Bug FAQMorning Glory Turret Bee
Melitoma taurea · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Apidae
The morning glory turret bee has distinct white bands on its abdomen and a long tongue that reaches its abdomen when folded. It lives throughout North America and is not as hairy as similar bees in the genera Melissodes and Eucera.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It shows strong white bands on the abdomen. Even when folded, its tongue extends to the abdomen.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range is North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It can be confused with bees of the genera Melissodes and Eucera, but it is less hairy than those.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 23 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Maryland, Missouri, Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, Delaware.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Apidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melitoma_taurea
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.