4 ms·
Bees (other than bumble bees) are not native to North or South America. I would guess that bumble bees, moths, hummingbirds and butterflies did most of the poll
by yareally 6y ago
Bees (other than bumble bees) are not native to North or South America. I would guess that bumble bees, moths, hummingbirds and butterflies did most of the pollination before Europeans Arrived.
There are even moths that mimic hummingbirds[1]. First time I saw one, I thought it was a hummingbird.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemaris https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemaris
EDIT: I meant European Honeybees, but still news to me that sweat bees and the like are considered bees as well. Interesting.
- spqr0a1 6y agoThere are thousands of native bee species in the Americas beyond bumblebees. Including sweat bees, stingless bees, orchid bee, and carpenter bees. https://bugguide.net/node/view/475348 https://bugguide.net/node/view/475348
- hinkley 6y agoAnd there are hundreds of species of just bumblebees. And mason bees Hoverflies were the big surprise for me. They employ mimicry to be mistaken for bees (or occasionally hornets), but they are also important pollinators.
- vikramkr 6y agoOne of the moths related to the genus you linked that is also really cool to see fly and pollinate is the five spotted hawk moth. Unfortunately, as cool as these moths are to watch fly since they really can make you think they're some sort of hummingbird, their larvae are among every gardeners worst nightmares: the tomato hornworm. These can defoliate a whole tomato plant in just a few days, it's insane how much they eat, and how reviled the larvae are as pests compared to how cool the adults are.
- jly 6y agoI think you meant to say honey bees, Apis, comprising only a handful of species, are not native to the Americas. There are around 4000 known species of bee (Anthophila) native just to North America.