Cuckoo Bees Drab reddish-brown honey bees are what most Bee, Fly or Wasp? people think of when asked about bees. Or worse, A diverse group of cleptoparasitic bees that lay their they think of wasps, hornets and yellow jackets and Syrphid Fly Flies eggs in other bees’ nests. No pollen collecting hairs. painful stings. In fact, our native bees are colour- 2 wings ful, diverse and rarely sting. Seventy per cent of ◆ ◆ Short, thick antennae Melecta parasitize early flying bees in the pollen pants, native bees nest in the ground in tunnels carefully Apidae family such as Habropoda. Sphecodes hunt Citizen Science ◆ Ski-goggle eyes excavated and prepared by each female. The rest for the nests of Sweat Bees (Halictidae). A female ◆ Thick waist/chunky body are opportunistic cavity nesters. enters the nest, kills the host egg, and replaces the Monitoring Guide ◆ No pollen collecting egg with one of her own. Nomada parasitize ground hairs nesting mining bees, such as Andrena. Coelioxys has Most bees are solitary, meaning that the female a distinctive pointed abdomen. The female parasit- does everything by herself: finding a nesting site, Wasp Wasps, Hornets, laying her eggs, foraging for food for her eggs and Yellow Jackets izes Megachile (Leafcutter) bee nests. She breaks a creating chambers to protect her eggs. hole in the leaf-covered nest cell and lays her egg ◆ 4 wings inside. The larva hatches almost immediately and ◆ Long antennae with its large mandible, kills the leafcutter bee larva. Most bees fly only two to four weeks depending ◆ Very narrow waist, often on species, weather, and forage. And they fly, at narrow body Melecta Sphecodes most, the length of a football field looking for food. ◆ Spindly, hooked legs Exceptions are bumble bees, honey bees, and a few ◆ No pollen collecting hairs other semi-social bees. Bee Bees We have over 500 bee species in British ◆ 4 wings Columbia. Because of the range of ecosystems, ◆ Antennae long & elbowed Usually hairy (Bunchgrass, Interior Douglas-Fir, and Alpine Tun- ◆ ◆ Female has special pollen dra) the Southern Interior has a high diversity of collecting hairs (scopa) or bee species. This pamphlet focuses on the most Nomada Coelioxys pollen basket (corbicula) common bees that observers might see in their ◆ Rounder body than wasp gardens or on hiking trails. Honey Bees Family: Apidae | Genus: Apis mellifera Highly social, managed, non-native bee. Abdomen Common Bees is torpedo-shaped and striped; fuzzy thorax. Information compiled by Elaine Sedgman; Designed by of the Southern Colour can range from Sherry Bennett (Thompson Shuswap Master Gardeners) orange/brown/yellow Consultation: Lincoln Best, Bee Taxonomist to almost black. Carries Interior of BC pollen as a moist clump in a Photographs: Elaine Sedgman except for: Resources: pollen basket on hind legs. Lincoln Best: Bombus occidentalis, Bombus insularis, Diadasia, Melecta, Perdita, Colletes simulans, Osmia bella Wilson, Joseph S. and Olivia Messinger Carril. Stephen Cresswell: Hylaeus modestus (male) The Bees in Your Backyard. Princeton: Princeton Lori Weidenhammer: Anthidium manicatum, Bombus University Press, 2016. sitkensis, Sphecodes, Hylaeus (female) Williams, Paul, et al. Bumble Bees of North This guide was made possible by a America. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2014. City of Kamloops Social Planning Grant biodiversify.ca Lincoln Best, Bee Taxonomist – biodiversify.ca Bumble Bees Pollen Pants Bees Pollen Pants Bees Striped Hairy Belly Bees Family: Apidae | Genus: Bombus Family: Halictidae (Sweat Bees) Family: Andrenidae (Mining Bees) Family: Megachilidae Medium to very large, social bees. Entire body is fuzzy. Small to medium sized, black to dark brown or brilliant Andrena are solitary ground nesting bees. A diverse Are often black with white/silvery abdominal hair bands. Carries pollen as a moist clump in a corbicula on its green. Carries pollen on hind legs. Ground nesting genus, species emerge in early spring to late sum- Scopa located on the underside of the abdomen. Spe- hind legs. A queen might recycle an abandoned mouse bees with life cycles ranging from solitary to social. mer. Females have silver, velvety hairs located in a cies nest in pre-existing tunnels and are all solitary bees. burrow, bird box, or a warm area under logs for a nest. Halictus have bands of white or cream-coloured depression on the inside of their compound eyes (fa- Heriades have puffy abdomen segments; females use hairs at the bottom edge of each abdominal seg- cial fovea). They carry pollen on their back legs and at resin to construct egg cell partitions. Megachile rotun- There are over 35 species of bumble bees in BC. ment. Agapostemon, a metallic green Sweat Bee, the base of their thorax. The smallest BC bee is the Per- data (European Leafcutter Bee); very common non-na- B. nevadensis is our largest; B. sitkensis is a mountain/ is very common. Lasioglossum (Dialictus), the dita (Fairy Bee), a metallic blue or green bee with white tive. Anthidium manicatum coastal bee; B. insularis is a cleptoparasitic bee (Cuckoo Heriades tiny dark metallic bee, is our smallest Sweat Bee. or yellow stripes on its abdomen and facial markings. (Wool Carder Bee); non- Bee), laying her eggs in other bumble bee nests. native. Males hover Halictus rubicundus Agapostemon virescens Andrena (late summer) Perdita Bombus centralis Bombus huntii around and defend their patch of flowers from in- truders. Females scrape fuzz off plant leaves to line their nest cells. Megachile rotundata Anthidium manicatum Agapostemon texanus Lasioglossum Bombus bifarius Bombus insularis Family: Apidae These bees are in the same family as bumble bees, but instead are solitary ground nesting bees that collect pol- len on big brushes on their hind legs. Melissodes (Long- Horned Bees) are summer bees. Diadasia australis Metallic Hairy Belly Bees (Cactus Bee) specialize on cactus flowers. Habropoda Family: Megachilidae cineraria are quick, spring flying bees. Females carry Family: Colletidae (Polyester Bees) Solitary opportunistic cavity nesting bees. Scopa locat- their pollen on orange-coloured scopa on their hind legs. Colletes are solitary, ground ed on underside of abdomen. Colour ranges from metal- Colletes Bombus nevadensis Bombus occidentalis nesting bees that waterproof Melissodes – Female Melissodes – Male lic blue, green to black. Abdomens are rounded. There their nests with a lining made are over 60 species of Osmia in BC. Many females use of secretions from a spe- chewed up leaves to parti- Osmia bella cialized gland. Hylaeus are tion their egg cells. Osmia small bees with white or lignaria (Blue Orchard yellow markings on the face Mason Bee) uses mud and legs. Very little hair; no instead. Hoplitis fulgida scopa. Unusual for our bee can be mistaken for a fauna, females eat the pollen and nectar and regurgi- Mason Bee, but its body is tate it in the nest. They nest in small cavities and hol- more elongated. Bombus sitkensis Bombus vagans low stems, which they also waterproof with secretions. Diadasia australis Habropoda cineraria Osmia lignaria Hoplitis fulgida Hylaeus — Male Hylaeus — Female.