4–1/3 in (6–8 mm) long, and females shine with a coppery metallic sheen. In Japan it can live in small colonies, with a large-headed queen and smaller worker daughters.
Appearance
- Appearance
- About 1/4–1/3 in (6–8 mm) long. Females are coppery and strongly glossy, with grayish-white hair; the wings are clear with a faint yellow tint.
Look-alikes
This bee doesn't occur in the US, so a small metallic furrow bee there is a native species such as the Southern Bronze Furrow Bee. That bee is about 1/4 in (7 mm) long, with a greenish head and thorax and a black abdomen with a green sheen; telling these small bees apart reliably takes close-up photos.
Why they get mixed upBoth are small furrow bees with a metallic tint.
Where it lives
- Range
- Native to East Asia, including Japan (Hokkaido to Kyushu) and Korea. It isn't found in North America.
Behavior
- Social life
- Studies in Japan show it can live in small colonies: a large-headed queen lays eggs while smaller daughters work as foragers.
Life cycle
- Nest
- Nests in burrows dug into open, bare ground.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
More species to explore
Record what you meet and build your own collection
Your photos are kept with their date and place, and you can fill regional albums one species at a time.