What’s the difference between native solitary bees (mason & leafcutter) and honey bees?

4,000 species of solitary bees are native to North America, and 275 of these are found in our region and, believe it or not, they are non-aggressive!

In fact, most of our native bees aren’t even capable of stinging humans. All native, male bees cannot sting, and most female bees cannot sting. The common perpetrators of stinger-related violence are female honey bees and certain species of wasps.

Honey bees are not native to the US and live in hives with a social Queen structure. the queen will lay eggs, and when those eggs hatch, the new bees will work to support her and the nest.

Solitary bees, such as Vermont’s Spring Beauty Miner bee, will lay eggs in the ground late into its life, then store pollen and food alongside the eggs until they hatch - often after they die.

When it comes to feeding, honey bees are much less picky. Most flowers (and even some forms of fungus) will satiate honey-makers. Specialized bees, however, have specialized diets, and will only feed on specific species of plants, depending on the type of bee.

Most importantly, honey bees are well supported in population thanks to the honey industry, but native bees are in need of support to continue pollinating!

Information sourced from the Xerces Society at xerces.org and the Vermont Center for Ecostudies at vtecostudies.org.