Borrowing Bees
Everyone knows the feeling of excitement from receiving a
package through the mail. For a Curator, the prize revealed after tearing
through layers of packing tape is often some sacred piece of equipment used in
maintaining collection specimens. Admittedly, sacred often refers here to
anything from specialized paper labels to a fancy device for measuring light
levels in the Museum. Some packages have undoubtedly been more exciting. The
pinnacle of incoming mail for this fledgling Curator has most certainly been a
giant box holding 28 dead bees.
These were not simply bees, but specimens representative of
the wonderfully beautiful and diverse bees that call the Cable area their home.
In fact, this is a mere handful of the 166 bee species naturally occurring in
our corner of Wisconsin—over twice as many species as all mammal species found in the Northwoods. The bees that arrived to the Museum range in
size from a tiny piece of rice to about an inch long. Without a visual, the
comparison is rather underwhelming, which is a reason that the Museum will have
these specimens on display in its Bee Amazed exhibit.
Admittedly, there were a few specimens that stood out as the
box was promptly shown to everyone within sight. Augochlorella aurata is a tiny sweat bee that shines metallic
shades of green. Being that it is only 6 mm long, it’s easy to understand
swatting it away while mowing the lawn. Given the opportunity to gaze at one in
a stationary position however, it’s a bit more difficult to imagine striking
such a beautiful creature. After all, they only want to get to the nutrients so
readily available in our salty perspiration.
Agapostemon splendens is
another specimen flashing with metallic green. The specimen loaned is clearly a
male, as its abdomen contrasts the green with thick black and yellow stripes.
Long antenna and wings top off its clownish appearance to make it one of the
more visually appealing specimens.
Comparatively giant, the black and gold bumblebee is just as
charismatic as another bumblebee species that will be highlighted in Bee Amazed.
Bombus auricomus queens are quite
large. Their length is comparable to the diameter of a US quarter and this bee
overpowers the many smaller bees assembled in the loan. This bee requires grassland
habitats filled with flowering plants like clover, wild bergamot, and thistle.
Unfortunately, their decline in the Northeastern states is a likely result of
decreased grassland habitats.
Among these few are 25 equally fascinating
specimens. The carefully assembled package was originally sent out from the
land of academia—specifically the Wisconsin Insect Research Collection (WIRC)
of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For a small organization like us, the ability
to network with other institutions is crucial. Specimen loans allow all sizes
of institutions to exchange information and provide borrowers with material for
research, educational opportunities, and exhibition. For the next year, the
Cable Natural History Museum will display these 28 bees, in the hopes of allowing visitors to
view and understand them in a new light.