This small, slender bee is approximately 1/2 inch (12 mm) in length. The head, eyes and thorax are black. The antennae are black. The abdomen is red with black on approximately the last 3 segments. Generally the abdomen is red with varying amounts of black in both males and females. This bee was identified by a volunteer with the BugGuide website.
This species is probably common in late summer. Look for them nectaring on goldenrod and other composite flowers.
The bees in the genus Sphecodes are all parasites of other bees, especially other halicitids. These bees are kleptoparasites, meaning that they kill the eggs of the host bee and eat the food stored for the larva. Sphecodes are unusual in that instead of the larvae killing the host eggs the adults kill the host eggs.
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