Melittidae (Melitid bees)

Of the 2 species of bees in the Melittidae family found in Canada, 1 of them occurs in Alberta.

Macropis

Of the three species of Macropis bees found in Canada, one of them occurs in Alberta.

The species of Macropis bee found in Alberta (M. nuda) is a small (7.5 mm), stout  bee with a short, wide basitarsus modified to collect floral oils. It mixes floral oils with pollen from Lysimachia and packs it into nest cells in fine, well-drained soil often on sloped banks with some ground cover to conceal nest entrances.  M. nuda is highly oligetic, found only where its host plant, Lysimachia, occurs.