The ground nesting bee is a non-honey-producing bee that is native to North America. There are thousands of species of ground-nesting bees in the world, and this group is thought to be the most important for pollinating plants.
Because honey is more appealing, there are a lot more managed honeybee hives, and many entomologists think ground bees are about to go extinct.
Ground bees also known as ground nesting bees are solitary bees that build underground nests in dry soil. There are over 20,000 species of bees, and around 70% of them nest in the ground. For gardeners, ground bees can be seen as either helpful pollinators or lawn-damaging pests. This article will provide a complete guide to identifying the various types of ground bees.
Overview of Ground Bees
Ground bees create nests by burrowing tunnels 6-8 inches deep in bare patches of soil. The nest entrance is a small hole, about the width of a pencil. You’ll often see clusters of these holes, even though each nest houses just one female bee. Ground bees prefer sunny, south-facing slopes and areas with sparse vegetation.
Ground bees look similar to honeybees but don’t produce honey. They have fuzzy, tan and black striped bodies measuring 05 inches long. During their active season from March-July, they busily collect pollen and nectar from flowers.
While ground bees can sting, they rarely do unless provoked. In general, these solitary bees are docile and non-aggressive. Now, let’s explore the different types of ground bees in more detail.
Mason Bees
There are around 400 species of mason bees in the genus Osmia. These metallic blue-black bees get their name from using mud or chewed leaves to construct dividing walls in their nests. Common species include the blue orchard bee, hornfaced bee, and orchard mason bee.
Mason bees are excellent early spring pollinators for fruit trees and other flowering trees. Their fuzzy body hairs readily pick up and distribute pollen. Mason bees don’t produce honey and don’t live in hives. But they are managed by some beekeepers to boost crop pollination.
Mining Bees
Mining bees comprise over 100 North American species in the Andrena genus. They are solitary ground nesters who excavate burrows in lawns, fields, and roadsides. These small bees have black bodies with light hair bands across the abdomen.
Different mining bee species fly from early spring through summer. They are important pollinators of early blooming trees and flowers, like willows, maples, and dandelions. Mining bees get their name from burrowing tunnels in soil, not from collecting pollen and nectar.
Sweat Bees
There are over 1000 species of sweat bees. They earned their common name from being attracted to human perspiration. Sweat bees have metallic green, blue, or copper-colored bodies and nest in bare ground or rotten wood.
Common sweat bee species include Augochlora pura, Lasioglossum zephyrum, and Halictus rubicundus. Sweat bees forage for pollen and nectar on a wide variety of flowers. They are economically important as pollinators for food crops.
Leafcutter Bees
This group includes over 130 species across North and South America. Leafcutter bees don’t eat leaves. True to their name, they cut circular pieces of leaves to line their nests.
Leafcutter bees are black or gray with white, yellow, or reddish hair. They nest in existing holes in dead trees, reeds, or human-made nesting boxes. Leafcutter bees are excellent pollinators of legumes like alfalfa and clover.
Digger Bees
There are around 175 North American species of digger bees in the genus Anthophora. As their name suggests, these stout, fuzzy bees dig nests in clay soil banks and slopes.
Digger bees are robust pollinators that fly low to the ground. They have black bodies with gray, white, or yellow hairs, often in stripe patterns. Each female digger bee constructs and provisions her own nest without cooperation from other bees.
Identifying Male Ground Bees
Male ground bees look similar to females but can be distinguished by longer antennae and hairy eyes. Male bees do not have stingers. They emerge before females and patrol nesting areas, waiting to mate.
You may see males dive bombing or hovering around you in spring. But they are just investigating, not attacking. Male ground bees tend to be more active than docile females but remain non-aggressive.
Benefits of Ground Bees
While some gardeners see them as pests, ground bees offer important benefits:
-
They are critical pollinators needed for healthy gardens and ecosystems.
-
Tunneling aerates soil and improves lawn health.
-
Ground bees are far less aggressive than wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets.
-
Their presence boosts biodiversity.
Discouraging Ground Bees
If ground bees become a nuisance, there are some non-toxic ways to deter them:
-
Block nest entrances early in spring before eggs are laid.
-
Use natural repellents like peppermint oil, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper.
-
Water lawns regularly so soil stays moist, which ground bees avoid.
-
Plant marigolds, mint, or basil, which may repel bees.
-
Fill in bare patches in your lawn where bees nest.
But in most cases, it’s best to simply leave ground bees alone and let them go about their pollinating business. Their nests are active for just a short time each year. With a little tolerance, we can reap the benefits of having these misunderstood insects around.
What are Ground Nesting Bees?
Most ground nesting bees belong to one of four scientific families Colletidae, Andrenidae, Megachilidae, and Halictidae. The latter of these four species is the most common numbering greater than 4,300 subspecies worldwide.
Over 130 million years ago, the first ground-nesting bees evolved. They are thought to have been a species that lived alone. [1][2][3].
Ground nesting bees do not exist in a cohesive colony unit with one queen, like the common honeybee. [4] Instead, ground nesting bees will build their nests underground or in holes. In a special tunnel, a single female bee will take care of her own young. Only the female bee and developing young inhabit this tunnel.
Some bees that nest on the ground, like the bumblebee, don’t live alone; they live in large groups with one queen.
Because they live in groups, social ground nesting bee cavities have to be much bigger than solitary bee nests so that the bees can move around and do their work. [5] Bees that lay their eggs in the ground are called membrane or cellophane bees, digger bees, sweat bees, squash bees, and mason bees. [6].
When considering the topic of ground nesting bees, the majority of bee enthusiasts will think of the bumblebee. More than 20% of the world’s bees, or more than 20,000 different subspecies, nest on the ground, though (100% of the total population).
Understandably, within this huge number of ground nesting bee subspecies we find many different behavioural and social structures.[7]
Do Ground Nesting Bees Sting?
Scientists have been able to conclude that solitary/ground nesting bees are largely docile, gentle, and productive pollinators.
Bees that nest in the ground are usually not mean, and only the females can sting when they are handled roughly, which can kill them. [17].
People don’t like bees because some of them are known to sting, but these are usually wasps, not solitary, pollinating, ground-nesting bees that are often as small as a grain of rice and wouldn’t be able to hurt a person much if they did.
When solitary or ground nesting bees use their stingers, they die. If a mother bee dies before her young are fully fed, her young will also die. Male solitary bees cannot sting at all and really only serve to mate and marginally aid in pollination. [18].
what is the difference between yellow jackets, “ground bees” and ground nesting bees?
FAQ
Do ground bees bite or sting you?
What kind of ground bees are aggressive?
How do I get rid of an underground bees nest?