Posts Tagged: Peponapis pruinosa

Thank the Squash Bee on Thanksgiving

If you're having pumpkin pie or butternut squash this Thanksgiving, thank the squash bee. Squash bees are specialists (not generalists) that...

A squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa, pollinating a squash blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa, pollinating a squash blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of a squash bee,Peponapis pruinosa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of a squash bee,Peponapis pruinosa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Happy National Squash Bee Day!

In case you missed it, today was National Pumpkin Day. But it ought to be National Squash Bee Day, because the squash bee (my favorite species is...

Squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa, inside a squash blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa, inside a squash blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Why the Squash Bee Is Important

Peponapis pruinosa isn't your common household word. But among the people who study pollinators, it is. Also known as a squash bee, it is an...

Squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa, on a squash blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa, on a squash blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa, is a specialist, pollinating only the Cucurbita genus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa, is a specialist, pollinating only the Cucurbita genus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

All About Pollination

Pollination--what should we know? How can we attract pollinators to our gardens and agricultural landscapes? Rachael Long, Yolo County farm advisor...

Squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Leafcutting bee, Megachile fidelis, on Mexican sunflower, Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Leafcutting bee, Megachile fidelis, on Mexican sunflower, Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Sunflower bee, Svastra obliqua expurgata. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Sunflower bee, Svastra obliqua expurgata. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Squash Blossom Special

Male squash bees know just where to sleep--inside a squash blossom. If you're growing squash and you head out to your garden just after sunrise,...

Male squash bee nestled inside a squash blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Male squash bee nestled inside a squash blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Male squash bee wide awake. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Male squash bee wide awake. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of tongue of male squash bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of tongue of male squash bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Read more