Appearance: About 3/8 inch in length. Black or dark brown head and body with pale bands on abdomen. Fuzzy, rusty-orange colored hind legs. (H. rubicundus is one of 4,500 sweat bee species worldwide.

The surefire way to know whether it’s a sweat bee or a corn fly buzzing around is if it stings. The halictid bee stings, but the corn fly, also called a hover fly, does not. “They’re mimics of bees, ...

Hylaeus punctatus, a tiny black bee native to Europe that was recently spotted in Pennsylvania, rests atop a flower. Photo courtesy of Lori Weidenhammer Discovering bees requires patience, a ...

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