There’s something about bees that makes you smile. Do you know what kind of bee it is?
You might be surprised to learn there are more than 250 types of bee in the UK. Bumblebees, mason bees, mining bees – these are just one small part of a big, beautiful family. Take a look at how to identify some of our most common bee species. .
There are 24 types of bumblebee in the UK. These clumsy balls of fluff are a social species, nesting in colonies of around 200 bees.
Bees play a vital role in pollinating plants and crops, allowing them to produce fruits, seeds, and nuts. Of the 20,000 known bee species, two of the most common are mason bees and bumblebees. While they may look similar to the untrained eye, mason bees and bumblebees have some key differences.
Appearance
The most noticeable difference between mason bees and bumblebees is their appearance.
Mason bees are metallic blue-black in color with little hair on their bodies. They are small, ranging from 1/4 to 1/2 inch long. Their dark color and hairless bodies give them a sleek, shiny appearance similar to a housefly.
Bumblebees have characteristic fuzzy round bodies covered in dense hair. They come in black and yellow patterns like stripes on their lower abdomen. Bumblebees are generally larger than mason bees, ranging from 1/2 to 1 inch long. Their fuzzy appearance gives them a cute, cuddly look.
Nesting Habits
Mason bees and bumblebees have very different nesting habits.
Mason bees are solitary nesters. The female mason bee builds nests made of mud or chewed leaves in existing holes, such as hollow plant stems or holes in wood made by beetles. She provisions individual cells with pollen and nectar, lays an egg, then seals off each cell with mud before moving on to build the next cell. She works alone without a colony.
Bumblebees form small colonies of up to a few hundred individuals. The queen bumblebee chooses a nesting site, often underground in abandoned rodent holes or dense tussocks of grass. She builds wax cells to store eggs and food. Once eggs hatch into adult workers, they take over foraging and nest care. The colony lives cooperatively.
Stingers
Another key difference is that mason bees do not have stingers, while female bumblebees do.
Male mason bees have no stinger. Female mason bees have a stinger but are not aggressive and rarely sting unless handled roughly. Their mellow temperament makes them ideal pollinators around children and pets.
Female bumblebees can deliver a moderately painful sting if provoked. However, they are not overly aggressive unless defending their nest. Male bumblebees do not have a stinger.
Pollen and Nectar Collection
Mason bees and bumblebees have different foraging habits when it comes to pollen and nectar collection.
Mason bees solely gather pollen. Using the hair on their abdomen they collect massive amounts of pollen to bring back to their nests as food for their larvae. They do not gather nectar at all.
Bumblebees gather both pollen and nectar. They carry pollen in sacs on their hind legs to take back to the nest. Bumblebees also have a honey stomach where they store nectar. Back at the colony, bumblebees process the nectar into honey.
Honey Production
This difference in nectar gathering leads to a big difference in honey production between the two species.
Mason bees do not produce honey at all. They use pollen as the sole food source for their larvae.
Bumblebees use the nectar they collect to produce honey, which they store in wax pots in the nest to feed larvae and other colony members. However, bumblebees make very small amounts of honey compared to honey bees.
Pollination
Both mason bees and bumblebees are excellent pollinators for gardens and crops.
Mason bees carry dry pollen on the underside of their abdomens, which gets transferred from bloom to bloom as they forage. A single mason bee can pollinate thousands of flowers each day.
Bumblebees buzz pollinate, using their rapid wing vibrations to shake pollen loose within the flower. Their fuzzy bodies also enable excellent pollen transfer as they move between plants.
Population Status
Currently, mason bee and bumblebee populations face different levels of concern.
Mason bee populations remain strong as they have less severe threats from disease, parasites, and habitat loss compared to other bee species. Providing proper nesting sites can help boost mason bee numbers.
Bumblebee populations are declining in many areas due to factors such as habitat degradation, climate change, nonnative pathogens, and pesticides. Several bumblebee species are classified as vulnerable or endangered. Creating more bee-friendly habitat can help revive bumblebee communities.
Attracting Bees to Your Garden
Here are some tips to attract mason bees and bumblebees to help pollinate your garden:
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Plant plenty of flowering plants rich in pollen and nectar. Favor native wildflowers adapted to your climate. Go for a variety of bloom times to provide food all season.
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Avoid pesticides which are harmful to bees. Look for organic or bee-safe products.
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Provide nesting sites for mason bees such as holes in untreated wood, bamboo tubes, or DIY bee hotels.
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Leave areas of undisturbed soil and leaf litter where bumblebees can nest underground.
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Install a birdbath, shallow dish of water, dripping faucet, or other water source for thirsty bees.
Mason bees and bumblebees both play a vital role in pollinating flowers and crops. While they may seem similar at first glance, they have notable differences when it comes to appearance, nesting habits, stingers, foraging behavior, and more. Being able to identify these two common bee species and understand their unique traits will help you support pollinators in your own backyard. Providing habitat and resources can attract mason bees, bumblebees, and other native bees to your garden for natural pollination.
Wool carder bee (Anthidium manicatum)
In the UK, wool carder bees are one of the few types of bees where the male is bigger than the female, and they act like it. Males will fiercely protect a patch of flowers for their mate and will often crush an intruder to death with spikes on their abdomen! Female wool carder bees live a better life. They gather soft wool fibers from plants like lamb’s ear and yarrow to line their nests in dead wood, hollow stems, and man-made structures.
Both male and female wool carder bees have yellow spots down each side of their abdomen. As well as being smaller than the males, the females are darker and less hairy.
Male wool carder bees have spikes on their abdomen, which they use to fight (and often kill!) rivals.
Credit: Kim Taylor / naturepl.com Fact file
Habitat: urban environments, farmland, coastal areas, heathland.
Favourite plants: ivy, other late blooming flowers.
When to see: August–November
Tawny mining bee (Andrena fulva)
The tawny mining bee is easy to spot: it has a thick orange coat and a black face, about the size of a honey bee. These bees feast on a range of shrubs and are found in a wide variety of habitats. You’re likely to see one in a garden, park, or other place with light soil where they can build a nest.
Tawny mining bees are an unmistakable and striking colour.
Credit: Arterra Picture Library / Alamy Stock Photo Fact file
Habitat: open woodland, gardens, river banks, urban environments.
Favourite plants: buttercup, hawthorn, dandelion, blackthorn, gorse, fruit trees.
When to see: March–June.
Mason Bees vs. Honey Bees
FAQ
Do mason bees sting?
What are the cons of mason bees?
How do you identify a mason bee?
How aggressive are mason bees?
How many types of mason bees are there?
There are over 130 species of mason bees in the United States. They each have slight physical differences. Generally speaking, mason bees are usually fuzzy and smaller than honeybees. Sometimes they have a metallic blue or blue-black coloring. They also sometimes have stripes, like the red mason bee, for example.
Are mason bees solitary?
Mason bees are solitary, meaning every female bee lays eggs and raises her offspring without the help of the colony, but nest in groups above ground in pre-existing holes. These premade tunnels can include beetle burrows in old wood, hallow plant stems, or human-made nesting boxes.
What does a mason bee look like?
Mason bees are sleek members of the bee family. These are small, fast-flying bees that have the agility of a tiny fighter jet and have metallic colors including blue, dull green, and black. They do not have pollen baskets on their legs. Instead, they carry pollen in hairs on the underside of their abdomens.
Are mason bees a carpenter bee?
Mason bees are also often confused with carpenter bees, also known as digger bees. However, carpenter bees are from a different family, Apidae. Carpenter bees often nest in wood, but they actually dig the holes where they lay their eggs, while mason bees like to find already existing holes.
What is a mason bee?
In its broadest sense, the phrase “mason bee” can refer to any bee that collects materials from the environment and uses those materials to build a nest for rearing its young. However, when melittologists (the people who study bees) use the term mason bee, they are usually referring to several genera in the family Megachilidae.
What size is a mason bee?
According to the Pollinator Partnership Bee Identification Guide, mason bees range in size from 7mm to 16mm (by comparison, the honey bee typically clocks in from 12mm to 15mm and the bumble bee from 8mm to 21mm). Some mason bees have black bodies covered in light-colored hair and others have a metallic green-blue body with noticeably less hair.