Eucera longicornis, or long-horned bees, are a unique species of solitary bee. They belong to the same family (Apidae) as honey bees, bumblebees, carpenter bees, and others with the two major genera Eucera and Melissodes. Geographical Distribution Long-horned bees were once found in vast populations throughout North America and even Southern Britain. However, the numbers of…
Mining bees, scientifically known as ‘Andrena’, belong to a large group of solitary, ground-nesting bee species. Andrena is Greek and means as much as ¨buzzing insect¨. Other names include Bare-Miner Bees, Fairy Bees, Oxaeine Bees, Burrowing Bees, Digger Bees, and Andrenids. These friendly little creatures are non-aggressive and usually do not sting or bite. The…
Leafcutter bees are a unique species of solitary bee, from the genus Megachile and Megachilidae family. These fascinating insects are important pollinators for a variety of plants and work with great efficiency. They get their name from their habit of cutting out semi-circular pieces of leaves. What do they look like? Leafcutter bees vary…
Bee colonies are threatened by a new variant of a dangerous virus. A team of international scientists discovered a worldwide increase of a new variant of the dangerous deformed wing virus (DWV) that infects honeybees. Transmitted by the Varroa mite, the virus causes a degeneration (atrophy) of the wings that results in death. The Varroa…
Solitary bees are generally not as well protected against predators as their cousins the social bees. They have no queen and no guards to protect their brood. Although their offspring is sealed off in individual cells until they hatch, it does not deter predators from launching an attack. Predators of Solitary Bees Different predators have…
Most of the smaller furry bees we see flying from flower to flower are solitary bees that do not produce honey or wax. As their name suggests, they live alone, unlike their well known social cousins, (honey bees, bumble bees and some stingless bees) which live in colonies. They have no queen, are not territorial…
thiare haorangySolitary bees make up more than 90% of all bee species worldwide. To get a better understanding of solitary bees, we need to look various factors. These include their environment, nesting and feeding habits. Most species of solitary bees collect pollen from a variety of different plants (polylectic), but some bees are very particular….