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I have seen this rather unusual behavior with many of the other wasps and bees, maybe trying to look like spiders (photo 2) when they are hanging in high grass and they are more vulnerable? It belongs to Nomada- of the largest genera in the entire family Apidae, and the largest genus of cleptoparasitic "cuckoo bees." They occur worldwide, and utilize many different types of bees as hosts, primarily the genus Andrena. As parasites, they lack a pollen-carrying scopa, and are often extraordinarily wasp-like in appearance with red, black, yellow colors prevailing, and with smoky (infuscated) wings or wing tips. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomada)
Spotted on May 2, 2013
Submitted on May 3, 2013
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