Bug FAQUnequal Cellophane Bee
Colletes inaequalis · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Colletidae
The Unequal Cellophane Bee builds underground nests lined with a polyester-like secretion. It lives in North America and visits red maple, willow, and apple trees for pollination.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Its nests are lined with a polyester secretion, giving the genus the nickname “polyester bees.”
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It nests underground like other members of its genus.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults pollinate red maple, willow, and apple trees.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Its life cycle includes building underground cells lined with a polyester secretion.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 40 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New York, Maryland, Vermont, Massachusetts, Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Colletidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colletes_inaequalis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.