Investigate Bees and Their HabitatThere are over 20,000 species, or types, of bees in the world. 4,000 of these species can be found in the United States.
Bees play an important role in our ecosystems, and your habitat learning lab can help support them by providing habitat including food, water, shelter, and a place to raise their young.
There are over 20,000 species, or types, of bees in the world. 4,000 of these species can be found in the United States.
Bees play an important role in our ecosystems, and your outdoor classroom can help support them by providing habitat including food, water, shelter, and a place to raise their young.
Bee on Clover Flower
Wikimedia – Radu Privantu
Bees are insects and share traits with other members of the insect group:
Insects are further classified into groups based on physical characteristics. Bees, along with wasps and ants, are classified in the order Hymenoptera, which means “membranous wing”. Insects within this group share similar characteristics:
Bumblebee – Dreamstime
Although bees and wasps are classified in a group together, there are ways to tell them apart from one another.
There are around 4,000 species (types) of bees that can be found in North America. Some of them are recognizable and easily identified while many of them are solitary (live alone) and smaller than a grain of rice.
Eastern Bumble Bee
Wikimedia – Ryan Hodnett
Black and Yellow Mud Dauber
Flickr – Judy Gallagher
Bumble
American Bumble Bee
Wikimedia – Judy Gallagher
Carpenter
Carpenter Bee
Wikimedia – Daniel Schwen
Honey
Honey Bee
flickr – Hans Hillewaert
Leafcutter
Leafcutter Bee
Dreamstime
Mason
Mason Bee
Dreamstime
Miner
Mining Bee
Dreamstime
Bees go through a complete metamorphosis (a series of physical changes as an animal develops) with an egg, larva, pupa, and adult stage.
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Egg: |
Females lay eggs in the spring in individual compartments in their nest. |
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Larva: |
Grublike larvae hatch from the eggs and begin feeding |
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Pupa: |
The young enter an inactive stage called a pupa. |
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Adult: |
The final stage is the adult stage. Females are usually the first to emerge, followed by the males. Females search for nectar and pollen. In species that live in colonies, the females that emerge continue providing nectar and pollen for the young. Male bees do not live as long as female bees. In many species of bees, the adult females will overwinter (go into a state of low activity level to save energy, similar to hibernation) and emerge in the spring to collect pollen and lay eggs. In social species, the queen will overwinter. |
Bee Life Cycle
Dreamstime
Bees are an important pollinator for a wide variety of native flowering plants. Pollen contained within flowering plants is a source of nutrients and protein for bees and their offspring. When adult bees visit flowers to search for pollen and nectar, pollen becomes trapped in the hairs on their bodies. As a bee moves from flower to flower, pollen from one flower that has been captured in the bee’s hairs gets deposited on another flower.
To learn more about pollination, visit the Alabama Wildlife Federation’s Pollinators and their Habitats webpage!
Bees also play a major role in pollinating many of the agricultural crops in the United States. Approximately 75% of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts grow in the United States depend on bee pollination.
Some bees, including bumble bees, can do a special type of pollination, called buzz pollination. During buzz pollination, larger bees with wings that can vibrate quickly cause the flower to vibrate. The vibration releases pollen that would not have released if the flower was not shaken. Some plants, including tomatoes, eggplants, pumpkins, cranberries, and blueberries, require this type of pollination. Honey bees cannot perform buzz pollination and are therefore ineffective pollinators of these types of plants.
Some native bee species are declining in number due loss of habitat and pesticide use. It is important to provide habitats for them because they play an important role in their habitat and help pollinate some of our food sources.
Bee Covered in Pollen
Dreamstime
Southern Blueberry Bee on Blueberry Flower
Dreamstime
The honey bee is not native to the United States. The honey bee is originally from Europe, Africa, and western Asia. They were introduced to North America in the 1600’s as a source of wax, sugar, and honey.
Although honey bees are important pollinators of many of the crops in the United States, native bee species are often better at pollinating our native plants. Honey bees can also outcompete or take away pollen from native bee species in some habitats.
Bees require a habitat that provides food, water, shelter, and a place to raise their young.
Bees get the energy they need from consuming pollen and nectar provided in flowering plants. Pollen is high in protein and nutrients, and nectar provides the bee with sugars. These resources are also used for feeding the developing young.
Click on the flowers to see the plant species commonly found in outdoor classroom pollinator gardens!
Bee Feeding on Dandelion Pollen
flickr – nutmeg66
Bees require a source of freshwater from which they can drink. They often drink from puddles on the ground, shallow bird baths, or other sources of shallow standing water. These sources of water provide additional minerals and nutrients for bees.
Bees require shelter to escape harsh weather, avoid predators, and for a place to nest. If a bee cannot make it back to its nest, it may take shelter under vegetation or in cracks within tree bark or a log.
Shallow Mud Puddle
flickr – daveynin
Different types of bees build different types of nests where they raise their young. Some bees are solitary (live alone) while others life in colonies with complex social systems. The majority of bee species live in the ground, while only 30% build nests/hives above ground.
Bees go through a complete metamorphosis (a series of physical changes that occur as an organism develops) with an egg, larva, pupa, and adult stage. The nest provides bees for a safe place to raise and nourish their young. In most nests, bees create chambers, and in each chamber they will lay an egg and provide a mixture of nectar, pollen, and saliva for the young to feed on.
Some species of bees are considered social. Social species live in colonies and divide the foraging, defense, and reproductive responsibilities among different groups. The queen is the largest female and is responsible for laying the eggs. Other females are called workers and are responsible for taking care of the young and defending the colony. Males are responsible for reproduction and do not take part in caring for the young or defending the colony.
Plant a variety of native (originally from the area; not introduced by humans) flowering plants that bloom at different times throughout the year to provide a constant source of food for bees. Some bees will consume pollen from a variety of flowers while other bees are more specialized and only consume pollen from specific types of plants. Having a variety of plants that bloom at different times can also help support a wider variety of beess.
To learn more about native plants, visit this page all about Why to Plant Native.
Use a non-chemical solution rather than pesticides to control unwanted insects. If a pesticide is necessary, do not apply the pesticide when pollinators are active, and avoid applying the pesticide to the flowers where the pollinators feed.
Provide a source of water such as a puddling station or a shallow bird bath.
Leave tree snags, fallen leaves, and a bare patch of soil for bees to use as nesting sites.
Mixed Wildflowers
Wikimedia – Alabama Extension
Puddling Station
pixabay – Seachild
Bumble
Bumblebee Nest
Wikimedia – Panoramedia
Carpenter
Carpenter Bee Nest
Wikimedia – A. Thom Wolf
Honey
Honey Bee Nest
Dreamstime
Leafcutter
Leafcutter Bee Nest
flickr – rodtuk
Mason
Mason Bee Nest
Wikimedia – tpjunier
Miner
Miner Bee Nest
flickr – bramblejungle
Paper Wasp Nest
Dreamstime
Wasps are similar to bees in that some species are solitary while other species are social, and some species nest in the ground or tree cavities while others build hives. Wasps use wood fibers from old trees to create their hives. They chew the wood fibers and create a paste-like substance consisting of the wood fibers and saliva. This paste is used to create papery looking cells where the young will be cared for by the colony.
Bees go through a complete metamorphosis (a series of physical changes as an animal develops) with an egg, larva, pupa, and adult stage.
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#1: |
Bees have adaptations that allow them to more effectively collect pollen than many other animals. Many bees have special pollen pouches, either on their legs or on the underside of their abdomens called scopa. These pouches allow the bees to easily transport pollen. Often, bees will be seen brushing their hairs with their legs. When they do this, they are transferring pollen from the hairs on their body into these special pouches. |
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#2: |
Only female bees can sting! Male bees do not have an ovipositer (tube-like structure that is found at the rear of the abdomen) that is used to deposit eggs. In bees and wasps, the ovipositer is modified to sting as a defense against threats. Bees are not aggressive and will only sting when they feel bothered or threatened. If you see a bee, it is best to leave it alone! |
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#3: |
Because bees have the ability to sting, predators have learned to stay away from them. Some species of flies look like bees which helps them avoid predators and other threats, even though flies do not have the ability to sting. |
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#4: |
Many bees, like most insects, are cold-blooded (do not generate their own body heat). However, bumble bees do have the ability to generate their own body heat by rappidly vibrating their flight muscles. This behavior allows them to warm themselves before flight and to keep their young warm. |
Bee Pollen Pouch
Dreamstime
Yellowjacket Hover Fly
flickr – Roy Niswanter
