Types of Bees

Bees are members of the suborder "Apocrita" belonging to the insect order "Hymenoptera". There are so many different types of bees that it is a bit difficult to identify all of them with the naked eye. However, there are certain traits and characteristics which can help you in knowing the difference between some of the commonly seen bees. Let us know more about bees by studying the different types of bees.

Types of bees

Bumblebees
These are large and hairy. The general color is black and yellow. These display social behavior and live in colonies. In tropical areas, these colonies flourish for many years. In temperate areas like North America, the worker bees and drones perish in cool climate. The young and fertilized queen bees survive the winter due to hibernation. When the temperature elevates, these queen bees lay eggs to start a new colony. In tropical regions, there are some varieties of stingless bumblebees. This species live in deserted holes made by rodents and other small animals.

Honeybees
These have a small shape. They are generally black. However, some have a brown-yellow center. These are extremely social in nature. A honeybee colony has three castes of bees. One queen bee lays eggs. Some hundred drones are fertile male bees. Thousands of undeveloped female bees that are called worker bees. The job of these workers is to collect nectar from flowers, make and store honey, protect the hive, feed and care for the queen bee and the baby honeybees. The sting of these worker bees is barbed and cannot be withdrawn. The hives that honey bees build are called "honey combs" or "beeswax". The wax is generated due to the special glands in the abdomen. Honey is stored in the hexagonal cells of the beehive. The pollen is carried in a smooth, bristle-surrounded area on one segment of the hind leg. This is called a pollen basket or corbicula.

Carpenter bees
These have metal-like, black color and no yellow marks. Their length is 2 to 2.5 inches. They have solitary behavior and cannot prepare wax. From flower to flower, they can travel long distances. The nests these bees make are in flower stalks or wood. There exists a pile of sawdust near the nest entrance.

Ground bees
These dig tunnels in the ground and hence are also called "mining bees". These tunnels are made with the aim of providing shelter for their progeny. Well-shaded areas having loose soil and scarce vegetation is chosen. Chambers are made at the end of the tunnels by female bees. Here, they store food for the baby bees. The ground bee is black in color, small in size and can sting. Normally, they are not aggressive. However, when they feel threatened they can attack. Pollen is carried on the body and leg hair. These bees are either solitary or communal and live in separate but closer nests.

Parasitic bees
These are also called "cuckoo" bees. These do not search for food or build nests on their own. Instead, they use the nests and food of other bees. They can be classified into "cleptoparasitic bees" and "social parasites". The former attack the nests of solitary bees, hide their eggs in the chambers before the host lay their own and close the chambers. The baby bees flourish on the food stored by the host female. The eggs or larvae of the host female are killed by the parasitic female or her larvae. The social bees kill the queen bee, lay their eggs in the cells of the host and coerce the workers of the host to rear their babies. Females of parasitic bees do not have pollen brushes or pollen baskets.

Digger bees
They have long tongues and fly very fast. These excavate nests in wood or stay in the ground solitary or socially. Pollen is carried on brushy areas close to the middle of the hind leg and are excellent pollinators. Around thousand species of digger bees can be found in Canada and America. These bees are also characterized by the exceptionally long antennae of its male members. Another characteristic of digger bees is that these are not overly aggressive and their sting is milder when compared to other bees. Male digger bees don't have stinging power at all.

Leafcutter and mason bees
These prepare their nests in preexisting cavities or live in collections of individual nests. They have long tongues and special pollen carrying hair on the bottom side of the abdomen. They are useful in agriculture as they pollinate crops.

Sweat bees
These are small and dark-colored bees. They have little hair. Their nests are created in the ground. They have societies in which related individuals assist one another. Pollen is carried on body hair and base of the legs.

Cellophane bees
As these are similar to wasps, they are considered to be the most primitive bees. These have short and forked tongues and are relatively hairless. Their nest tunnels and larval cells are created with a secretion that becomes as hard as a cellophane membrane. Pollen grains are carried on leg hair or internally in a stomach like crop.

Plasterer bees
These dig holes and tunnels and line them with a plastic-like glandular secretion.

Carder bees
These collect the furry or woolly parts of plants and line their nests.

Orchid bees
They are brightly colored and are metallic in appearance. It is thought that orchids and orchid bees co-evolved and hence they are dependent on each other. They have a long proboscis and store the nectar very deep within their blossoms. These are one of the few species where males are engaged in productive activity other than mating. Males gather fragrant oils from blossoms by employing the scraper-like segments of the legs. It is guessed that these oils are used to attract mates.

Africanized honeybees
These were found all over Africa, south of the Sahara desert. As per one ideology, they migrated to North and South America in 1956 and stayed in the rural regions. Another theory states that, African honeybees were imported to Brazil in 1957 and subsequently released into the wild. These bees mated with European honeybees and the progeny was called "Africanized honeybees". These are similar to European honeybees, but they are more aggressive to defend their nests. So, they are called "killer bees". From Brazil, they spread to South and North America. When people and animals are in the vicinity of their nests, these bees are very dangerous. Similar to the honeybees, they produce honey and pollinate plants. Their social features are akin to the honey bee.

These were different types of bees. We hope that this article will help with some useful information on the types of bees apart from helping you in identifying various bees from their characteristics.