You can use these links to my favorite bee ID charts and other tools to help you find the different kinds of bees. There are even a couple of downloadable books and papers.
But it can be hard to tell the difference between the species of bees, so you might want to look at my other page about bee identification as well as these charts and the sites below.
Bees come in all shapes and sizes, with over 20,000 species worldwide. With so much variety, it can be tricky for beginners to tell different bees apart That’s where free bee identification charts come in handy! These useful resources make it easier to identify the diverse bee species you may encounter
In this article, we’ll highlight some of the top free bee ID charts available and how to use them effectively We’ll also provide tips on bee watching to make the most of these guides. Read on to become a bee identification expert!
Why Identify Bees?
Before diving into the ID charts, let’s review why bee identification even matters. Here are some top reasons:
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Understand bee diversity: There are thousands of bee species serving important roles as pollinators. Identifying them reveals the biodiversity around us.
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Track health and declines: Identifying bees to species allows tracking of population sizes and trends. This helps conservation efforts.
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Appreciate differences: Each bee species has unique traits and behaviors worth appreciating. ID knowledge enhances your enjoyment of watching them.
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Monitor food sources: Knowing which bees frequent which flowers shows plant-pollinator connections. This informs gardening and land management.
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Distinguish look-alikes: Some bees mimic others. Proper ID reveals imposters like hoverflies that look like bees but aren’t.
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Aid research: Citizen science bee monitoring relies on accuracy. Your data contributions require precise bee identifications.
Free Regional ID Guides
The best bee identification charts are region-specific. Here are some top sources of free, downloadable regional bee ID guides:
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USDA Guides: Excellent ID guides for bumble bees and other bees of the Eastern and Western U.S. from the USDA and partners.
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Discover Life: Database with photos and info to ID over 1700 North American bee species. Allows quizzes to test yourself.
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Pollinator Partnership: Printable one-page guides to common backyard, garden, and farm bees across different U.S. regions.
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Extension Services: Land grant universities offer state-specific bee guides, like this one for Wyoming pollinators.
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Government Guides: State agriculture departments produce guides like this bee field guide published by Pennsylvania’s DEP.
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Universities: Many academic institutions provide local bee guides, like this one covering bees of Alberta, Canada.
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Conservation Groups: Non-profits publish guides for local areas, like the Xerces Society’s guide to common bees of California.
Tips for Using Bee Identification Charts
Once you’ve found a good regional bee ID guide, here are some tips for putting it to work:
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Print it out or save it to your mobile device for easy reference in the field. Laminating a printed guide protects it.
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Familiarize yourself with the guide layout beforehand. Note key ID characteristics and terminology.
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Start by learning 5-10 common species. Don’t overwhelm yourself trying to memorize everything at once.
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Refer to the guide photos often when observing bees. Compare markings and features side-by-side.
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Pay attention to color patterns, wing venation, leg segments, antenna types, and more. Details are important!
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Focus on females when identifying, as they are more readily distinguishable than males of a given species.
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Use supporting resources like range maps and flight seasons to narrow down possibilities.
Enhancing Your Bee Identification Skills
To get the most out of your bee ID chart, here are some additional tips:
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Invest in a good magnifying glass, binoculars, or zoom lens camera to examine bee features.
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Practice bee photography to capture clear diagnostic images for ID confirmation.
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Join a local beekeeping or naturalist club to learn from experts. Many offer bee identification workshops.
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Volunteer for citizen science projects like Bumble Bee Watch to test and sharpen your skills.
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Refer to online image databases like BugGuide to compare your specimens against verified photos.
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Read species descriptions in field guides and technical papers to deepen your knowledge.
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Return to the same beewatching spots to grow familiar with their typical species.
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Study preserved bee specimens at university entomology collections to appreciate minute traits.
Enjoy Identifying Bees in Your Region!
Equipped with a handy bee identification guide and some ID practice, you’ll soon be profiling the buzzing visitors to your garden, yard, and community. Stay observant for rare or unusual species. And consider contributing your records to bee mapping efforts. Above all, relax and delight in learning the diverse cast of pollinator characters in your local bee neighborhood!
Free Downloadable And Printable Bee ID Charts
We often think of bees as being quite round, fluffy with black, yellow and white stripes. However, there are many different types of bees, and some are very small and dark. Some may be mistaken for black flies!.
Though some of these posters and charts may take a while to download, please be patient. It will be worth the wait!
Pollinator Partnership Bee ID Guides A selection of charts to help you identify bees in your backyard, farm, school, or park. Regional guides.
Bumble bees Of The Eastern United States Outstanding general information and identification guide, 104 pages free to download! A PDF file. Produced by the USDA, Pollinator Partnership and others.
Bumble bees of the Western United States Another excellent document produced by the same organisations as above. A total 144 pages (PDF) full of excellent information. One of the best bee ID guides I have come across, and free to download!
Natural History Museum – Quick Guide to British Big 6 Bumble beesA small printable bumble bee ID guide, featuring the 6 most common British bumble bees.
How to Identify Different Types of Bees
FAQ
Is there a free app for bee identification?
How do I tell what kind of bees I have?
What is the bee identifying app?
What are the really big bees called?
How to identify bees?
quires inspection of a physical specimen under magnification. They cannot be observed with just the human eye or even with the latest cell phone camera. A microscope and a high-level of taxonomic expertise is needed to identify bees to a species level; ther fore, we organize the field guide by bee families and genera. Most of the f
What is the EPRI number for bee identification?
Title Bee Identification Guide Author EPRI Subject 3002022284 Created Date 6/1/2021 3:16:07 PM
How do you identify a flies & a bee?
Fly IdentificationBees, wasps, and flies look very similar. The first step to b e identification is distinguishing them from wasps and flies.Wasps belong to the insect rder Hymenoptera that also includes bees, ants, and sawflies. They are defined by having f ur wings, and the females have an ovipositor for laying eggs. In some ca
What do bees look like?
We often think of bees as being quite round, fluffy with black, yellow and white stripes. However, there are many different types of bees, and some are very small and dark. Some may be mistaken for black flies!
What does a carder bee look like?
Carder bees are large black and yellow bees that are a similar size to honey bees. Looking closely at these big bees, you’ll notice tufts of hairs on their legs and sides. The yellow markings on their abdomen don’t wrap all the way around their bodies, and they have a smooth black back.
What color are orchid bees?
Although shiny green is the predominant color, other orchid bees can be shiny blue, red, gold, or purple. Some of the most spectacular orchid bees are a combination of colors, and some have orange or yellow stripes. Orchid bees get their name because they mainly pollinate orchid flowers.