Hairy-footed Flower Bee Anthophora villosula Smith, 1854Non-native    Synonyms: Anthophora pilipes, Anthophora plumipes.
Kingdom Animalia   >   Phylum Arthropoda   >   Class Insecta   >   Order Hymenoptera   >   Family Apidae   >   Genus Anthophora   

Status:

"A Japanese Bee in America. This is Anthophora villosula. An Anthophora that was introduced in the 1980s to Eastern U.S. for ag purposes, but its potential was never realized. Now, unfortunately, it is a common and spreading alien species dispersing from its original location in the Washington, D.C. area and will likely occupy much of the country at some point. It can be found nesting in the dry dirt under decks, in upturned root masses, and in the earthen plaster of straw bale houses such as mine, where it nests by the hundreds. It does favor the 'alien' plant community over the natives so it will be another interesting story to watch how it integrates and competes with the local bee fauna. Another rock thrown into the quiet pool of native bees and their flowers." (S. Droege, pers. comm.)

There are 271 records in the project database.

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A male Hairy-footed Flower Bee collected in Prince George's Co., Maryland (4/17/2014). Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

Close-up of the head of a male Hairy-footed Flower Bee. Per Sam Droege, "introduced into Maryland from Japan in the 1980s and now common in the D.C. region." Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

A Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Montgomery Co., Maryland (5/1/2020). Determined by John S. Ascher and Bob Biagi via BugGuide. Photo by Wendy R. Fredericks. (MBP list)

Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (4/6/2022). (c) Shane Windsor, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by swindsor via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (4/6/2022). (c) Shane Windsor, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by swindsor via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (4/6/2022). (c) Shane Windsor, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by swindsor via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (5/1/2022). (c) Jenny Mottar Kopelen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by jmottar via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Close-up of the head of a female Hairy-footed Flower Bee. Per Sam Droege, "introduced into Maryland from Japan in the 1980s and now common in the D.C. region." Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

A Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Montgomery Co., Maryland (4/15/2016). Determined by John S. Ascher/BugGuide. Photo by Steve Scholnick. (MBP list)

A female Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Calvert Co., Maryland (4/25/2020). Determined by John S. Ascher and Nathaniel Green/BugGuide. Photo by Jim Moore. (MBP list)

Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Baltimore Co., Maryland (4/25/2021). (c) Frode Jacobsen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Frode Jacobsen. (MBP list)

An Anthophora plumipes in Prince George's Co., Maryland (4/19/2014). Identification verified by John Ascher/BugGuide. Photo by Timothy Reichard. (MBP list)

Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (4/3/2021). (c) Sergei Drovetski, all rights reserved. Photo by Sergei Drovetski. (MBP list)

Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Howard Co., Maryland (4/12/2023). (c) bugologist2, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by bugologist2 via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

A Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Montgomery Co., Maryland (4/23/2019). Verified by John S. Ascher/BugGuide. Photo by Steve Scholnick. (MBP list)

Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (4/13/2019). (c) Jenny Glenn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Jenny Glenn via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Howard Co., Maryland (4/12/2023). (c) bugologist2, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by bugologist2 via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

A Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (2/23/2017). Verified by John S. Ascher/BugGuide. Photo by Jesse Christopherson. (MBP list)

Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (4/30/2018). (c) Jenny Glenn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Jenny Glenn via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Montgomery Co., Maryland (3/22/2022). (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY). Photo by Katja Schulz via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Montgomery Co., Maryland (3/22/2022). (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY). Photo by Katja Schulz via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Montgomery Co., Maryland (3/23/2023). (c) Ron Wertz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA). Photo by Ron Wertz via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Howard Co., Maryland (4/29/2017). (c) Gregg Petersen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Gregg Petersen via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Montgomery Co., Maryland (4/6/2019). (c) mmn noriko, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by mmn_noriko via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Howard Co., Maryland (4/29/2017). (c) Gregg Petersen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Gregg Petersen via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

A male Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (4/17/2014). Image processed by Brooke Alexander. Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

Hairy-footed Flower Bee in Montgomery Co., Maryland (4/3/2020). (c) Jane Hartman, all rights reserved. Photo by Jane Hartman. (MBP list)

A Hairy-footed Flower Bee colony found in an upturned oak rootball in Howard Co., Maryland (4/28/2018). Specimens collected and determined by Richard Orr. Photo by Joanne Solem. (MBP list)


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