foxfirerodandgun Loc: Stony Creek, VA

Can anyone ID these bees? They look like Honey Bees but do not act like them and are about 2/3 rds. the size of a Honey Bee. They are VERY hyper acting and do not seem aggressive and fly all around me when I am close to them. This is the third year they have shown up. There is roughly 15 to 25 in the group and they move on in a couple weeks. For whatever reason they like this rusty expanded metal table top on my deck. When I first saw them I thought "African Killer Bees". Probably not though.

Sorry for the lousy pictures. I was using an old Nikon S8100 that I keep next to my recliner and did not have it set on spot focus.

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Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

From what I see, it looks like one of the digger bees. In any case, it is one of the solitary species of bees, where females prepare small nests on their own. Digger bee females for example make a nest in a small burrow in the ground. This time of year a new generation is emerging, and the ones hanging about a given area are generally males waiting for females to emerge from their nests. They are not aggressive. Just eager, with one thing and only one thing on their mind.
Africanized bees are actually a variety of ordinary honeybee. They are the same species, in fact. I don't think they are in your area.

foxfirerodandgun Loc: Stony Creek, VA

Thanks. They are just so quick & active. Between them & the Carpenter Bees that are here now things are really buzzing. :~)