Species group · Insects
Bees
WAnimals has 9 species of bee, spread across 4 families (Andrenidae, Apidae, Halictidae, Megachilidae).
- 9 species
- 4 families
- 114 countries
- 295 parks
- Weight
- 0 g – 0 g
- Length
- 1 cm – 12 cm
- Lifespan
- 1 – 2 years
Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 9.
All 9 species of bees on WAnimals
Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.
Giant Honey Bee
Apis dorsata
Tawny Mining Bee
Andrena fulva
Violet Carpenter Bee
Xylocopa violacea
Sharp-collared Furrow Bee
Lasioglossum malachurum
Red Mason Bee
Osmia bicornis
Mayan Melipona
Melipona beecheii
Western Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
Alfalfa Leafcutter
Megachile rotundata
Western Honey Bee
Apis mellifera scutellata
Conservation status
No species documented in this group is genuinely at risk according to the IUCN, with the data available today.
See the global conservation statusWhere they live
Recorded in 114 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:
Where to see them
Did you know…
It feeds on nectar and pollen from a wide range of tropical flowers.
From Giant Honey Bee
The whole colony moves on when conditions change, rather than leaving daughter queens behind.
From Giant Honey Bee
When a predator approaches, the workers mount a coordinated defence known as shimmering, a synchronised wave that ripples across the whole comb.
From Giant Honey Bee
Its nests give themselves away by a small mound of fine soil with a hole in the centre in the middle of the lawn, like a miniature volcano.
From Tawny Mining Bee
Although dozens of females may nest in the same garden, each works on her own: it is not a social species.
From Tawny Mining Bee
It is all but incapable of stinging and is entirely harmless, despite the alarm its furry appearance and sudden spring abundance tend to cause.
From Tawny Mining Bee
It bores its own nesting tunnels in dead wood without eating it.
From Violet Carpenter Bee
It has been recorded visiting as many as 800 plant species, favouring legumes and mints.
From Violet Carpenter Bee