Learn About Solitary Bees

Where do solitary bees live?

Solitary bees don’t live in hives like honeybees, or other hive-building insects like many wasps and hornets. They usually prefer to make their home in holes and crevices which can include walls, wood, and soil.

The term solitary bee covers a whole host of groups including mason bees, white-faced bees, carder bees, digger bees, leafcutter bees and mining bees to name just a few.  Roughly 70% of solitary bee species are mining bees and nest in burrows underground, whereas cavity nesting solitary bees prefer to live in linear nests of hollow plant stems, pre-existing tunnels found in wood and mortar, even snail shells!

Despite their name, solitary bees can be very social creatures and often nest close to one another. And while the UK is home to over 240 solitary bee species, it’s estimated that 20,000 to 30,000 solitary bee species exist worldwide – that’s a lot of bees!

How do solitary bees reproduce?

Solitary bees generally emerge from their nests in the spring ready for the mating season. The males emerge first and, after feeding, wait around the nest for the females to emerge.  Once mating is complete, the males die fairly quickly – what a life!  The females then go on to start the process of nesting, selecting a suitable site to lay their eggs.

With the male eggs at the front of the nest and the females at the back, they will hatch into larvae and feed on the pollen and nectar that has been stored up in the nest by the female bee.  The larvae develop and pupate, emerging the following spring and repeating the cycle all over again.

Why are solitary bees so important for growing food?

For some crops, wild insects such as solitary bees are considered the most effective at pollinating flowers.

In fact, some fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, beans, blueberries and aubergine need solitary bees and bumblebees to provide a service called ‘buzz pollination’. This is something that honeybees can’t do, so whether we own a farm, allotment or a back garden veggie patch, we depend on these little bees more than we might realise.

However, due to the increased use of chemicals in farming and larger field sizes, their habitats have become increasingly under threat. There are fewer wildflower meadows and hedgerows, which used to provide ample homes to a wide range of wildlife. And as we build more properties and landscape our gardens, we unwittingly destroy solitary bee nesting sites.

In some parts of China, pollination is already being undertaken using paintbrushes because there are no bees left to do it naturally!

And so…this is why Solitary Bee Week is here. It’s about raising awareness of the importance of these extraordinary pollinators, whilst sharing the simple ways we can all help the solitary bees. You could even Earn Your Stripes, and pledge to become a Solitary Bee Hero!