Posts Tagged: Peponapis

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 pollinate only the cucurbits or squash family, Cucurbitaceae,  which includes pumpkins, squash,...

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 Peponapis pruinosa) is an important pollinator of squash and pumpkins.  A little bit about the squash...

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 important pollinator of cultivated crops of squash, pumpkins, and others members of the...

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 and director of the Yolo County Cooperative Extension  program, has lined up a group of outstanding...

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)

Thanks Be to the Squash Bee

If you’re having pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin pie today (Thanksgiving), you can thank a squash bee. The photos posted below are genus Peponapis, common name "squash bee." They emerge in mid- to late summer, nest in the ground, and...

Squash bee inside pumpkin blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Squash bee inside pumpkin blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of the tiny squash bee, genus Peponapis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of the tiny squash bee, genus Peponapis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

These are the work of a squash bee: from left, a large gourd, a small pumpkin and a large pumpkin. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

These are the work of a squash bee: from left, a large gourd, a small pumpkin and a large pumpkin. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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