Insects of San Francisco Bay Area
European Honey Bee - Apis mellifera
Mantis
Dark Jerusalem Cricket - Stenopelmatus fuscus
Flame Skimmer - Libellula saturata
The San Francisco Bay Area is home to a number of insects, including different types of butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies, beetles and grasshoppers. You can find them in all types of habitats including urban areas.
The San Francisco Bay Area has a high diversity of insect species because of the diversity of the local environment. The juxtaposition of high insect diversity and an area intensively used by humans led to the first recorded extinction as well as the first efforts to conserve insects in the United States.
Ants
Over 100 species of ants are native to the Bay Area. The invasion of the introduced Argentine Ant - Linepithema humile, has mostly driven the native ants out near urban areas.
Some common species:
- Bicolored Carpenter Ant - Camponotus vicinus
- Black Carpenter Ant - Camponotus quercicola
- Dark Log Ant - Hypoponera opacior
- Odorous Ant - Tapinoma sessile
- Black Wood Ant - Formica fusca
- Red Wood Ant - Formica integroides
- Shiny Wood Ant - Formica lasioides
- Bicolored Wood Ant - Formica moki
- Argentine Ant - Linepithema humile
- False Honey Ant - Prenolepis imparis
- Acrobat Ant - Crematogaster coarctata
- Common Harvester Ant - Messor andrei
- Seed Disperser Ant - Aphaenogaster occidentalis
- Stenamma Ant - Stenamma diecki
- Pavement Ant - Tetramorium caespitum
- Thief Ant - Solenopsis molesta
- Little Black Ant - Monomorium minimum
- Tiny Mono Ant - Monomorium ergatogyna
- Army Ant - Neivamyrmex californicus
Some articles:
- Bay Area Ants, section on AntWeb. This site has detailed photos and scientific descriptions. You can generate lists by local counties.
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- Ants section on myrmecos.net - this site has great photographs of many ant species and some other insects too.
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- A key for identifying 16 common species of ants found in San Francisco area by Kevin M. Clarke
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Bees
At least 81 species of native bees, from 5 families, are found in the Bay Area. These are Apidae, Andrenidae, Colletidae, Halictidae, and Megachilidae. The most common species, the Honey Bee - Apis mellifera, is however an introduced (exotic) species from Europe.
Some common species:
- Honey Bee - Apis mellifera
- Western Bumblebee - Bombus occidentalis
- Yellow-faced Bumblebee - Bombus vosnesenskii
- California Carpenter Bee - Xylocopa californica
- Metallic Sweat Bee. - Agapostemon sp.
Some articles:
- Common Bee Groups in the San Francisco Bay Area -
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- A Practical Guide to Bee-friendly Urban Gardens by the Bee Lab at the College of Natural Resources, UC Berkeley.
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- Native Bees Found In The Greater San Francisco Bay Area Region, With Some Of Their Likely Plant Hosts, Yerba Buena Nursery.
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Dragonflies and Damselflies
They are referred to as Odonates.There are over 28 species of dragonflies in the Bay Area.
- California Dragonflies & Damselflies by Kathy Biggs, author of "Common Dragonflies of California, A Beginner's Pocket Guide". Great site with an online field guide and lots of other resources.
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- The Monterey County Odonata Checklist by Don Roberson is another excellent resource and will help with many common Bay Area species. He includes photographs and notes.
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- odophile.com is a website dedicated to dragonflies and damselflies of the South Bay. It has some beautiful photographs. Much information is still being filled in.
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- 12 common dragonflies of the Bay area with photographs by Rich Stallcup of Point Reyes Bird Observatory
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- Dragonflies And Damselflies at Mount Diablo State Park - A Preliminary Survey by Douglas Vaughan, May 2003 - May 2004.
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- Odonates of Skyline Open Space Preserve - a list by Alvaro Jaramillo, as of 2003.
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Media
- A selection of useful reference books can be found here - Insect Books ...more
- Eddie Dunbar has produced a CD guide to Lake Merritt and Greater Oakland Insects.
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Insect Articles and Links
- BugPeople is an Entomology Outreach program based in Oakland. Their website has many photographs and other resources for studying Bay Area insects.
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- BugGuide.Net is a great resource for insects and spiders. It contains a vast collection of photographs submitted by users all over North America. You can browse by taxonomical arrangement or search using different fields.
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