Habropoda laboriosa
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Habropoda laboriosa, the southeastern blueberry bee, is a bee in the family Apidae. It is native to the eastern United States. It is regarded as the most efficient pollinator of southern rabbit-eye blueberries, because the flowers require buzz pollination, and H. laboriosa is one of the few bees that exhibit this behavior. It is active for only a few weeks of the year, while the blueberries are in flower during early spring, when the temperature is warm and humid. H. laboriosa are solitary bees that live alone but nest in close proximity with other nests of their species. They have similar features to bumblebees, but are smaller in size compared to them.
The southeastern blueberry bee was classified by Fabricius in 1804. Southeastern blueberry bees are considered mountain-digger bees which can be characterized into the genus Habropoda; the major plant that it pollinates are blueberry plants (Vaccinium), so the species name, laboriosa, is derived from that characteristic.
H. laboriosa are solitary bees but may be in close proximity to other nests. They dig tunnels in the ground that are a little wider than their bodies, and they may do so in the company... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Blueberry Digger Bee sighting in Houston on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 603rd most-seen of the 1057 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blueberry Digger Bee in Houston on a given day, against under 5% in April to February, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blueberry Digger Bee sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Blueberry Digger Bee sightings, Houston ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Orlando (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Apidae
The closest relatives of the Blueberry Digger Bee that you can see in Houston (family Apidae, Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, and Allies) are Eastern Carpenter Bee (about 20%), American Bumble Bee (about 20%) and Southern Carpenter Bee (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blueberry Digger Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Houston (14 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
