Best Wild Pollinator

Bombus affinis, commonly known as the rusty patched bumblebee, is a species of social bee native to North America. Historically abundant across the eastern United States and southeastern Canada, the bee is identified by the distinct rusty-colored patch on the abdomen of its workers and males. In 201...

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.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 bicolored sweat bee (Agapostemon virescens) is a widespread pollinating insect native to North America. It is easily identified by its striking metallic bright green head and thorax, which contrast with the distinct yellow and black banding on its abdomen. Like other sweat bees, this species is...

Colletes hederae, the ivy mining bee, is a late-flying European species first described in 1937 that strictly forages on the nectar of blooming ivy plants.

The striped sweat bee (Agapostemon splendens) is a species of halictid bee native to North America. It is easily identified by its bright metallic green coloration, with males typically featuring distinctly yellow and black banded abdomens. Like other sweat bees, they are known to land on humans to...

Andrena cineraria, commonly known as the ashy mining bee, is a solitary insect found across the Palearctic region. It is visually distinguished by its striking black and grey hair, giving it an ashen appearance. Females excavate nesting burrows in the ground, frequently in sandy soils, and often for...

Centris trigonoides is a species of solitary bee in the family Apidae, native to the Americas. It belongs to the genus Centris, a group of bees known for collecting floral oils from plants, including species in the family Malpighiaceae, using specialized absorptive hairs on the legs. These oils are...

Colletes inaequalis, commonly known as the cellophane bee, is a solitary bee species native to North America. As an early spring pollinator, it emerges in large numbers to forage on blooming trees and wildflowers. The insect is biologically distinguished by its unique nesting behavior; females dig t...

Augochlorella aurata, commonly known as the metallic sweat bee, is a widespread species of halictid bee native to North and Central America. They are easily identified by their small size and brilliant, shiny green or copper-colored exoskeleton. As ground-nesting bees, they excavate tunnels in well-...

The Bellflower Resin Bee (Megachile campanulae) is a solitary bee species belonging to the family Megachilidae, native to North America. Unlike typical leafcutter bees in the genus Megachile, M. campanulae constructs its nest cells using plant resins and flower petals rather than pieces of cut leave...

The Globe Mallow Bee is a solitary ground-nesting insect native to North America, uniquely distinguished by its strict oligolectic diet of pollen from globe mallow plants.

Eucera longicornis, a European long-horned bee, is currently endangered in the United Kingdom due to habitat loss and its strict reliance on specific legume flowers.

Agapostemon angelicus, known as the Texas striped sweat bee, is a southwestern United States pollinator noted for the males' striking metallic green thorax and yellow-banded abdomen.

Bombus ternarius, the orange-belted bumblebee, is a distinctly colored North American species characterized by its striking yellow, orange, and black abdominal bands.

Augochloropsis metallica, the golden sweat bee, is a Neotropical halictid species extending into the southern United States, recognized by its striking metallic green or gold sheen.

Halictus ligatus, or the ligated furrow bee, is a common North American sweat bee known for its primitively eusocial behavior and nesting in bare or sparsely vegetated soil.

Bombus cullumanus, or Cullum's bumblebee, is a critically endangered European species that has experienced a severe population decline and is now extremely rare.

Xylocopa sonorina, the Sonoran carpenter bee, is a large solitary insect first described in 1874, recognized for its loud buzzing and habit of burrowing into wood.

Xylocopa micans, a large carpenter bee found in the southeastern United States, is notable for the females' shiny black coloring and their ability to bore nests into solid wood.

Megachile xylocopoides is a North American leafcutter bee notable for its striking physical resemblance to large carpenter bees, an evolutionary trait designed to deter predators.

Native to North America, the Pugnacious Leafcutter Bee is a solitary pollinator notable for using cut leaf fragments to construct its ground or wood-tunnel nests.

The Digger Bee is a solitary species found across the western United States, highly notable for excavating deep vertical nesting burrows directly into sandy desert soils.

Colletes succinctus, the heather mining bee, is a European species recognized for its strict oligolectic relationship with heather plants in sandy heathland environments.