Bees are a diverse group of insects, with over 20,000 known species worldwide, including approximately 4,000 native to North America. This vast array of bees exhibits a wide range of sizes, colors, and behaviors, playing an important role in ecosystems through pollination.
Social and Solitary Bees
Bees are categorized by their social organization: social and solitary. Social bees live in colonies with a defined social structure, comprising a queen, worker bees, and drones. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are well-known social bees, forming large colonies that can number in the tens of thousands. Within these colonies, tasks are divided, with the queen responsible for laying eggs and workers performing duties like foraging, nursing, and hive maintenance. Bumble bees also exhibit social behavior, though their colonies are generally smaller than honey bee colonies, often consisting of a few dozen to a few hundred individuals. Unlike honey bee colonies that can persist for several years, most bumble bee colonies are annual, with only new queens surviving winter to establish new colonies in the spring.
In contrast, the majority of bee species are solitary. Solitary bees do not live in colonies, produce honey, or have a worker caste. Each female solitary bee independently constructs and provisions her own nest, laying eggs on a food supply of pollen and nectar. There is no cooperative care for offspring among solitary bees. Examples of solitary bees include mason bees, leafcutter bees, and carpenter bees. While solitary bees do not defend a communal nest, some species may nest in close proximity, forming aggregations where each female still maintains her individual nest.
Distinguishing Characteristics of Common Varieties
Honey bees are recognized by their fuzzy, striped bodies, typically golden-brown and black. They construct hives with hexagonal wax combs for storing honey and raising young. They are highly social, with a complex communication system, including a “waggle dance” to indicate food sources.
Bumble bees are characterized by their robust, furry bodies, often with distinct yellow and black bands. They are capable of “buzz pollination,” a method where they vibrate their flight muscles to release pollen from flowers. Bumble bees typically nest in existing cavities, such as abandoned rodent burrows or dense grass, rather than constructing elaborate hives.
Mason bees, often metallic blue or green, are solitary bees that utilize pre-existing narrow cavities for nesting. They use mud or other natural materials to build individual cells within these cavities, such as hollow plant stems or holes in wood. Mason bees carry pollen on specialized hairs on the underside of their abdomen, unlike honey bees that carry it on their hind legs.
Leafcutter bees are robust-bodied solitary bees known for their distinctive behavior of cutting precise circular or semicircular pieces from leaves. They use these leaf fragments to construct and line individual nest cells within natural cavities like rotting wood or hollow plant stems. Female leafcutter bees also carry pollen on hairs located on the underside of their abdomen.
Carpenter bees are large, often shiny black bees, sometimes with metallic blue-black fur, and can be distinguished from bumble bees by their mostly hairless, glossy abdomen. They bore into unpainted or weathered wood to create their nests. The entrance holes they create are typically perfectly round.
Where Different Bees Live
Bees inhabit nearly every terrestrial environment across the globe, adapting to diverse climates and available resources. Their presence in a particular area is influenced by factors such as climate, the availability of specific floral resources, and suitable nesting sites.
Honey bees are widespread globally due to human management, thriving in areas with abundant flowering plants, such as meadows, woodlands, and gardens. They often nest in hollow trees or other protected cavities. Bumble bees, with their ability to regulate body temperature, are more common in temperate and colder regions, nesting close to or below ground in places like abandoned rodent burrows. Solitary bees exhibit varied nesting preferences; many, like mining bees, nest in the ground, while others, such as mason bees, prefer pre-existing cavities in wood or plant stems. Carpenter bees seek out wood for nesting, often in structures like eaves, decks, or dead trees.