Frequently Asked Questions on Solitary Bees

What are solitary bees? 

When most people think about bees (as more and more of us are doing these days) they tend to think about either honey or bumble bees whereas actually, they only make up a small percentage of the bees that we have in the UK. 

Honey and Bumblebees are known as social bees – they have a queen and a hive (although they are very different in the way that they do it).  Solitary bees on the other hand, don’t live socially – no queen, and no hive. In the UK we have around 250 species of solitary bees, all of which are under threat due to loss of habitat. 

Are solitary bees good pollinators? 

Absolutely yes. Around one third of the food that we eat is dependent on pollinators. Because of the way that solitary bees collect pollen, they are thought to be 120 – 200 times more efficient pollinators than honeybees! 

Do they sting? 

Generally no – solitary bees have no nest or honey supply to protect, so they don’t sting.  The males often don’t have a sting, and the females will only sting if severely provoked.  This means they are safe to encourage into your garden or allotment. 

How many species are there? 

There are around 250 species of solitary bee, most of which fall within a number of different categories. 

Flower Bees: These are fluffy bodied (they look a bit like bumble bees) and nest in burrows in the ground, or in holes in walls.

Cuckoo Bumblebees: They really do look like bumblebees and invade bumblebee nests, tricking the locals into raising their young. 

Mason Bees: Again, fluffy, but slimmer than bumblebees.  These are the ones you are most likely to find in a bee hotel – naturally they will nest in holes in masonry (hence the name), cracks in rocks, although a few do nest in old snail shells!

Mining Bees: These are the bees you may see diving in and out of the ground on a walk.  They dig their own burrows in sandy or chalky ground. 

Leafcutter Bees: Again, these will use bee hotels, and they are the ones responsible for cutting holes in your garden plants. 

Plasterer Bees: These are lovely, stripy bees, which nest in burrows which they plaster with a protective secretion they produce from their mouths. 

What kind of bees will use nesting tubes?

There are three that most commonly use them – slightly depending on where you are. 

• The Red Mason Bee (Osmia bicornus)
• The Blue Mason Bee (Osmia caerulescens)
• The Leafcutter Bee (Megachile centucularis)

The Red Mason Bee: 

(Image by The Solitary Bee Nursery)

• Also known as Osmia rufa ‘the Apple Bee’ or the Orchard Bee
• The males are smaller and slimmer than the females and have thin antennae. Female mason bees are much larger bees with boxy heads and horns on their heads
• They make their own nests in existing hollow spaces e.g. insect burrows in wood, cavities in old walls and sometimes soil
• They do not produce honey, and do not sting
• Each female is able to lay up to 50 eggs each life cycle – although weather, food supply, predation, population size and availability of nest sites all impact on this potential
• They can fly up to 30 meters from their nesting site to gather pollen
• Once they have started a nest, they will defend it from other bees
• They are thought to be between 120 – 200 times more efficient pollinators than the Honeybee

The Blue Mason Bee: 

(Image by: gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K)

• They can make their own nests in existing hollow spaces, e.g. insect burrows in wood, cavities in walls and sometimes soil
• Usually seen from late May to late July or August
• Common, but not abundant; widespread across England and Wales
• They do not produce honey and they do not sting

The Leafcutter Bee

(Image by: Bernhard Plank – SiLencer)

• We have 6 species of Leafcutters in the UK
• Usually see in mid- June to mid-August
• Widespread in the UK, although more common in the south
• Construct nests from cut pieces of available green leaf
• They do not produce honey and they do not sting