Who’s Buzzin’? Bees of the Carolinas

Do you enjoy eating fruits and vegetables or getting flowers for special occasions? Well, you can thank bees for that. They may not understand the value of personal space, but bees are some of the most important pollinators in the world. And there isn’t just one type of bee buzzing around. There are more than 500 species in the Carolinas alone. Let’s take a look at five of the most common bees you are likely to see.

Bumblebees

Probably the most iconic of all the bees, bumblebees have large, round bodies covered in fuzzy black-and-yellow stripes. They are named for their distinctive buzzing sound and their clumsy, wobbly flight. Bumblebees are more interested in finding flowers with to drink their sweet nectar than they are in bothering you. If you see these plump, social pollinators, let them be, so they can go about collecting pollen on their fuzzy bodies and bringing it back to their underground nests.

Honeybees

Do you enjoy honey? Well, you have the honeybee to thank, because they produce nearly all the honey we eat. Like bumblebees, honeybees collect pollen in small pouches on their hind legs and are focused much more on flowers than people. But unlike their plumper cousins, honeybees are small with gold and brown stripes rather than the bumblebee’s iconic yellow and black. Honeybees often fly in groups, and where they fly, their nest is nearby, usually in a hollow tree trunk or other empty spaces. If they see you as a threat to their home, they may swarm you, so it’s best to admire these impressive insects and their nests from afar.

Carpenter Bees

Have you ever been outside near a wooden fence or bench and had a buzzing bee get a little too close? Well, that was most likely a carpenter bee. These large, curious bees are not aggressive, and the males lack a stinger entirely. Yet, they are territorial to other carpenter bees and will chase them off. Carpenter bees are completely black with yellow hairs covering only their thorax, like a little yellow sweater. They get their names from the small holes they make in wooden surfaces to build their nests.

Sweat Bees

Outside activities like gardening or playing are fun, but you are bound to sweat, which provides the perfect snack for these tiny buzzing bees. Sweat bees need more salt in their diet than other species, but they still primarily consume nectar. Sweat bees aren’t aggressive, and like carpenter bees, the males do not have stingers. If you swat at them, female sweat bees may sting you, but their stings are mild compared to most other bee species. These rice-sized bees nest in the ground. They come in different colors than most other common bee species, from brown or grey to shiny metallic green, red, or even purple!

Mason Bees

Mason bees are medium, thick-bodied bees with a shiny green-blue, black, or red coloration. Mason bees are solitary builders, named for how they build their homes, using chunks of mud, dirt, and clay to fill holes in walls of wood or stone. You can help give them a home by buying or even building a bee house, which is designed specifically for mason bees. These bees are perfect to keep around your home, as they are the most docile bee species and are some of the most efficient bee pollinators. Instead of carrying pollen in pouches like most other bees, mason bees spread it across their thorax, sprinkling pollen on every flower they pass.

Wasps

Many people believe bees are wasps, but they’re quite different. Wasps, like hornets and yellowjackets, are carnivorous and much more aggressive. Wasps have skinny, elongated bodies and spines covering their bodies instead of soft, fuzzy hairs. Steer clear of wasps. Unlike bees, wasps will sting you without warning, so it is best to keep your distance.

There are over 20,000 bee species around the world, and every one of them is important to the survival of plant life. Though some bees are known to be aggressive, most species are peaceful pollinators that only want to smell the roses.