HAS THIS BEHAVIOR EVER BEEN RECORDED???
Yesterday I found a gorgeous green sweat bee in the mall trapped in a window, so I decided to rescue it. But as soon as it was inside my hand, it started making some weird squeaking sounds! I had no idea bees could do this, and sadly I couldn’t take any pictures or recordings, but I was really surprised about it.
And yes, the bee was released successfully. 
Velvet ants make squeaking sounds when captured/harassed as a warning/release call.
stridulation is known in ants, too. i’m not sure about bees specifically, but that sort of thing sounds like what you’re describing.
June beetles and male bees and wasps squeak when held. Female bees just sting you without the buzzing or squeaking.
Um yes, but in bees???
It was a very strange stridulation, I mean, way louder and creepier than for example, a longhorn beetle.
So it was very likely a male!! It did bite me but never stung.
Cotinis nitida?
Where are you from?
And are you sure it was a sweat bee?
I haven’t heard of wild bees making such sounds, they of course buzz but I don’t know about squeaking.
In my area sweat bees are very willing to sting when in danger, so either it’s not universal or it was a male indeed
Phyllophaga vetula and Polyphylla decemlineata
Oh, those June beetles.
Yucatan peninsula, Mexico.
Ummm, yes? Yeah, I’m pretty sure it was a sweat bee. I believe it was a male but have no idea of how to tell sexes apart from morphology or physical characteristics.
I’ve actually noticed this with male and female carpenter bees.
For a college entomology project I collected 1 of each sex. I noticed the male made some kind of disturbing sounds, while the female was silent.
So my bee very likely was a male.
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