ID tips: Yellow and black bands and an orange tail. Small size. Males have yellow facial hair.
Description: The UK’s smallest bumblebee. Common in gardens and other areas with trees and bushes. The early bumblebee is a key pollinator of summer fruits such as raspberries.
Bees play a vital role in pollinating plants and crops, yet many backyard gardeners struggle to identify the different species that visit their gardens. One distinguishing feature that can help is a black dot on the bee’s back. Let’s explore some of the most common bees marked this way and how to tell them apart.
Bumblebees
Bumblebees are large, fuzzy bees that belong to the genus Bombus. There are over 250 species worldwide, and about 50 species native to North America.
Many bumblebee species have a small black dot or spot centrally located on their thorax (mid-section), This includes
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The common eastern bumblebee (Bombus impatiens), one of the most prevalent. Females have a yellow band on the first abdominal segment, with the rest black.
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The brown-belted bumblebee (Bombus griseocollis), which has a brown band between its wings.
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Cuckoo bumblebees like the rusty-patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis), a critically endangered species.
Carpenter Bees
Carpenter bees in the genus Xylocopa are large, robust bees that drill holes in wood to make their nests. They can be up to an inch long and are often mistaken for bumblebees.
Some species have a distinctive white or yellow dot on the top of their heads. This includes Xylocopa micans and Xylocopa virginica, two types commonly found in North America. The dot is more prominent on males.
Mining Bees
Mining bees belong to the family Andrenidae. They are ground-nesting, solitary bees active in spring.
A few species have light-colored hairs forming a central spot on their backs, such as:
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The ashy mining bee (Andrena cineraria), which has gray hairs Females are black with gray stripes on the thorax.
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The tawny mining bee (Andrena fulva), marked by reddish-orange hairs. Females are very furry, males less so.
Leafcutter Bees
Leafcutter bees in the genus Megachile cut pieces of leaves to build their nests. They carry pollen on their abdomen instead of their legs.
Some have black dots surrounded by light-colored hairs, including:
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Megachile rotundata, the alfalfa leafcutter bee, used commercially for pollination.
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Megachile petulans, which cuts circles from rose leaves.
How to Identify the Dot
When trying to identify a bee with a black dot, look for the following:
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Location – The dot is usually on the central thorax, not the head or abdomen. In some cases it may be above the wings.
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Size – The dot is quite small, around 1-3mm wide. It does not cover the entire thorax.
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Color – The dot itself is black or dark brown. It may be surrounded by light-colored hairs that form a circle.
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Texture – The thorax area around the dot has a fuzzy, hairy appearance.
Take note of other markings and the bee’s general size and shape as well. Comparing against photos can help pin down the exact species. With practice, identifying bees in your garden by their distinctive dots and markings will become much easier.
Get your own bee ID guide
Buy a bee saver kit and a fold-out bee identification guide to take to the garden or park near you.
Wildflower seeds are in the kit to attract and feed more bees. There is also a garden planner and a postcard with a bee on it.
When to see them: April-November.
Nesting habits: Old burrows or tussocks.
ID tips: Black body and an orange tail. Male red-tailed bumblebees have a yellow ruff.
You are most likely to see the red-tailed bumblebee out of the three species that are this color. However, keep an eye out for dark-winged red-tailed cuckoo bees, which are nest parasites.
See our guide to red-tailed black bumblebees.
When to see them: March-November.
Nesting habits: In tussocks.
ID tips: Varying shades of brown or ginger. Rear legs bare and shiny. Common carder bees have black hairs on their abdomen.
Description: The brown bumblebee you will most likely see is the common carder bee. All three like tubular flowers such as foxglove and deadnettles along with legume flowers including beans.
See our guide to brown carder bees.
When to see them: March-July.
Nesting habits: Cavities above ground.
ID tips: Ginger thorax, black abdomen and a white tail. Black underside.
Description: This distinctive bumblebee first arrived in the UK in 2001. As its name suggests it prefers to nest in trees, also using bird boxes and buildings.
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When to see them: May-September.
Nesting habits: In tussocks.
ID tips: Pale yellow and grey bands with a peachy tail.
Description: This is one of Britain’s rarest bumblebees. It can only be found in grasslands in southern England and Wales that have lots of legume flowers like clovers, vetches, and trefoils.
When to see them: March-October.
Nesting habits: Beehives or cavities above ground.
ID tips: Abdomen with amber bands or completely black. Buff-haired thorax. Rear legs bare and shiny.
Description: Most honeybees in the UK live in hives managed by beekeepers. Each hive can contain over 20,000 bees. Only worker honeybees make delicious honey, using nectar gathered from flowers.
and give nature a boost.
When to see them: March-June.
Nesting habits: Aerial or ground nester (banks, walls or bare ground).
ID tips: Females: Black with yellow legs. Males: Brown with a pale face and hair plumes on their middle legs.
Description: These bumblebee-lookalikes are amongst the earliest bees to emerge in spring. They dart rapidly between flowers and blossoms, particularly favouring lungwort, deadnettles and wallflowers.
When to see them: March-June.
Nesting habits: Bee nest parasite.
ID tips: Grey collar. White spots along abdomen. Sometimes all-black. Pointed rear.
Description: The common mourning bee is a ‘cuckoo bee’. She lays her eggs in the nests of hairy-footed flower bees. The larvae eat the flower bees’ stored food for their own young.
When to see them: May-July.
Nesting habits: Aerial nester including bee hotels.
ID tips: Yellow spots along abdomen. Males have prongs on their rear.
Description: Female wool carder bees gather balls of plant hairs to build their nest cells. Males protect hairy plants like lamb’s-ear by fighting off other bees so they can mate with females that come to visit.
When to see them: May-August.
Nesting habits: Aerial nesters including bee hotels.
ID tips: Broad head and body. Females have a brush of hairs under the abdomen.
Description: Found neat crescents cut from your rose bush? Thats a sign that leafcutter bees are about. The female uses the leaves to line her chosen nest cavity and build snug cells for her young.
When to see them: June-August.
Nesting habits: Aerial nesting including bee hotels.
ID tips: Very small (6-7mm), black and shiny. Slender body with a large head. Female collects pollen under her abdomen.
Description: Britains smallest bee. The females mainly collect pollen from bellflowers (campanulas) and nest inside woodworm holes in dead wood. The males sleep inside flowers.
When to see them: March-June.
Nesting habits: Aerial nester including bee hotels.
ID tips: Bristly orange hair with dark head and thorax showing through. Males have white face hairs. Female collects pollen under abdomen.
Description: A common resident of bee hotels and stone walls. Females gather mud to build their nest cells and are efficient pollinators of fruit-tree blossoms. Smaller males hover around nest sites.
When to see them: March-June.
Nesting habits: Ground nester.
ID tips: Thick orange coat. Black leg and face hairs. Collects pollen on legs.
Description: This bee makes volcano-like mounds of soil at its nest entrance in lawns and mown banks. The bright orange females forage on spring blossoms.
When to see them: March-June.
Nesting habits: Ground nester.
ID tips: Black with double ashy bands across the thorax.
This black-and-white mining bee often builds her nest in groups along sunny paths and short grass, but each female has her own nest. This bee is an important pollinator of oilseed rape.
When to see them: March-July.
Nesting habits: Ground nester.
ID tips: Rusty thorax. Black abdomen with tuft of rusty hairs on the rear. Yellow rear legs.
Description: The orange-tailed mining bee is common in many habitats, even in urban areas. They nest on grassy slopes and forage mainly from blossoming shrubs.
When to see them: May-August.
Nesting habits: Ground and cliff nester.
ID tips: Grey-brown hair. Males have very long antennae. Females have a white tail.
Description: The male long-horned bee has unmistakeable oversized antennae. This bee is going extinct, and it needs open areas with lots of legume flowers, like vetches and trefoils, and nearby rocky outcroppings to build its nests.
When to see them: March-November.
Nesting habits: None.
ID tips: Very varied. Large eyes which sometimes meet in the middle. Antennae short with few segments.
Description: Many of these flies look like bees and wasps to scare away predators that don’t want to get stung. There are even hairy hoverflies that mimic bumblebees. Like bees they are great pollinators.
When to see them: April-September.
Nesting habits: In cavities or tree branches.
ID tips: Cone-shaped abdomen with yellow stripes. Builds a paper nest.
Description: Social wasps live in nests made out of chewed wood. Though often seen as pests, they are important for pollination and pest control. The workers hunt insects to feed the larvae and visit flowers for nectar.
When to see them: March-August.
Nesting habits: Bee nest parasite.
ID tips: Long proboscis. Short antennae. Hovers around flowers.
Description: Bee flies not only look like bees, they live with them. Females fling their eggs into solitary bee burrows where the larvae eat the pollen stores. The adult flies like deadnettle and primrose flowers.
With thanks to Chris Shields for bee illustrations.
Your continued support has brought about crucial changes to protect bees. These include:
- A ban on 3 bee-harming neonicotinoid pesticides
- That’s right, the governments of the UK and Wales made the first nationwide plans for bees.
- Communities should be encouraged to set up bee-friendly areas that give bees and other pollinating insects better places to eat and stay.
If youd like to support our efforts to help bees, buy a Bee Saver Kit today.
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FAQ
What kind of bee has a black spot on its back?
Do carpenter bees bite or sting people?
Should I get rid of carpenter bees?
Are black carpenter bees harmful?
What does a black bee look like?
These bees are black with white hairs covering the thorax and the bottom of the abdomen. Many species have large heads with massive jaws that aid in cutting off leaves. They are very fast flyers and carry pollen on their abdomens.
What are the causes of black dots in the eyes?
Black dots in the eyes, often referred to as “floaters, ” are caused by tiny bits of gel or cells in the vitreous (the jelly-like substance in the eye) casting shadows on the retina. They become more noticeable when looking at bright backgrounds. While generally harmless, the sudden appearance of numerous floaters or flashes of light might signal a retinal tear or detachment, requiring prompt medical attention. If concerned, consult an eye care professional for proper evaluation and guidance.
What does a black and white digger bee look like?
The black and white bee has a furry thorax and head covered in fine yellowish hairs. This digger bee species also has black and white legs. The white banded digger bee measures 0.35” – 0.47” (9 – 12 mm) long. The small black and white striped bee is found throughout Europe and as far east as Japan.
What does a black and white mining bee look like?
The black and white bee has an identifiable shiny black abdomen that can appear bluish in bright light. The furry bees also have two slender segmented antennae and heads covered in whitish-gray hairs. The black male ashy mining bee is entirely covered in gray hairs with a tuft of white hairs on its face.
What does a brown striped sweat bee look like?
The small parallel-striped sweat bee is a brown furrow bee with bands of yellow traversing its chocolatey brown abdomen. Other identifying marks of this sweat bee are its furry orange legs, golden brown head and thorax, and large, brown compound eyes. The brown and yellow bee measures 0.47” to 0.51” (12 – 13 mm).
How do you tell a bee from a wasp?
Bees, on the other hand, try to avoid confrontation with humans unless provoked. Another quick way to tell them apart is to look at their bodies. Wasps tend to be narrow-waisted with smooth, slender bodies, while bees are plumper and hairier, with fuzz covering part or all of their bodies and legs.