Upper Grades Ecosystem Investigation: Bee Habitat


​​Investigate Bees and Their Habitat
 
Bee on Clover Flower
Wikimedia - Radu Privantu
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There are over 20,000 species of bees in the world, and 4,000 of these species can be found in North America. Bees play an important role in our ecosystems, and your outdoor classroom can help support them by providing habitat including food, water, shelter, and a place to raise their young.


 
Click on the topics below to learn more!
         
Characteristics and Types Life Cycle Ecological Role Habitat Needs Interesting Facts
 
 
Characteristics and Types
     
Bee Classification:  
Bees are insects and share characteristics with other members of the insect group:
  • 3 body segments (head, thorax, and abdomen)
  • 3 pairs of jointed appendages (legs)
  • 2 pairs of wings
  • Protected by an exoskeleton (a hard covering on the outside of some organisms without a backbone that provides protection and support)
  • Antennae on the head for sensing or smelling
  • Compound eyes (contains many visual units or lenses that form an image for the organism and usually provide a wide view of the surroundings)
     
Insects are further classified into groups based on physical characteristics. Bees, along with wasps and ants, are classified in the order Hymenoptera, which means "membranous wing". Insects within this group share similar characteristics:
  • 2 pairs of thin, usually see-through wings
  • Front and hind wings are held together with a tiny hook
  • Females have an ovipositer (long, hollow tube on the rear end through which eggs are deposited) that is modified for stinging or piercing
Bumblebee
Dreamstime
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Differences between bees and wasps:
Although bees and wasps are classified in a group together and share many similarities, there are ways to tell them apart from one another.
  • Body shape
    • Bees have a more hour glass shaped body that is relatively stout.
    • Wasps have a long, slender body with a more narrow waist.
  • Body hair
    • Bees are usually covered in hairs, appearing fuzzy.
    • Wasps have a shiny body, sometimes with a few bristles.
  • Hind legs
    • Bees have stout, broad hind legs, often modified for carrying pollen.
    • Wasps have long, slender hind legs.
  • Wings
    • The wings on a bee are more stout in shape and touch or overlap on top of the abdomen when the bee is at rest.
    • The wings on a wasp are long and slender and lay in line with the abdomen when the wasp is at rest.
  • Diet
    • Bees feed on pollen and can be found collecting pollen from flowering plants.
    • Wasps are carnivores and will hunt for insects and spiders. They do visit flowers for nectar or to hunt for prey and tend to be more aggressive than bees.
   
Eastern Bumble Bee
Wikimedia - Ryan Hodnett
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Black and Yellow Mud Dauber
Flickr - Judy Gallagher
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There are around 4,000 species (types) of bees that can be found in North America. Some of them are recognizable and easily identified while many of them are solitary (live alone) and smaller than a grain of rice.
 
Common Types of Bees:
 
Bumble Carpenter Honey
American Bumble Bee
Wikimedia - Judy Gallagher
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Carpenter Bee
Wikimedia - Daniel Schwen
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Honey Bee
flickr - Hans Hillewaert
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  • Large bodied
  • Up to 1 inch in length
  • Covered in yellow hairs on thorax and part of abdomen
  • Carry pollen on hind legs
  • Social - live in colonies with a queen, workers, and male drones
  • Large bodied
  • Up to 1 inch in length
  • Do not have hairs on the abdomen (back most body segment)
  • Abdomen is shiny and black
  • Carry pollen on hind legs
  • Solitary (do not live in colonies)
  • Small bodied
  • 10 - 20 mm in length (0.4 - 0.8 inches)
  • Brown with black and yellow bands on abdomen
  • Carry pollen on hind legs
  • Build hives where they store honey and pollen
  • Social - live in colonies with a queen, workers, and male drones
     
Leafcutter Mason Miner
Leafcutter Bee
Dreamstime
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Mason Bee
Dreamstime
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Mining Bee
Dreamstime
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  • Small bodied
  • 5 - 24 mm in length (0.2 - 0.95 inches)
  • Mostly black with yellow stripes on the abdomen
  • Carry pollen on abdomen
  • Solitary (do not live in colonies)
  • Small bodied
  • 0.37 - 0.62 inches in length
  • Metallic green or blueish black in color
  • Carry pollen on abdomen
  • Solitary (do not live in colonies)
  • Will build nests near other mason bees
  • Small bodied
  • 12 - 17 mm in length (0.47 - 0.67 inches)
  • Pale yellow hairs on the thorax and brown hairs on abdomen and legs
  • Carry pollen on hind legs
  • Solitary (do not live in colonies)
  • Will build nests near other miner bees
     
 
 
 
Life Cycle
     
Bees go through a complete metamorphosis (a series of physical changes that occur as an organism develops) with an egg, larva, pupa, and adult stage. 
     
Egg:   Females deposit eggs in the spring within individual chambers in their nest. They provide a source of nectar, pollen, and saliva near the egg.
Bee Life Cycle
Dreamstime
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Larva:  Grublike larvae emerge from the eggs and begin feeding on the nectar, pollen, and saliva provided by the female. 
   
Pupa:  The young enter an inactive stage called a pupa.
     
Adult:  The final stage is the adult stage. Females are usually the first to emerge, followed by the males. In species that live in colonies, the females that emerge providing nectar and pollen for the young. Male bees do not live as long as female bees.

In many species of bees, the adult female bees will overwinter (go into a state of low activity level to reserve energy, similar to hibernation) and emerge in the spring to collect pollen and lay eggs. In social species, the queen overwinters.
     


 


 
Ecological Role
   
Bees are an important pollinator for a wide variety of native flowering plants.  Pollen contained within flowering plants is a source of nutrients and protein for bees and their offspring.  When adult bees visit flowers to search for pollen and nectar, pollen becomes trapped in the hairs on their bodies.  As a bee moves from flower to flower, pollen from one flower that has been captured in the bee's hairs gets deposited on another flower.

To learn more about pollination, visit the Alabama Wildlife Federation's Pollinators and their Habitats webpage!
Bee Covered in Pollen
Dreamstime
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Bees also play a major role in pollinating many of the agricultural crops in the United States.  Approximately 75% of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts grow in the United States depend on bee pollination.
Southern Blueberry Bee on Blueberry Flower
Dreamstime
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Some bees, including bumble bees, can do a special type of pollination, called buzz pollination. During buzz pollination, larger bees with wings that can vibrate quickly cause the flower to vibrate. The vibration releases pollen that would not have released if the flower was not shaken. Some plants, including tomatoes, eggplants, pumpkins, cranberries, and blueberries, require this type of pollination. Honey bees cannot perform buzz pollination and are therefore ineffective pollinators of these types of plants.
   
Some native bee species are declining in number due loss of habitat and pesticide use.  It is important to provide habitats for them because they play an important role in their habitat and help pollinate some of our food sources.
   
The honey bee is not native to the United States. The honey bee is originally from Europe, Africa, and western Asia. They were introduced to North America in the 1600's as a source of wax, sugar, and honey.

Although honey bees are important pollinators of many of the crops in the United States, native bee species are often better and more efficient at pollinating our native plants.  Honey bees can also outcompete or take away pollen from native bee species in some habitats.
 
   
 


 
Habitat Needs
   
Bees require a habitat that provides food, water, shelter, and a place to raise their young.
   
Food:  
Bees get the energy they need from consuming pollen and nectar provided in flowering plants. Pollen is high in protein and nutrients, and nectar provides the bee with sugars. These resources are also used for feeding the developing young.
Click on the flowers to see the plant species commonly found in outdoor classroom pollinator gardens!
Bee Feeding on Dandelion Pollen
flickr - nutmeg66
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Water:  
Bees require a source of freshwater from which they can drink. They often drink from puddles on the ground, shallow bird baths, or other sources of shallow standing water. These sources of water provide additional minerals and nutrients for bees.
Shallow Mud Puddle
flickr - daveynin
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Shelter:
Bees require shelter to escape harsh weather, avoid predators, and for a place to nest. If a bee cannot make it back to its nest, it may take shelter under vegetation or in cracks within tree bark or a log.
   
Places to Raise Young:
Different types of bees build different types of nests where they raise their young.  Some bees are solitary (live alone) while others life in colonies with complex social systems. The majority of bee species live in the ground, while only 30% build nests/hives above ground.

Bees go through a complete metamorphosis (a series of physical changes that occur as an organism develops) with an egg, larva, pupa, and adult stage.  The nest provides bees for a safe place to raise and nourish their young.  In most nests, bees create chambers, and in each chamber they will lay an egg and provide a mixture of nectar, pollen, and saliva for the young to feed on.  
Some species of bees are considered social. Social species live in colonies and divide the foraging, defense, and reproductive responsibilities among different groups. The queen is the largest female and is responsible for laying the eggs. Other females (called workers) are responsible for taking care of the young and defending the colony. Males are responsible for reproduction and do not take part in caring for the young or defending the colony.
   
Supporting Bees in your Backyard Habitat:  
Plant a variety of native (originally from the area; not introduced by humans) flowering plants that bloom at different times throughout the year to provide a constant source of food for bees. Some bees will consume pollen from a variety of flowers while other bees are more specialized and only consume pollen from specific types of plants. Having a variety of plants that bloom at different times can also help support a wider variety of beess.

To learn more about native plants, visit the Alabama Wildlife Federation's LSI: Native Plants webpage!

Use a non-chemical solution rather than pesticides to control unwanted insects. If a pesticide is necessary, do not apply the pesticide when pollinators are active, and avoid applying the pesticide to the flowers where the pollinators feed.

Provide a source of water such as a puddling station or a shallow bird bath.

Leave tree snags, fallen leaves, and a bare patch of soil for bees to use as nesting sites.
Mixed Wildflowers
Wikimedia - Alabama Extension
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Puddling Station
pixabay - Seachild
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Common Types of Bee Nests:
     
Bumble Carpenter Honey
Bumblebee Nest
Wikimedia - Panoramedia
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Carpenter Bee Nest
Wikimedia - A. Thom Wolf
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Honey Bee Nest
Dreamstime
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  • Bumble bees are a type of mining bee
  • Build nests underground or near the ground
  • Use an underground cavity or under piles of dead leaves
  • Females have modified mouthparts that allow them to tunnel into wood
  • Create tunnels into soft wood including old trees, decks, or outdoor furniture
  • Build a hive using wax that has been secreted by the bee
  • The hive has many cells (compartments), each which holds one egg that develops into a grublike larva
  • Hives are generally built where there is some protection such as a tree cavity or near an overhang
     
Leafcutter Mason Miner
Leafcutter Bee Nest
flickr - rodtuk
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Mason Bee Nest
Wikimedia - tpjunier
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Miner Bee Nest
flickr - bramblejungle
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  • Nest in already existing holes
  • Cut rounded portions of leaves to line burrows in which the young will develop
  • Cut rounded pieces of leaves to plug the ends of tunnels to provide protection
  • Nest in already existing holes
  • Use mud to separate chambers where young will develop
  • Use mud to plug the ends of the tunnels to provide protection
  • Dig tunnels that are slightly wider than the body
  • Prefer a bare spot of ground where flooding is unlikely
  • The end of each tunnel serves as a nursery for an egg that develops into a larva
     
Wasps are similar to bees in that some species are solitary while other species are social, and some species nest in the ground or tree cavities while others build hives. Wasps use wood fibers from old trees to create their hives. They chew the wood fibers and create a paste-like substance consisting of the wood fibers and saliva. This paste is used to create papery looking cells where the young will be cared for by the colony.
Paper Wasp Nest
Dreamstime
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Interesting Facts
     
#1:  Bees have adaptations that allow them to more effectively collect pollen than many other animals. Many bees have special pollen pouches, either on their legs or on the underside of their abdomens called scopa. These pouches allow the bees to easily transport pollen. Often, bees will be seen brushing their hairs with their legs. When they do this, they are transferring pollen from the hairs on their body into these special pouches.
Bee Pollen Pouch
Dreamstime
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#2:  Only female bees can sting! Male bees do not have an ovipositer (tube-like structure that is found at the rear of the abdomen) that is used to deposit eggs. In bees and wasps, the ovipositer is modified to sting as a defense against threats.

Bees are not aggressive and will only sting when they feel bothered or threatened. If you see a bee, it is best to leave it alone!
     
#3:  Because bees have the ability to sting, predators have learned to stay away from them. Some species of flies look like bees which helps them avoid predators and other threats, even though flies do not have the ability to sting. 

Flies are different from bees in that they only have one pair of wings, their eyes are usually larger and on the front of their head, their bodies are more broad with no distinct waist, their hind legs are long and slender, and they do not have furry bodies like bees.
Yellowjacket Hover Fly
flickr - Roy Niswanter
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#4:  Many bees, like most insects, are cold-blooded (do not generate their own body heat). However, bumble bees do have the ability to generate their own body heat by rappidly vibrating their flight muscles. This behavior allows them to warm themselves before flight and to keep their young warm.
     
 


SOURCES USED FOR THIS PAGE
 
 
     
 
 
     
 
     
 
     
Bee Basics
An Introcudtion to our Native Bees		    
     
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