Although many people think of golden honeybees that feed on flowering plants and make honey in their hives, bees are actually a very diverse species. Honeybees are only one of about 20,000 different types of bees! The Best Bees Company is very interested in bee species, how they behave, and how we can help improve the overall population. So much so that Noah Wilson-Rich, co-founder and chief scientific officer, wrote a book called The Bee: A Natural History about them.
Do you want to know how the bees are doing? Get our State of the Honey Bee Report right now.
With the help of information from Noah’s book, we will talk about the different types of bee families and types of bees, as well as how to find and attract these pollinators and how to help them.
North America is home to over 4000 species of native bees. These important pollinators play a vital role in plant reproduction and food production. Unlike the European honey bee which was introduced to North America, native bees have evolved complex relationships with local plants.
Keep reading to learn about 12 familiar native bees and ways you can help support their populations,
BUMBLEBEES
Big, fuzzy, and buzzy – bumblebees are the most well-known native bees to visit our gardens These social bees live in small colonies in the ground and are important pollinators of tomatoes, peppers, and other food crops You can attract bumblebees by planting plenty of native flowers and leaving areas of unmowed, leafy habitat.
MASON BEES
Solitary mason bees get their name from using mud to build nests for their larvae They are excellent early spring pollinators of fruit trees and other flowering trees Support mason bees by hanging a homemade bee house and avoiding pesticide use during spring bloom,
LEAFCUTTER BEES
Leafcutter bees chew circular pieces of leaves to line their nests. These mild-mannered native bees are essential pollinators of garden vegetables and alfalfa. You can encourage leafcutter bees by growing pollen-rich flowers and leaving cuttings of pithy stems like roses or blackberries.
SWEAT BEES
Tiny, stingless sweat bees lap up sweat for its high sodium content. They are prolific pollinators of wildflowers and crops. Plant clusters of small flowers like asters or goldenrod to invite these beneficial bees to your garden.
CARPENTER BEES
Large carpenter bees tunnel into dead wood and pithy plant stems to lay eggs. These solitary bees are adept pollinators of passionflowers, asters, and trees like maple and birch. You can help carpenter bees by installing bamboo tubes or drilling holes in untreated wood.
MINING BEES
Mining bees excavate tunnels in the soil for nesting. These fuzzy ground nesters are important for pollinating early spring blooms. Support mining bees by providing patches of bare, well-drained soil and forgoing soil treatments.
SQUASH BEES
Squash bees coevolved with pumpkins, squash, and gourds. They are exceptional pollinators of these crops. Attract squash bees by growing recommended varieties of pumpkin, squash, and gourds.
SMALL CARPENTER BEES
The small carpenter bee tunnels into pithy stems like roses or blackberry canes. They resemble flies but are shiny black, blue or green. Letting these and other native bee holes remain supports generations of bees.
LONG-HORNED BEES
Long-horned bees are named for their exceptionally long antennae. They use their elongated mouthparts to access the nectar of flowers like larkspur and gilia. Support long-horned bees by growing tubular native wildflowers.
CUCKOO BEES
Cuckoo bees don’t build nests. Females lay eggs in the nests of other native bee species. Cuckoo bee larvae kill host eggs upon hatching. While they don’t pollinate, cuckoo bees help maintain balance in the native bee community.
YELLOW-FACED BEES
Yellow-faced bees have yellow and black striped faces. They nest in big colonies, pollinating plants in the pea and aster families. To attract them, plant stands of native asters, goldenrods, or lupines.
METALLIC GREEN BEES
Bright green sweat bees and small carpenter bees sparkle like living jewels. They are excellent pollinators of wildflowers like asters and goldenrods. Invite them to your landscape by growing late summer and fall bloomers.
Supporting native bees is easy and rewarding. By providing habitat, reducing pesticide use, and planting a diversity of flowers, we can ensure the health of these vital pollinators for generations to come. Even small actions can make a difference for the 4000+ species of North American bees.
14 Different Types of Bees
There are about 20,000 species of bees, and about 250 are bumblebees, 500 to 600 are stingless bees, and 7 are honeybees. The remainder (the biggest group by far) are the solitary bees. Here is a full list of some of the different kinds of bees, along with details about where they live, what they eat, how big they are, and more.
The Seven Distinct Bee Families
Biologists classify all bee species into the Apidae, Halictidae, Megachilidae, Andrenidae, Colletidae, Melittidae, and Stenotritidae families. Read more about these families below and see which broad group they fall into.
Andrenidae: Mining bees, found in temperate, arid, warm climates. Wasps have colored patterns on their faces that look like eyebrows, and males have facial hair that can be used to identify them. However, Andrenidae have more advanced eyes. Nest in simple soil burrows, or in hives that require multimodal communication to achieve complex architecture.
Colletidae: Plasterer bees, masked bees, yellow-faced bees, polyester bees. Typically Australian, with some species in South America and a few in North America and Europe. A unique two-part tongue is used to create remarkable nest burrows lined with smooth secretions. Others in the Colletidae family carry pollen on their leg hairs, while others swallow and regurgitate it. However, most bees carry pollen on their bodies. Can have large ocelli (simple eyes), helping them to see in dim light.
Stenotritidae: The smallest family of bees. Australian. Similar to Colletidae, but with one mouthpart instead of Colletidae’s distinct two. Nest in burrows underground. Large and fuzzy.
Melittidae: Primitive family, the least changed of all bees since the split from wasps. Found mainly in Africa. Tend to be picky specialists concerning their food source, sometimes forgoing pollen for flower oils. They are solitary and ground-nesting.
Halictidae: Sweat bees found worldwide. Often attracted to sweat. Small. Can be colorful and do sting. Nest underground in soil or sand. Highly social, but there are also solitary Halictids. Because they have so many different social systems, they are a great group to use to study how social living has changed over time.
Apidae: Largest bee family, made up of over 5,700 species. This is the family of fossilized bees that is thought to be from up to 115 million years ago. Cuckoo, carpenter, digger, bumble, stingless, and honey bees that are found worldwide. With or without functional ovipositor (sting). solitary to social, and some even steal resources from other bees (called kleptoparasitism), like cuckoo bees, which lay their eggs on pollen collected by their host bees. Some make products that are used by humans.
Megachilidae: Leaf-cutter bees, mason bees, orchard bees, carder bees that are found worldwide. Named for the materials they gather to make their nests. Carry pollen in a special structure called a scopa on their bellies instead of their hind legs or inside their bodies. This makes it harder for them to get pollen back to the nest, so they have to go to flowers more often. Their behavior within the flower also covers them in pollen. Combined, these factors make them particularly effective pollinators.
Xerces Classroom: North American Bee Diversity and Identification
FAQ
What are the most common bees in North America?
How many species of native bees are there in North America?
Do any native North American bees make honey?
What are Native American bees?
What are the different types of bees?
1. Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) 2. Bumble Bee (Bombus spp.) 3. Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa spp.) 4. Mason Bee (Osmia spp.) 5. Leafcutter Bee (Megachile spp.) 6. Sweat Bee (Family Halictidae) 7. Mining Bee (Andrena spp.) 8. Cuckoo Bee (Subfamily Nomadinae) 9. Long-Horned Bee (Family Apidae) 10. Squash Bee (Family Apidae) 11.
How many types of bees are there in North America?
This is a native North American bee of which there are 129 species. They’re found all over North America, north of Mexico and are part of the Apidae family. This is one of the easier bee species to identify as individuals have a stout, fuzzy body.
Where can you find native bees?
Native bees are an unappreciated treasure, with 4,000 species from tiny Perdita to large carpenter bees, they can be found anywhere in North America where flowers bloom. Most people don’t realize that there were no honey bees in America until the white settlers brought hives from Europe.
Do all bees have common names?
nomic categories from a broad-level to a species-level scale. To assist beginners in bee identification, this fiel guide will organize bees according to family and genus only. Common names will e included when possible, but not all bees have common names. See Appendix A r the spe
What plants are pollinated by native bees?
Native bees are the primary insect pollinator of agricultural plants in most of the country. Crops that they pollinate include squash, tomatoes, cherries, blueberries, and cranberries. Native bees were here long before European honeybees were brought to the country by settlers (honeybees are not native to North America).
What is the most primitive family of bees?
Finally, there is an even smaller family of bees, the melittid bees, represented by only a few species. Most of them use pollen from just one species or a few species of plants. Some also use floral oils to feed their brood. According to recent DNA studies, this family rather than Colletidae would be the basal branch of bees, or the most primitive.