Best Solitary
The blue orchard mason bee, scientifically known as Osmia lignaria, is a solitary bee species native to North America. It is recognized by its dark metallic blue or black coloring and its habit of building nests in existing cavities, such as hollow plant stems or holes in wood. The bee is a highly e...
Euglossa cordata is a species of orchid bee belonging to the family Apidae, first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Native to the Neotropical regions of South America, these solitary bees are noted for their bright metallic coloration. The males of the species possess specialized behaviors and leg...
Wallace's Giant Bee, *Megachile pluto*, is a large solitary bee native to Indonesia. It’s notable as the largest living bee species, with a wingspan exceeding 60 millimeters. This insect belongs to the Megachilidae family and is primarily found in areas with abundant flowering plants. Researchers an...
*Rediviva longimanus* is a solitary oil-collecting bee endemic to the Succulent Karoo of South Africa. Females possess extraordinarily elongated forelegs, in some cases longer than their bodies, which they insert into the long floral spurs of *Diascia* species to gather oil used as larval provisions...
Amegilla dawsoni, commonly known as the Dawson's burrowing bee, is a large species of solitary bee native to Western Australia. First described by Tarlton Rayment in 1951, the species is known for building vast, dense nesting aggregations in hard claypans. Males exhibit extreme size dimorphism, with...
Habropoda laboriosa is a solitary ground-nesting bee native to the southeastern United States. It is a principal pollinator of Rabbiteye blueberry, Vaccinium ashei, using buzz pollination to release pollen from the flowers. Females dig nests in soil and provision each brood cell with blueberry polle...
Amegilla chlorocyanea is a species of solitary bee belonging to the family Apidae, commonly found across mainland Australia. It is widely recognized as a blue-banded bee due to the distinctive metallic blue or whitish bands across its abdomen, which contrast with its orange-brown thorax. As a solita...
*Dasypoda altercator* is a species of solitary bee belonging to the family Melittidae, commonly found across Europe. It is colloquially known as the pantaloon bee due to the unusually long, bright orange pollen-collecting hairs on the females' hind legs, which resemble oversized pantaloons. These sp...
Perdita minima is a solitary fairy bee native to the southwestern United States, holding the distinction of being the smallest bee species in the world at 2 millimeters.
*Eulaema bombiformis* is a large, solitary bee species belonging to the tribe Euglossini, commonly known as orchid bees. Native to the Neotropical regions of Central and South America, it is morphologically distinct due to its robust size and dense, bumblebee-like pubescence. Males of the species ex...
The alfalfa leafcutter bee, *Megachile rotundata*, is a solitary bee species native to Eurasia but now commonly used in North America. It’s notable for its exceptional ability to pollinate alfalfa and other crops, significantly boosting yields. Researchers, agriculturalists, and beekeepers utilize t...
The Squash and Gourd Bee (Peponapis limitaris) is a solitary bee species native to North America. It acts as an oligolectic pollinator, meaning it has evolved to forage specifically on the pollen of plants in the Cucurbita genus, which includes squashes, pumpkins, and gourds. These ground-nesting be...
The valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, is a large carpenter bee native to parts of western North America. The species displays conspicuous sexual dimorphism: females are predominantly glossy black, while males have golden or tawny hair and lighter coloration. Like other carpenter bees, femal...
Habropoda laboriosa, commonly known as the southeastern blueberry bee, is a species of solitary digger bee native to the woodlands of the southeastern United States. It is ecologically significant as a specialized pollinator of rabbiteye and highbush blueberry plants. The bee utilizes a behavior kno...
The spined mason bee (Osmia spinulosa) is a solitary bee of the family Megachilidae native to Europe, associated with dry grasslands and open habitats. Females are distinctive among bees for nesting inside empty snail shells, provisioning each brood cell with pollen and nectar before sealing it with...
Hylaeus kuakea is a tiny solitary bee in the family Colletidae, endemic to the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Like other Hawaiian Hylaeus species, it lacks the pollen-carrying scopa of most bees and instead transports provisions internally; it is distinguished by ivory-colored facial markings. The species...
Osmia calaminthae, commonly known as the blue calamintha bee, is a species of mason bee described as new to science in 2011. It is endemic to the Lake Wales Ridge region of Florida, where it forages on the flowers of Ashe's calamint (Calamintha ashei), a threatened plant in the mint family. The bee...
Amegilla zonata is a solitary bee species belonging to the family Apidae and native to South and Southeast Asia, where it ranges from India and Sri Lanka to Indonesia. It is commonly called a blue-banded bee because of the pale blue bands across its abdomen, and it is often mistaken for the Australi...
The Blue Orchard Bee *Osmia lignaria* is a solitary bee native to North America belonging to the Megachilidae family. It’s notable for its distinctive metallic blue coloration and effectiveness as an orchard pollinator. These bees are particularly useful for fruit growers seeking natural pollination...
Centris pallida, commonly known as the mesquite bee, is a solitary species of desert digger bee native to the American Southwest. Females excavate deep vertical tunnels in sandy soil to construct nesting chambers, which they provision with a mixture of nectar and pollen primarily gathered from mesqu...
Hylaeus facilis is a species of Hawaiian yellow-faced bee belonging to the family Colletidae. This solitary bee was historically found on several Hawaiian islands but experienced significant population declines due to habitat loss, invasive species, and the effects of human development. In 2016, it...
The Cactus Diadasia Bee (scientific name Diadasia rinconis) is a solitary species of ground-nesting bee native to the arid regions of the American Southwest. Belonging to the family Apidae, it is a digger bee recognized for its specialized role in desert ecosystems. The insect is the primary pollina...
The Blue-banded Bee *Amegilla cingulata* is a native Australian species of solitary bee. It’s notable for its distinctive iridescent blue bands and unique role in flower pollination. These bees are particularly important for buzz pollination, a process vital to the reproduction of certain plants lik...
Augochlora pura, the Pure Green Sweat Bee, is a small solitary halictid bee with a bright metallic green body found across eastern North America. Females nest individually in rotting wood rather than forming colonies, provisioning each cell with pollen for their larvae. Adults forage on a variety of...
Osmia ribifloris, commonly known as the blueberry bee, is a solitary mason bee native to North America. This insect is specifically utilized in commercial agriculture for its ability to pollinate blueberry crops efficiently. Unlike social honey bees, these solitary bees do not form hives but instead...
Habropoda laboriosa, commonly known as the Blueberry Bee, is a solitary bee species native to North America. This specialist bee plays a crucial role in pollinating blueberries through buzz pollination, a unique method of extracting pollen. Its effectiveness makes it valuable for blueberry farmers a...
Hylaeus hilaris is a cleptoparasitic yellow-faced bee endemic to Maui Nui, notable for its rarity and 2016 United States endangered listing.
Anthophora pueblo is a species of solitary digger bee native to the arid regions of the Southwestern United States. Officially described in 2016, it is notable for its unique behavior of excavating nesting tunnels into soft sandstone cliffs rather than loose soil. These nesting aggregations can be u...
Macropis europaea is a solitary bee native to Europe that has a close ecological relationship with yellow loosestrife plants in the genus Lysimachia. Females collect floral oil and pollen from these plants, using the oil in constructing and waterproofing underground nest cells and the pollen as larv...
The Squash Bee, *Peponapis pruinosa*, is a small bee native to North America. It’s notable for its exclusive pollination relationship with cucurbit plants like pumpkins and squash. This solitary bee plays an important role in the reproduction of these crops. It's primarily found in agricultural area...
