SHARP-EATMAN
NATURE
PHOTOGRAPHY
A female Centris nitida emerging from her nest in a bamboo cane
A male shining oil-digger bee
The male bee has mandibles that are primarily yellow, with reddish tips that darken toward the point. The labrum (the part between the mandibles) is yellow, and the clypeus (the part above the labrum) is yellow except for dark margins on the top and bottom.
Note that the third segment of each antenna (called F1) is long -- a little longer than the second through fourth (F2, F3 and F4) combined. There are both light and dark hairs behind the antennae.
There is a patch of dark hairs between the male bee's compound eyes: behind this are light hairs that intermingle at the margin with the dark patch.
A male Shining oil-digger bee (Centris nitida)
Associated flora:
Crucita
(Chromolaena odorata)
Plant Family: Asteraceae
When and where seen:
November 2018
National Butterfly Center
Mission, TX (Hidalgo Co.)
Shining Oil-digger Bee
Centris nitida
Family: Apidae
Size: 13 mm (males and females)
Until recently, the shining oil-digger bee (Centris nitida) was rarely found north of Mexico. Centris nitida is generally thought of as a neotropical species that typically ranges from the Texas border through Bolivia. (The species has made a recent appearance in southern Florida, where it is considered invasive but apparently harmless.) Centris nitida is now encountered occasionally at the National Butterfly Center. According to Texas bee expert John L. Neff, the bees' appearance signals that Malpighiaceae-family plants are in bloom somewhere in the vicinity.
Female Centris nitida are easily identified by their distinctive pale facial markings. Males can be distinguished from male Centris atripes by examing the bees' middle legs: the male Centris nitida has a fringe of white hairs on the back of each middle-leg tibia.
ID GUIDE TO WILD BEES
OF THE NATIONAL BUTTERFLY CENTER
Mission, Texas
OIL-DIGGER BEES
Centris
Above Photo Copyright 2026 Mika Geiger
OIL-DIGGER BEES
Genus Centris
Centris are difficult to miss. They are hefty bees that buzz loudly as they zoom amid gardens and wildflowers. Fast and adept fliers, they race around bushes, reversing direction suddenly in order to guard their territories, or diving into blossoms to extract nectar, pollen or oil.
Centris are sometimes referred to in popular literature as “oil-digger bees," because members of the genus extract flower oils from plants. The bees modify and use the oils to line their nest chambers.
A seminal 1981 study of oil-collecting bees by John L. Neff and Beryl B. Simpson described the front and middle legs of most female Centris as outfitted with small bristle-like hairs called setae, which form combs (made up of narrow lines of setae) and pads (made up of branched and hooked setae). Some of the setae are blade-like and used to cut open flower receptacles that contain oils.
The Centris female’s hind legs are covered with bushy pollen-collecting hairs that are sometimes described as looking like “pantaloons”. Centris females transfer the oils from their front and middle oil-collecting legs to their hind-leg scopal hairs in mid-flight, for transport back to their nests.
Most Centris in the Valley nest in the earth, sometimes near the banks of streams or other bodies of water. They are solitary bees that frequently form aggregations at nest sites. Some Centris, such as C. nitida, nest in wood or cavities found in trees. Centris nests tend to be built in irregular clumps of cells, rather than in series.
Associated Flora
Centris are associated with plants that produce abundant floral oils, such as manzanita, creosote, and Krameria. Almost all female Centris collect oils, at least at times, from plants in the family Malpighiaceae – which includes flora native to the Lower Rio Grande Valley such as wild crapemyrtle (Malphigia glabra) and acerola (Malpighia emarginata). Malpighia bushes bloom in the spring at the National Butterfly Center -- when they do, they are mobbed by such large numbers of oil-digger bees that the bushes seem to hum.
Centris also can be observed visiting a range of other plants for pollen or nectar. At the National Butterfly Center, oil-digger bees feed on crucita, mallows, palo verde, golden dewdrops, sunflowers and snoutbean.
Identification Information:
Centris occur only in the New World; most are found in Mexico and Central and South America. Most Texas Centris are fairly large (around ½ inch or longer), with black abdomens covered with black or pale hairs; shaggy black legs; thoraxes covered with beige or rust-colored hairs; and black heads with green, grayish-blue or red eyes. Both female and male Centris of Texas tend to have pale facial markings -- usually ivory or yellow. This trait helps distinguish them from Anthophora digger bees (shown in this guide's preceding section): in the genus Anthophora, only males have pale marks on their faces.
At least ten different Centris species inhabit Texas:
Centris aterrima, C. atripes, C. caesalpiniae, C. cockerelli, C. decolorata, C. hoffmanseggiae, C. lanosa, C. mexicana, C. nitida and C. rhodopus. It is likely that additional subtropical species occur at least occasionally in the Valley.
Centris aterrima is covered almost entirely with black hairs. Centris caesalpiniae and C. rhodopus females have bright red eyes and red on the clypeus, mandibles and legs; males of these species have green eyes and predominantly yellow facial markings and legs. Female Centris cockerelli and C. hoffmanseggiae have bluish-green or gray eyes and may also have red clypei. Most Texas Centris are predominantly black with beige thorax hairs, but Centris decolorata, C. hoffmanseggiae and C. mexicana may have rust-colored thorax hairs. Similar species often can be told apart by the distinctive markings on the bees' faces.
A female black-footed oil-digger bee (Centris atripes)
COMPARISON OF CENTRIS & ANTHOPHORA FACES
This is a female Centris nitida: in Texas, both male and female Centris have pale (or sometimes red) markings on their faces.
A male Centris nitida: differences in facial markings help differentiate males and females within a species from each other.
Face of a female Centris atripes: facial markings are also used to distinguish one Centris species from another.
This is a male Centris atripes: its markings differ both from those of the female Centris atripes (which has black on the upper clypeus), and from those of the male Centris nitida (which has black areas on the upper and lower clypeal margins and partly-yellow mandibles).
This is a female Anthophora capistrata. Female Anthophora found in Texas have dark faces, without pale markings -- this trait distinguishes them from Centris females.
This is a male Anthophora capistrata. The singular markings on its face distinguish it from other males with facial markings -- including both other male Anthophora and other male Centris.
TAXONOMY OF CENTRIS BEES
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Subfamily: Apinae
Tribe: Centridini
Genus: Centris
Species shown below:
Centris (Centris) decolorata (Discolored oil-digger bee)
Centris (Paracentris) atripes (Black-footed oil-digger bee)
Centris (Hemisiella) nitida (Shining oil-digger bee)
Centris Species of the National Butterfly Center
Black-footed Oil-digger Bee
Centris atripes
Family: Apidae
Size: 15-17 mm (males and females)
Associated flora:
Golden dewdrops
(Duranta erecta)
Plant Family: Verbenaceae
Texas snout bean
(Rhynchosia senna var. texana)
Plant Family: Fabaceae
Big berry manzanita
(Arctostaphylos glauca)
Plant family: Ericaceae
Wild crapemyrtle
(Malpighia glauca)
Plant family: Malpighiaceae
Esperanza
(Tecoma stans)
Plant family: Bignoniaceae
When seen:
September 2018
April - May 2019
National Butterfly Center
Mission TX (Hidalgo Co.)
A female Centris atripes: this is a hefty bee measuring 17 mm (about 2/3"). The relative size of the bee can be an important factor that aids in differentiating one Centris species from another.
Female black-footed oil-digger bees have pale hairs on the thorax and vertex (the top of the head). They have dark hairs on all terga (the segments of the upper abdomen).
A male black-footed digger bee: males generally resemble females, but are somewhat smaller. The hairs on the males' middle and hind legs are entirely black.
A male black-footed digger bee emerging from an esperanza blossom: this male spent the night sleeping in an esperanza blossom and buzzed in and out of experanza flowers during the day.
A female black-footed oil-digger bee (Centris atripes)
A male black-footed oil-digger bee
The black-footed oil digger bee (Centris atripes) is a common visitor to the National Butterfly Center in April and May, the months when crapemyrtle and maanzanita are flowering. Males of this species tend to buzz around the trumpet-shaped blossoms of the ornamental shrub known as esperanza; males sometimes can be found sleeping in esperanza blossoms. Centris atripes nests have been sighted in NBC areas bordering a canal that parallels the Rio Grande.
Associated flora:
Wild crapemyrtle
(Malpighia glabra)
Plant Family: Malpighiaceae
Sea ox-eye
(Borrichia frutescens)
Plant Family: Malpighiaceae
When & where seen:
April 25, 2026 (female)
South Padre Island
May 20, 2025 (male)
Brownsville
Cameron Co., Texas
Discolored Oil-digger Bee
aka Crazy Beach Bee
Centris (Centris) decolorata
Family: Apidae
Size: 16-20 mm (male and female)
A female Centris decolorata
Photo Copyright 2026 Mika Geiger
A female Centris decolorata flying amid wild crapemyrtle blossoms on South Padre Island. Photo Copyright 2026 Mika Geiger.
A female Centris decolorata collecting oils from Malpighia: note the distinctive black and pale markings on the bee's face. The female has grayish blue-green eyes. Photo Copyright 2026 Mika Geiger.
The female Centris decolorata shown here has bright red upper thorax hairs and beige hairs on the rear segments of its abdomen. On some females, the thorax hairs are beige. Photo Copyright 2026 Mika Geiger.
Centris decolorata nests in sandy soils and is associated with subtropical and coastal areas. It is known as the "crazy beach bee" in the Caribbean, where it is widespread, appearing in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Puerto RIco and southward through the Antilles. The usual mainland range of Centris decolorata extends from east-central Mexico, through Central America, and into South America as far south as Argentina. There are infrequent records of this species in Texas.
Centris decolorata has been documented only rarely in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Nonetheless, during 2025-2026, i-Naturalist recorded multiple sightings of Centris decolorata in coastal areas extending from Brownsville to Corpus Christi. The female bee shown above, photographed by Mika Geiger, appeared on April 25, 2026 on South Padre Island. The male, photographed by J. D. Flores, appeared on May 20, 2025 in Brownsville.
WIthin the LRGV, the male Centris decolorata can be identified by the rust-colored hairs on its thorax and the short yellowish bands on the sides of T2-T5 (2nd through 5th abdominal segments). Females may be harder to identify: their thorax hair is often rust-colored, but it also can be beige and especially pale on the sides. Females' abdomens have a greenish tint and lack lateral yellowish coloration. Both males and females have black wings; black legs; and pale or rust-colored hairs covering parts of the legs and abdomen. Males may have reddish tegulae (the plates where the wings join the thorax).
Facial markings help greatly to identify this species. As shown in the photo strip here, the male's face (labrum, clypeus and area above the clypeus) are predominantly yellow, with jagged black upper margins. The female's face is partly yellow, with extensive and distinctive black markings.
Behavior and Associated flora: Centris decolorata tend to nest in sandy soils. As summarized by Kardas, et al., females construct nests consisting of long diagonal tunnels terminating in single brood cells. The bees fortify and seal egg cell walls with a mixture of leaves, resins, plant oils and secretions from a special organ called the Dufour's gland. Females store provisions consisting of pollen and plant oils in the egg cells for their offspring.
Centris decolorata gather pollen and nectar from a variety of common coastal flora, such as Canavalia rosea (baybean), sea ox-eye (Borrichia frutescens) and other beach Asteraceae. Females, however, gather oils principally from flowers of the genus Malpighia and may travel long distances in search of such flora. The bees female bees shown here were visiting a variety of Malpighia known locally as wild crapemyrtle.
Photo Copyright 2025 J,D. Flores
A male Centris decolorata
RECOMMENDED REFERENCES
relating to Centris decolorata
Alves-dos-Santos, I., Gaglianone, M. C., Naxara, S. R. C., and Engel, M. S. (2009). Male sleeping aggregations of solitary oil-collecting bees in Brazil (Centridini, Tapinotaspidini, and Tetrapediini; Hymenoptera: Apidae). Genet. Mol. Res. 8, 515–524.
Buchmann, S. L. (1987). The ecology of oil flowers and their bees. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 18, 343–369.
Cane, J. H., and Brooks, R. W. (1983). "Dufour’s gland lipid chemistry of three species of Centris bees (hymenoptera: apoidea, anthophoridae)." Comp. Biochem. Physiol. Part B Biochem 76, 895–897.
Crazy Beach Bee Centris decolorata. Naturalis Biodversity Center, 2017. Dutch Caribbean Species Register, www.dutchcaribbeanspecies.org.
Danforth, B. N., Minckley, R. L., Neff, J. L., & Fawcett, F. (2019). The Solitary Bees. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Gaglianone, M. C., Rocha, H. H. S., Benevides, C. R., Junqueira, C. N., & Augusto, S. C. (2010). Importância De Centridini (Apidae) Na Polinização De Plantas De Interesse Agrícola: O Maracujá-Doce (Passiflora Alata Curtis) Como Estudo De Caso Na Região Sudeste Do Brasil. Oecologia Aust. 14, 152–164.
Genaro, J. & Breto, D. (2024). The genus Centris Fabricius in Cuba, with a new record and the description of a new species (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila). Insecta Mundi 1041: 1–26.
Kardas, E., González-Rosario, A. M., Giray, T., Ackerman, J. D., & Godoy-Vitorino, F. (2023). "Gut microbiota variation of a tropical oil-collecting bee species far exceeds that of the honeybee." Frontiers in Microbiology May 17, 14:1122489.
Moure, J.S. & G. A. R. Melo, 2023. Centridini Cockerell & Cockerell, 1901. Catalogue of Bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) in the Neotropical Region. https://moure.cria.org.br/catalogue?id=112163
Neff, J. L. & B. B. Simpson. Oil-collecting structures in the Anthophoridae (Hymenoptera): morphology, function, and use in systematics.” Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, vol. 54.1 (Jan. 1981): 95-123.
Smith, F. (1874). A revision of the genera Epicharis, Centris, Eulema and Euglossa, belonging to the family Apidae, section Scopulipedes. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (4) 13: 357-373 [364, 365] (Centris decolorata as Centris decolorata and C. maculata).
Vivallo, F. (2020). The bees of the genus Centris Fabricius, 1804 described by Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Apidae). European Journal of Taxonomy 618: 1-47.
CITE THIS PAGE: Sharp, Paula and Ross Eatman. "Centris." Wild Bees of the National Butterfly Center of Mission, Texas. 15 Jan. 2019, http://www.wildbeestexas.com. Accessed [day/month/year guide accessed].