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.