Many people wonder if honey bees, known for their sweet product, live in the ground. Honey bees do not typically live in the ground, a misconception that often arises from observing other burrowing insects. Understanding their distinct nesting habits clarifies where these social pollinators reside and how they differ from other bee species.
Where Honey Bees Build Their Homes
Honey bees are cavity-nesting insects that seek enclosed, protected spaces for their colonies. In nature, these spaces include hollow trees, rock crevices, and caves. Such locations offer shelter from predators and weather, regulate temperature, and provide the darkness needed for wax secretion and colony development.
Beyond natural settings, honey bees adapt to human-made structures. They commonly establish nests in wall cavities, attics, roofs, and chimneys, mimicking the secure conditions of tree hollows. Scout bees search for suitable new homes, often preferring sites with a volume around 40 liters and an entrance about 3 meters (9 feet) above ground. These locations provide a defensible entrance for resource protection.
Inside these cavities, honey bees construct vertical combs from beeswax. These combs consist of hexagonal cells, efficient for storing honey, pollen, and rearing their young (brood). The comb is suspended from the top and sides of the cavity, with precise spacing between each parallel comb, known as “bee space,” allowing bees to move freely. While rare, honey bees have been noted occupying abandoned rodent burrows, but these are exceptions to their typical above-ground cavity-nesting behavior.
Other Bees That Nest in the Ground
The confusion about honey bees nesting underground often stems from the fact that many other bee species make their homes in the soil. Over 70% of the world’s approximately 20,000 bee species are ground nesters. These diverse groups include mining bees, sweat bees, cellophane bees, and some types of bumble bees.
Mining bees (Andrena species) are solitary, with each female digging her own burrow to lay eggs and provision her young. Their tunnels are often created in soft, sandy, or bare soil, with entrances sometimes identified by small, volcano-shaped mounds of dirt. Sweat bees (Halictidae family) are another common group of ground nesters, with some species solitary and others forming small, social colonies. They prefer well-drained, sunny areas with minimal vegetation for their nests.
Bumble bees (Bombus species), while social like honey bees, typically nest underground in pre-existing cavities such as abandoned rodent burrows or dense grass clumps. Unlike honey bees, most ground-nesting bees do not produce honey; bumble bees are one of the few exceptions, producing small amounts for their colony. These ground-nesting bees are generally docile and unlikely to sting unless directly threatened or handled. Yellow jackets, a type of wasp, also frequently nest in the ground and are often mistaken for bees due to their similar appearance, contributing to the common misunderstanding.