Solitary bees: the unsung heroes

Think all bees live together in hives, make honey and have a queen? Think again.

Tawny mining bee (female): one of the many solitary bee species

It’s Solitary Bee Week. Time to celebrate the unsung heroes of pollination.

Ten facts for you

① Solitary bees make up 90% of the bee population.

② Solitary bees don't produce honey, don't have a queen and don't live in hives.

③ Solitary bees carry out the majority of pollination in Britain.

④ Worldwide, there are 20,000 species of bees! Only 250 of them are types of bumblebee.

⑤ In the UK, there are 240 species of bees: 25 bumblebees and 224 species of solitary bees.

⑥ They are non-aggressive and generally safe around children and pets. They don't swarm. 

⑦ Most solitary bees are polylectic, meaning they collect pollen from a wide variety of plants.

⑧ Most solitary bees collect pollen on their legs, on specialised hairs called the scopa. These hairs don’t form a basket like we find in honey bees, so they spread more pollen.

⑨ Most solitary bees in Britain nest in the ground. The female builds the nest by herself, using her body to dig out a nesting chamber. (The male mates and then dies soon after.)

⑩ Despite their name, solitary bees can be very social creatures and often nest close to one another. They have separate nests, but often close neighbours.

Stories

Why do most people only know about honeybees and bumblebees and hive living? Stories. That's how powerful stories are.

Green&Blue started Solitary Bee Week in 2018, after realising most people they spoke to only knew about honeybees and bumblebees. It’s now run by Buglife.

The week is to celebrate and thank all the solitary bees! There is more than one way to be(e). We need them all.

Save the bees

Bees of all types are under threat from natural habitats disappearing and pesticides. There are really simple things we can do to help:

🐝 Spread the word about how important bees are (They are vital pollinators. The Wildlife Trust say they provide us with every third mouthful we eat!)

✿ Leave a little patch of bare earth for mining bees (over 70% of solitary bee species nest in the ground)

🐝 Buy or build your own bee hotel

✿ Leave some of your garden to go a little wild

🐝 Plant bee-friendly flowers: lavender, cowslip, honeysuckle, ivy, (here’s a list of flowers, wildflowers, and herbs that bees love)

✿ Just say no to pesticides, pesticides kill y’all

🐝 Feed a tired bee a little bit of sugar water (never honey). Mix two teaspoons of white granulated sugar with one teaspoon of water, and put a few drops next to the bee. You can also buy a bee revival kit keyring with ambrosia bee food syrup.

The next Solitary Bee Week will be from Monday 05 July 2024.

#solitarybeeweek

Updated 03 July 2023