Glossary

Biome: A distinct geographical region with specific climate, vegetation, and animal life. 

Cleptoparasite: An animal that steals the food or prey from another animal.

Clypeus: A broad plate at the front of an insect's head. 

Crop: Part of a bee's foregut used for transporting nectar and water. In Hylaeus bees, it is also used to transport pollen.

Cuckoo bee: Cleptoparasitic bees that lay their eggs in the nests of other bee species. The cuckoo bee larvae eat the pollen provisions meant for the host bee larvae, killing the host. 

Ecological Province: A level of land classification used by the MN Department of Natural Resources. There are four ecological provinces in Minnesota: Eastern Broadleaf Forest, Laurentian Mixed Forest, Prairie Parklands, and Tallgrass Aspen Parklands.

Genus: Taxonomic category that ranks above species and below family. A class of things that have common characeristics. 

Integument: The outer covering of an insect's body. 

Mandibles: Insect mouthparts 

Nest-building: A bee or wasp that builds a nest to shelter its offspring while they develop.

Parasite: An organism the gets a benefit from another organism (host), but has a detrimental effect on that organism. 

Parasitoid: An organism that lives on or in a host organism, ultimately killing the host. Most insect parasitoids are wasps.

Resin: A sticky, organic substance, insoluble in water, exuded by some trees and other plants.

Scopa: A brush-like tuft of hairs used for collecting pollen. On many bees, the scopa is on the upper leg. On Megachilid bees, the scopa is on the underside of the abdomen.

Scopal hairs: The hairs that make up the scopa.

Tarsal: Referring to the small segments of an insect's leg, distal to the tibia.

Tubercles: An abrupt elevation found on top of an insect's integument. 

Voltinism: The number of broods or generations of an organism in a year.