The Buzzing Diversity: 7 Common Types of Bees in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s fields, forests, and gardens come alive in the springtime with the buzzing of bees. While the European honey bee often steals the spotlight, the Keystone State hosts over 400 bee species playing vital roles as pollinators. Here are 7 bee types you’re most likely to spot on a warm spring or summer day in Pennsylvania.

1. European Honey Bee

The European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is the species kept in managed bee colonies for honey production and crop pollination. Identifiable by their amber and brown striping, these bees have a streamlined body and hair on the thorax.

Honey bees live in hives of up to 60,000 individuals with different castes – the queen, drones, and workers While the queen lays eggs, the female workers forage for nectar and pollen. The honey and beeswax they produce not only feeds the colony but gives us honey

Unfortunately, honey bees face threats like colony collapse disorder, which happens when workers mysteriously abandon the hive.

2. Eastern Bumble Bee

Large and fuzzy, the Eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) is one of the most familiar bees in the state. They are generalist pollinators, feeding on diverse flowering plants. Their fuzzy yellow and black striping keeps them warm in cold weather, allowing them to be one of the first bees active in spring.

Bumble bee nests contain up to 150 workers with one queen. The colony dies out in fall except for newly fertilized queens that overwinter underground.

3. Eastern Carpenter Bee

Eastern carpenter bees (Xylocopa virginica) resemble bumblebees but are shiny black with some yellow on the thorax. The females chew tunnels into wood, like fences or outdoor furniture, to make their nests.

While considered pests, carpenter bees are docile and nibble wood slowly. More importantly, they’re effective native pollinators.

4. Metallic Green Sweat Bee

Tiny sweat bees like the metallic green sweat bee (Augochlora pura) get their name because they occasionally land on humans to drink sweat! But they more commonly frequent flowers, making them important pollinators.

Instead of carrying pollen on their legs, sweat bees have internal pollen baskets. Their nests consist of small tunnels dug in soil.

5. Blue Orchard Mason Bee

Among the earliest springtime bees is the blue orchard mason bee (Osmia lignaria), a native pollinator of fruit trees. These gentle bees use mud to build nests in gaps in wood and rocks. Mason bees transport pollen on their abdomens, making them extremely effective pollinators.

Orchard owners sometimes provide mason bee houses to shelter these important fruit tree pollinators.

6. Wool Carder Bee

The wool carder bee (Anthidium manicatum) gets its name from how the females cut fuzzy plant fibers to line their nests. Related to leafcutter bees, wool carders are nearly hairless with yellow and black striping.

Native to Europe, wool carder bees were introduced to the US and can outcompete native bees. They are aggressive, ramming intruders that get too close.

7. Squash Bee

Squash bees (genus Peponapis) are important specialists pollinating pumpkins, squash, and gourds. These hairy bees are reddish-orange with black markings and a snout-like face.

In spring, squash bees emerge from underground and male bees sleep inside squash flowers waiting for females. Later in summer, females dig tunnels near squash plants to lay eggs provisioned with pollen and nectar.

So next time you see a bee buzzing by, take a closer look. With over 400 bee species in Pennsylvania, you never know what bee biodiversity you might spot! Which types of bees have you observed?