DUFOUREA MARGINATA
Dufourea marginata
SWEAT BEE FAMILY (Halictidae)
This small sweat bee is about 3/8 inch long (9 mm) and is quite hairy with whitish hairs on the legs, thorax and abdomen. It is brown with whitish bands on the abdomen. It has clear wings.
This bee is probably common in the right habitat in this area. It has a limited range in the central U.S. from Wisconsin to Utah and south to Mississippi.
Dufourea marginata is a specialist feeder on sunflowers. It’s a common late summer bee in the Great Plains, but rare further east in the tallgrass prairies of Missouri, Illinois, etc. The bee nests in the ground and seeks out sunflowers for pollen and nectar.
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