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BEES

There are over 400 native species of bees in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana. Bees are in the insect order Hymenoptera along with ants and wasps. Less than half of the world’s bees sting and of stinging species only females sting. Just 10% are social bees, meaning they live with others in nests, while the other 90% are solitary bees, meaning they do not live with others. While we often associate bees with hives in trees or in bee boxes, 70% of bees live below the ground. The above-ground, cavity-nesting bees make their home in woody stems of plants or old wood. Honey bees are a well known species because they produce the honey that we eat, but they are not native the North America. Bumble bees are similar to honey bees in that they also live with others in nests, but unlike honey bees the queen bumble bee is the only one of her nest that survives the late fall and overwinters. The queen will emerge in early spring and lay the eggs she has overwintered with and a new hive will grow.

MORE RESOURCES:

• What are Native Bees? | Illinois Department of Natural Resources

• Bee Basics: An Introduction to Our Native Bees Book |  USDA Forest Service & Pollinator Partnership 

• Fact Sheet: Honey Bees in North America: Why Getting A Hive Won't "Save The Bees"  | Xerces Society

• Color Pattern Guide to Bumble Bees of Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, & Ohio | BeeSpotter

• No Fear of Stings! | North American Pollinator Protection Campaign & Pollinator Partnership