So folks, I am stuck out in the boonies of NY dropping trees like a lumberjack. Well, a lumberjack with a pimped-out ATV and dressed in blazed orange in hopes of avoiding hunting season.

While the trees that were infested with an invasive woodwasp are dead and being removed, there were still other creatures out and about despite the temps being in the 50’s. Take for example this halictid bee (a.k.a. sweat bee).

The halictids are commonly referred to as sweat bees because some species are attracted to perspiration. They feed on pollen and nest in the ground and in wood. They are also known for ‘mass provisioning’ their larvae. They form a mass of pollen in the cell that the egg is laid in and when the larva hatches it will have enough food to feed on until it emerges as an adult. This is different than say how honey bees provide food for their larvae because honey bees continue to bring food back to the growing larvae all throughout the growing season.

Below is a picture of an adult poking its head out of a hole in a piece of decaying wood.

Insects weren’t the only things that were out and about, for instance, here is a cute little millipede that crawled its way across one of our logs.

And there was also this handsome frog, whom I think looks like a little bandit with that mask over its eyes.

While the main purpose of this particular trip is to fell infested trees, my eyes still can’t help but watch the few insects that are still buzzing around. No worries though mom, when that chain saw starts going I make sure to look up to see which way the tree is falling

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