All three species of Blunt-Horn Bee known from the eastern US could occur in Vermont. This genus appears similar to both Mining Bees and Cellophane Bees. Any medium-large and hairy bee on the appropriate host plant should be extensively photographed.
Melitta melittoides
A specialist on He-Huckleberry (Lyonia ligustrina) which is a wetland shrub found sporadically in southern Vermont.
Melitta americana
A cranberry specialist.
Melitta eickworti
A specialist on Deerberry (Vaccinium stamineum), which in Vermont is a very rare shrub limited to rocky southern slopes.
Nomada rodecki
A very rare kleptoparasite of Blunt-Horned Bees. If you manage to find one of the above species, be on the lookout for this wasp looking bee.
Unless otherwise specified, photos are courtesy of Michael Veit.
Species Identification
A good key to the three New England species can be found here. Some, but probably not all, will be identifiable from photos, though the associated flower is a good clue. The hard part is finding the bees – take lots of photos if find one!
This map shows host plants (not including cranberry) as well as any future Blunt-Horned Bee records.
Please note that many of our datasets have not been published yet, so the maps are incomplete.
