The Native Bees of America

Honey bees are probably the most famous out of all the bees, but bees native to North America are the unsung heroes of the bee world. Before European honey bees were introduced to the Americas, native bees were primarily responsible for pollination. Studies have shown that native bees like squash bees, orchard bees, and blueberry bees can carry the bulk of pollination for some plants and produce.

In North America, there are over 4,000 native bee species, most of which are stinger-less solitary bees that nest in the ground or in wood cavities.

Types of Native Bees

Native bees include sweat bees, bumble bees, long-horned bees, miner bees, and more.

Sweat bees (Halictidae) are attracted to perspiration and consist of metallic and non-metallic bees. This family is one of the most common types of bees found, next to honey bees. Sweat bee species range across solitary, communal, semi-social, or eusocial behavior, making them one of the most diverse groups in terms of social behavior. They tend to nest in the ground.

Bumble bees (Bombus) are vital pollinators of many types of plants, especially wildflowers, in North America. They are large in size and are social, living in colonies, and they usually nest in the ground.

Long-horned bees can be identified from the males’ long antennae. They tend to nest in the ground and are solitary. These bees are specialists, pollinating flowers of their choosing.

Miner bees, or chimney bees, are smaller bees that are solitary and nest in the ground. They are also considered generalists when it comes to pollination, and they are important to flower pollination in the midwest.

Ligated Furrow Bee

The Ligated Furrow Bee is a type of sweat bee. Specifically, Ligated Furrow Bees are native to New York but live across North America, from Southern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and they build their nests in the ground. Their main food source is flowers, and they can be seen year round.

Ligated Furrow Bees are dark in color, usually a brown-black but don’t have their sister species’ metallic appearance. Females can grow up to 10 mm while males grow up to 9 mm.

Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee

The Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee, or Bombus Affinis, is a type of bumble bee that is native to the eastern part of the United States Seen but can be found in most states. They are endangered under the Endangered Species Act because of rampant habitat loss that has jeopardized populations. Rusty-Patched Bumble Bees also feed on nectar and pollen from flowering plants from July to October.

These bumble bees have entirely black heads. Reddish patches on the back identify males and workers. Rusty-Patched bumble bees can grow up to 17.5 mm.

American Bumble Bee

The American Bumble Bee, or Bombus Pensylvanicus, is found mainly in the eastern US, the Great Plains region, central US, and southern Canada. It is rarely found in the Mountain West but is located in the Desert West, California, and Oregon. American Bumble Bees are active in June to October and also feed on flowers.

They can grow up to 19 mm, and they have black marks behind their wings. These bees also have stripes of yellow on their abdomens, hairs on their bodies, and stingers.

Augochloropsis Anonyma

Augochloropsis Anonyma is a type of sweat bee that lives in the area from the Coastal Plain of North Carolina to Florida. They typically are found in April to September in North Carolina and throughout the year in Southern Florida. Their main food source is also flowers.

Augochloropsis Anonyma is known primarily by its vibrant blue-green metallic sheen. It can grow up to 8 mm.

Melissodes Dentiventris

Melissodes Dentiventris is a type of long-horned bee found in the area spanning from New England states to Georgia and Texas and is active from July to October. Melissodes bees emerge in spring to early summer. They live in sandy habitats, nest in the ground, and feed on flowers.

Females can grow up to 14.5 mm, and males grow up to 12 mm,

Andrena Fenningeri

Andrena Fenningeri is found around the country in the region from Michigan to New York and south to Georgia. These bees are active in March to June.

Males grow up to 8 mm and females up to 9 mm.

Svastra Petulca

Svastra Petulca is a type of long-horned bee that lives in the area from Texas to Kansas, and east to Florida and New Jersey. It is active in April to September and nests in the ground. Svastra bees are known to pollinate composite flowers like sunflowers and appear in late summer and the fall.

Females grow to 14.5 mm while males grow to 13 mm.

Macropis Ciliata

Macropis Ciliata is present in the region from Wisconsion to Quebec, Canada, and Maine, and south to Georgia and appears in May to August. These bees nest in the ground.

Females grow 7 mm while males grow 8 mm. Macropis Ciliata bees are a dark black color, and males have yellow markings on their heads.

Augochlorella Aurata

Augochlorella Aurata is a type of sweat bee prominent in the area from northern Mexico to Colorado, Minnesota, and the New England states, and south to Florida. These bees emerge in May and October.

Augochlorella Aurata bees stand out with their vibrant green metallic color that is often tinged with yellow or red. These bees are very small—females grow up to 5.5 mm while males grow up to 5 mm.

Andrena Nasonii

Andrena Nasonii is a type of miner bee that is found in the region that extends from Minnesota to eastern Canada and the New England States and south to North Carolina, Georgia, and Texas. They are active from March to July. These bees are known as “generalists,” collecting pollen from a variety of plants.

Females grow to 8 mm while males grow to 7 mm.

Dianthidium Curvatum

Dianthidium Curvatum is a type of bee that is present in the area that spans Missouri to North Carolina and south to Florida. These bees are active from April to October.

They grow up to 7 mm.

Native bees are important!

Because native bees make up a crucial chunk of our pollinators, we should give them the same attention as honey bees and put in as much effort to ensure their survival.

Sources and further reading:

https://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/insects/rpbb/factsheetrpbb.html

http://www.xerces.org/endangered-species/species-profiles/at-risk-invertebrates/bumble-bees/rusty-patched-bumble-bee

https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/saving-the-insects/native-bees.html

https://www.treehugger.com/extraordinary-facts-about-north-americas-native-bees-4863583

https://thehoneybeeconservancy.org/why-bees/sweat-bees/

http://www.xerces.org/endangered-species/species-profiles/bumble-bees/american-bumble-bee

https://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?identification=American-Bumble-Bee

https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/viewSpecies.php?species=3323

https://www.wildbeestexas.com/svastra

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/bees/halictid_bees.htm

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/bees/bumble_bees.htm