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Native bees occur on every continent except Antarctica. Wherever there are insect-pollinated flowering plants—be it in forest, farms, cities, and wildlands—there are bees. And just because you don’t see obvious blooming plants, that does not mean that there are no bees around. Look down! Those tiny flowers that you see on some plants are also supporting billions of equally tiny bees.
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Why are bats important?
By eating insects, bats save U.S. agriculture billions of dollars per year in pest control. Some studies have estimated that service to be worth over 3.7 billion dollars per year, and possibly as much as 53 billion dollars per year. This value does not, however, take into account the volume of insects eaten by bats in forest ecosystems and the degree to which that benefits industries like lumber...
By eating insects, bats save U.S. agriculture billions of dollars per year in pest control. Some studies have estimated that service to be worth over 3.7 billion dollars per year, and possibly as much as 53 billion dollars per year. This value does not, however, take into account the volume of insects eaten by bats in forest ecosystems and the degree to which that benefits industries like lumber...
Why are pollinating bats, birds, bees, butterflies, and other animals important?
Do you enjoy a hot cup of coffee, a juicy peach, an-apple-a-day, almonds, rich and creamy dates, a handful of plump cashews, or vine-ripened tomatoes? Do you enjoy seeing the native flowers and plants that surround you? If so, you depend on pollinators. Wherever flowering plants flourish, pollinating bees, birds, butterflies, bats and other animals are hard at work, providing vital but often...
Do you enjoy a hot cup of coffee, a juicy peach, an-apple-a-day, almonds, rich and creamy dates, a handful of plump cashews, or vine-ripened tomatoes? Do you enjoy seeing the native flowers and plants that surround you? If so, you depend on pollinators. Wherever flowering plants flourish, pollinating bees, birds, butterflies, bats and other animals are hard at work, providing vital but often...
What is the role of native bees in the United States?
About 75% of North American plant species require an insect—mostly bees—to move their pollen from one plant to another to effect pollination. Unlike the well-known behavior of the non-native honeybees, there is much that we don’t know about native bees. Many native bees are smaller in size than a grain of rice. Of approximately 4,000 native bee species in the United States, 10% have not been named...
About 75% of North American plant species require an insect—mostly bees—to move their pollen from one plant to another to effect pollination. Unlike the well-known behavior of the non-native honeybees, there is much that we don’t know about native bees. Many native bees are smaller in size than a grain of rice. Of approximately 4,000 native bee species in the United States, 10% have not been named...
How many species of native bees are in the United States?
There are over 20,000 known bee species in the world, and 4,000 of them are native to the United States. They range from the tiny (2 mm) and solitary Perdita minima , known as the world’s smallest bee, to kumquat-sized species of carpenter bees . Our bees come in as many sizes, shapes, and colors as the flowers they pollinate. There is still much that we don't know about native bees—many are...
There are over 20,000 known bee species in the world, and 4,000 of them are native to the United States. They range from the tiny (2 mm) and solitary Perdita minima , known as the world’s smallest bee, to kumquat-sized species of carpenter bees . Our bees come in as many sizes, shapes, and colors as the flowers they pollinate. There is still much that we don't know about native bees—many are...
Does the loss of plant diversity affect the health of native bees?
Loss of plant diversity is the primary cause of native bee decline. About 30-50% of all native bees are highly specialized, so if the plant they rely on disappears, the bees go away. If the bees disappear, the plant is unable to reproduce and dies out. While some of the plants pollinated by native bees are important food crops, other plants pollinated by native bees are critical for healthy...
Loss of plant diversity is the primary cause of native bee decline. About 30-50% of all native bees are highly specialized, so if the plant they rely on disappears, the bees go away. If the bees disappear, the plant is unable to reproduce and dies out. While some of the plants pollinated by native bees are important food crops, other plants pollinated by native bees are critical for healthy...
Do bees feed on both nectar and pollen?
Bees feed on and require both nectar and pollen. The nectar is for energy and the pollen provides protein and other nutrients. Most pollen is used by bees as larvae food, but bees also transfer it from plant-to-plant, providing the pollination services needed by plants and nature as a whole. Learn more: USGS Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Program Bees of the Northeastern U.S.
Bees feed on and require both nectar and pollen. The nectar is for energy and the pollen provides protein and other nutrients. Most pollen is used by bees as larvae food, but bees also transfer it from plant-to-plant, providing the pollination services needed by plants and nature as a whole. Learn more: USGS Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Program Bees of the Northeastern U.S.
Are honey bees native to North America?
Honey bees are not native to North America. They were originally imported from Europe in the 17th century. Honey bees now help pollinate many U.S. crops like fruits and nuts. In a single year, one honey bee colony can gather about 40 pounds of pollen and 265 pounds of nectar. Honey bees increase our nation's crop values each year by more than 15 billion dollars. Critical honey bee populations in...
Honey bees are not native to North America. They were originally imported from Europe in the 17th century. Honey bees now help pollinate many U.S. crops like fruits and nuts. In a single year, one honey bee colony can gather about 40 pounds of pollen and 265 pounds of nectar. Honey bees increase our nation's crop values each year by more than 15 billion dollars. Critical honey bee populations in...
Augochloropsis metallica, F, Back, U
This bee is in your garden! Have you seen it? Collected on the Tomatoes in Francisco Posada's garden in Laurel, Maryland
This bee is in your garden! Have you seen it? Collected on the Tomatoes in Francisco Posada's garden in Laurel, Maryland
Augochloropsis metallica, F, Face, U
This bee is in your garden! Have you seen it? Collected on the Tomatoes in Francisco Posada's in Laurel, Maryland
This bee is in your garden! Have you seen it? Collected on the Tomatoes in Francisco Posada's in Laurel, Maryland
Anthophora bomboides, F, face, San Juan Co., Washington
Anthophora bomboides, F, face, San Juan Co., Washington
Anthophora bomboides, F, face, San Juan Co., Washington
Anthophora bomboides. Fuzzy . Faking the bumble bee look to fool birds into thinking they can sting like a bumble bee. Here is one from San Juan Island in Washington State. This species occurs throughout the continent....but....its look differs across that huge geographic range. Are they more than one species or not? Does anyone care? You?
Anthophora bomboides. Fuzzy . Faking the bumble bee look to fool birds into thinking they can sting like a bumble bee. Here is one from San Juan Island in Washington State. This species occurs throughout the continent....but....its look differs across that huge geographic range. Are they more than one species or not? Does anyone care? You?
Melecta species, face, Park County, Wyoming, M
Fossil Butte National Monument, WyomingNote that friends at National Wildlife Federation have dubbed this species the Billy Idol Bee. Since it has no common name I hear-by declare this species' common name to be the Billy Idol MelectaNote, however, that all the bees in the genus Melecta are nest parasites
Fossil Butte National Monument, WyomingNote that friends at National Wildlife Federation have dubbed this species the Billy Idol Bee. Since it has no common name I hear-by declare this species' common name to be the Billy Idol MelectaNote, however, that all the bees in the genus Melecta are nest parasites
Halictus ligatus, F, face, Philidelphia, PA
Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, covered in pollen from an unknown plant
Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, covered in pollen from an unknown plant
Outstanding in the Field (Ep 1): To Bee or Not to Bee
Outstanding in the Field (Ep 1): To Bee or Not to Bee
Outstanding in the Field (Ep 1): To Bee or Not to Bee
The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area brings you Outstanding in the Field, a series of stories about our science, our adventures, and our efforts to better understand our fish and wildlife and the ecosystems that support them.
The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area brings you Outstanding in the Field, a series of stories about our science, our adventures, and our efforts to better understand our fish and wildlife and the ecosystems that support them.
Untapped Capacity: Our 4,000 Species of Native Bees
Untapped Capacity: Our 4,000 Species of Native Bees
Untapped Capacity: Our 4,000 Species of Native Bees
So many unknowns and so many potentials.
So many unknowns and so many potentials.
Bees Are Not Optional
It's Pollinator Week, and we're talking to USGS scientist Sam Droege about the tremendous importance of native bees and pollinators in general, and how you can lend a hand to these tiny titans.
It's Pollinator Week, and we're talking to USGS scientist Sam Droege about the tremendous importance of native bees and pollinators in general, and how you can lend a hand to these tiny titans.
Pollinator conservation and climate science at the U.S. Geological Survey
IntroductionEcosystems—whether agricultural, urban, or natural—depend on pollinators, great and small. Pollinators in the form of bees, birds, butterflies, bats, and even moths provide vital, but often invisible services, from contributing to biodiverse terrestrial wildlife and plant communities to supporting healthy watersheds. Pollinator declines worldwide have been noted as land-use and climat
Authors
Elise R. Irwin, Jonathan R. Mawdsley
The bee lab
IntroductionThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Bee Lab is a collaborative interagency joint venture and international leader for bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) identification, survey design, quantification of bee and plant interrelations, and development and maintenance of occurrence databases. Each of these objectives supports native bee conservation by providing critical data and tools for the Unite
Authors
Sam Droege, Elise R. Irwin, Jenn Malpass, Jonathan R. Mawdsley
Flowering plants preferred by bees of the Prairie Pothole Region
Land managers have stressed the need for improved pollinator habitat on private and public lands of the Prairie Pothole Region. Understanding flowering plant preferences of pollinators will improve the cost-effectiveness of conservation seeding mixes. The purpose of this fact sheet is to assist conservation planners and producers with developing seed mixes by highlighting flowering plants that are
Authors
Stacy C. Simanonok, Clint R.V. Otto
Forage and habitat for pollinators in the northern Great Plains—Implications for U.S. Department of Agriculture conservation programs
Managed and wild pollinators are critical components of agricultural and natural systems. Despite the well-known value of insect pollinators to U.S. agriculture, Apis mellifera (Linnaeus, 1758; honey bees) and wild bees currently face numerous stressors that have resulted in declining health. These declines have engendered support for pollinator conservation efforts across all levels of government
Authors
Clint R.V. Otto, Autumn H. Smart, Robert S. Cornman, Michael Simanonok, Deborah D. Iwanowicz
Identification of bees in southwest Idaho—A guide for beginners
This document was prepared to help scientists and the public, both of whom may not be familiar with bee taxonomy, learn how to practically identify bees in sagebrush steppe and shrubland habitats in southwest Idaho. We provide information to identify bees to the level of family and genus. A tentative list of the bee genera captured at sites used for insect community studies is included.
Authors
Emily R. Sun, David S. Pilliod
National protocol framework for the inventory and monitoring of bees
This national protocol framework is a standardized tool for the inventory and monitoring of the approximately 4,200 species of native and non-native bee species that may be found within the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). However, this protocol framework may also be used by other organizations and individuals to monitor bees in any
Authors
Sam Droege, Joseph D. Engler, Elizabeth A. Sellers, Lee O'Brien
Climate change and pesticides imperil a once common pollinator
Climate change and pesticides imperil a once common pollinator
BOZEMAN, Mont. — The western bumble bee was once common in western North America, but increasing temperatures, drought, and pesticide use have...
It’s Pollinator Week!
Pollinators in the form of bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles provide vital but often invisible services, from supporting terrestrial wildlife...
USGS Scientists are Busy as a Bee
USGS Scientists are Busy as a Bee
Many bumble bee species have declined in recent decades due to changes in habitat, climate, and pressures from pathogens, pesticides and introduced...
Test your bee and other pollinator knowledge!
Test your bee and other pollinator knowledge!
It’s pollinator week and USGS is providing science to better understand the status of pollinator species. Here’s the chance to test your knowledge...
Pesticides, Pollinators, and Pestilence: Protecting Public Health and Pollinators
Pesticides, Pollinators, and Pestilence: Protecting Public Health and Pollinators
Tick and mosquito control provides important public health protection, but can also affect pollinator populations. The effects are often dependent on...
Pollinators Get a National Strategy to Restore Their Health
Pollinators Get a National Strategy to Restore Their Health
Small bees that don’t bother or sting us can remain unstudied despite their abundance.
Related Content
Why are bats important?
By eating insects, bats save U.S. agriculture billions of dollars per year in pest control. Some studies have estimated that service to be worth over 3.7 billion dollars per year, and possibly as much as 53 billion dollars per year. This value does not, however, take into account the volume of insects eaten by bats in forest ecosystems and the degree to which that benefits industries like lumber...
By eating insects, bats save U.S. agriculture billions of dollars per year in pest control. Some studies have estimated that service to be worth over 3.7 billion dollars per year, and possibly as much as 53 billion dollars per year. This value does not, however, take into account the volume of insects eaten by bats in forest ecosystems and the degree to which that benefits industries like lumber...
Why are pollinating bats, birds, bees, butterflies, and other animals important?
Do you enjoy a hot cup of coffee, a juicy peach, an-apple-a-day, almonds, rich and creamy dates, a handful of plump cashews, or vine-ripened tomatoes? Do you enjoy seeing the native flowers and plants that surround you? If so, you depend on pollinators. Wherever flowering plants flourish, pollinating bees, birds, butterflies, bats and other animals are hard at work, providing vital but often...
Do you enjoy a hot cup of coffee, a juicy peach, an-apple-a-day, almonds, rich and creamy dates, a handful of plump cashews, or vine-ripened tomatoes? Do you enjoy seeing the native flowers and plants that surround you? If so, you depend on pollinators. Wherever flowering plants flourish, pollinating bees, birds, butterflies, bats and other animals are hard at work, providing vital but often...
What is the role of native bees in the United States?
About 75% of North American plant species require an insect—mostly bees—to move their pollen from one plant to another to effect pollination. Unlike the well-known behavior of the non-native honeybees, there is much that we don’t know about native bees. Many native bees are smaller in size than a grain of rice. Of approximately 4,000 native bee species in the United States, 10% have not been named...
About 75% of North American plant species require an insect—mostly bees—to move their pollen from one plant to another to effect pollination. Unlike the well-known behavior of the non-native honeybees, there is much that we don’t know about native bees. Many native bees are smaller in size than a grain of rice. Of approximately 4,000 native bee species in the United States, 10% have not been named...
How many species of native bees are in the United States?
There are over 20,000 known bee species in the world, and 4,000 of them are native to the United States. They range from the tiny (2 mm) and solitary Perdita minima , known as the world’s smallest bee, to kumquat-sized species of carpenter bees . Our bees come in as many sizes, shapes, and colors as the flowers they pollinate. There is still much that we don't know about native bees—many are...
There are over 20,000 known bee species in the world, and 4,000 of them are native to the United States. They range from the tiny (2 mm) and solitary Perdita minima , known as the world’s smallest bee, to kumquat-sized species of carpenter bees . Our bees come in as many sizes, shapes, and colors as the flowers they pollinate. There is still much that we don't know about native bees—many are...
Does the loss of plant diversity affect the health of native bees?
Loss of plant diversity is the primary cause of native bee decline. About 30-50% of all native bees are highly specialized, so if the plant they rely on disappears, the bees go away. If the bees disappear, the plant is unable to reproduce and dies out. While some of the plants pollinated by native bees are important food crops, other plants pollinated by native bees are critical for healthy...
Loss of plant diversity is the primary cause of native bee decline. About 30-50% of all native bees are highly specialized, so if the plant they rely on disappears, the bees go away. If the bees disappear, the plant is unable to reproduce and dies out. While some of the plants pollinated by native bees are important food crops, other plants pollinated by native bees are critical for healthy...
Do bees feed on both nectar and pollen?
Bees feed on and require both nectar and pollen. The nectar is for energy and the pollen provides protein and other nutrients. Most pollen is used by bees as larvae food, but bees also transfer it from plant-to-plant, providing the pollination services needed by plants and nature as a whole. Learn more: USGS Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Program Bees of the Northeastern U.S.
Bees feed on and require both nectar and pollen. The nectar is for energy and the pollen provides protein and other nutrients. Most pollen is used by bees as larvae food, but bees also transfer it from plant-to-plant, providing the pollination services needed by plants and nature as a whole. Learn more: USGS Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Program Bees of the Northeastern U.S.
Are honey bees native to North America?
Honey bees are not native to North America. They were originally imported from Europe in the 17th century. Honey bees now help pollinate many U.S. crops like fruits and nuts. In a single year, one honey bee colony can gather about 40 pounds of pollen and 265 pounds of nectar. Honey bees increase our nation's crop values each year by more than 15 billion dollars. Critical honey bee populations in...
Honey bees are not native to North America. They were originally imported from Europe in the 17th century. Honey bees now help pollinate many U.S. crops like fruits and nuts. In a single year, one honey bee colony can gather about 40 pounds of pollen and 265 pounds of nectar. Honey bees increase our nation's crop values each year by more than 15 billion dollars. Critical honey bee populations in...
Augochloropsis metallica, F, Back, U
This bee is in your garden! Have you seen it? Collected on the Tomatoes in Francisco Posada's garden in Laurel, Maryland
This bee is in your garden! Have you seen it? Collected on the Tomatoes in Francisco Posada's garden in Laurel, Maryland
Augochloropsis metallica, F, Face, U
This bee is in your garden! Have you seen it? Collected on the Tomatoes in Francisco Posada's in Laurel, Maryland
This bee is in your garden! Have you seen it? Collected on the Tomatoes in Francisco Posada's in Laurel, Maryland
Anthophora bomboides, F, face, San Juan Co., Washington
Anthophora bomboides, F, face, San Juan Co., Washington
Anthophora bomboides, F, face, San Juan Co., Washington
Anthophora bomboides. Fuzzy . Faking the bumble bee look to fool birds into thinking they can sting like a bumble bee. Here is one from San Juan Island in Washington State. This species occurs throughout the continent....but....its look differs across that huge geographic range. Are they more than one species or not? Does anyone care? You?
Anthophora bomboides. Fuzzy . Faking the bumble bee look to fool birds into thinking they can sting like a bumble bee. Here is one from San Juan Island in Washington State. This species occurs throughout the continent....but....its look differs across that huge geographic range. Are they more than one species or not? Does anyone care? You?
Anthophora-occidentalis,-male,-back
Anthophora occidentalis, male, Badlands National Park, June 2012
Anthophora occidentalis, male, Badlands National Park, June 2012
Melecta species, face, Park County, Wyoming, M
Fossil Butte National Monument, WyomingNote that friends at National Wildlife Federation have dubbed this species the Billy Idol Bee. Since it has no common name I hear-by declare this species' common name to be the Billy Idol MelectaNote, however, that all the bees in the genus Melecta are nest parasites
Fossil Butte National Monument, WyomingNote that friends at National Wildlife Federation have dubbed this species the Billy Idol Bee. Since it has no common name I hear-by declare this species' common name to be the Billy Idol MelectaNote, however, that all the bees in the genus Melecta are nest parasites
Halictus ligatus, F, face, Philidelphia, PA
Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, covered in pollen from an unknown plant
Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, covered in pollen from an unknown plant
Outstanding in the Field (Ep 1): To Bee or Not to Bee
Outstanding in the Field (Ep 1): To Bee or Not to Bee
Outstanding in the Field (Ep 1): To Bee or Not to Bee
The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area brings you Outstanding in the Field, a series of stories about our science, our adventures, and our efforts to better understand our fish and wildlife and the ecosystems that support them.
The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area brings you Outstanding in the Field, a series of stories about our science, our adventures, and our efforts to better understand our fish and wildlife and the ecosystems that support them.
Untapped Capacity: Our 4,000 Species of Native Bees
Untapped Capacity: Our 4,000 Species of Native Bees
Untapped Capacity: Our 4,000 Species of Native Bees
So many unknowns and so many potentials.
So many unknowns and so many potentials.
Bees Are Not Optional
It's Pollinator Week, and we're talking to USGS scientist Sam Droege about the tremendous importance of native bees and pollinators in general, and how you can lend a hand to these tiny titans.
It's Pollinator Week, and we're talking to USGS scientist Sam Droege about the tremendous importance of native bees and pollinators in general, and how you can lend a hand to these tiny titans.
Pollinator conservation and climate science at the U.S. Geological Survey
IntroductionEcosystems—whether agricultural, urban, or natural—depend on pollinators, great and small. Pollinators in the form of bees, birds, butterflies, bats, and even moths provide vital, but often invisible services, from contributing to biodiverse terrestrial wildlife and plant communities to supporting healthy watersheds. Pollinator declines worldwide have been noted as land-use and climat
Authors
Elise R. Irwin, Jonathan R. Mawdsley
The bee lab
IntroductionThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Bee Lab is a collaborative interagency joint venture and international leader for bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) identification, survey design, quantification of bee and plant interrelations, and development and maintenance of occurrence databases. Each of these objectives supports native bee conservation by providing critical data and tools for the Unite
Authors
Sam Droege, Elise R. Irwin, Jenn Malpass, Jonathan R. Mawdsley
Flowering plants preferred by bees of the Prairie Pothole Region
Land managers have stressed the need for improved pollinator habitat on private and public lands of the Prairie Pothole Region. Understanding flowering plant preferences of pollinators will improve the cost-effectiveness of conservation seeding mixes. The purpose of this fact sheet is to assist conservation planners and producers with developing seed mixes by highlighting flowering plants that are
Authors
Stacy C. Simanonok, Clint R.V. Otto
Forage and habitat for pollinators in the northern Great Plains—Implications for U.S. Department of Agriculture conservation programs
Managed and wild pollinators are critical components of agricultural and natural systems. Despite the well-known value of insect pollinators to U.S. agriculture, Apis mellifera (Linnaeus, 1758; honey bees) and wild bees currently face numerous stressors that have resulted in declining health. These declines have engendered support for pollinator conservation efforts across all levels of government
Authors
Clint R.V. Otto, Autumn H. Smart, Robert S. Cornman, Michael Simanonok, Deborah D. Iwanowicz
Identification of bees in southwest Idaho—A guide for beginners
This document was prepared to help scientists and the public, both of whom may not be familiar with bee taxonomy, learn how to practically identify bees in sagebrush steppe and shrubland habitats in southwest Idaho. We provide information to identify bees to the level of family and genus. A tentative list of the bee genera captured at sites used for insect community studies is included.
Authors
Emily R. Sun, David S. Pilliod
National protocol framework for the inventory and monitoring of bees
This national protocol framework is a standardized tool for the inventory and monitoring of the approximately 4,200 species of native and non-native bee species that may be found within the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). However, this protocol framework may also be used by other organizations and individuals to monitor bees in any
Authors
Sam Droege, Joseph D. Engler, Elizabeth A. Sellers, Lee O'Brien
Climate change and pesticides imperil a once common pollinator
Climate change and pesticides imperil a once common pollinator
BOZEMAN, Mont. — The western bumble bee was once common in western North America, but increasing temperatures, drought, and pesticide use have...
It’s Pollinator Week!
Pollinators in the form of bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles provide vital but often invisible services, from supporting terrestrial wildlife...
USGS Scientists are Busy as a Bee
USGS Scientists are Busy as a Bee
Many bumble bee species have declined in recent decades due to changes in habitat, climate, and pressures from pathogens, pesticides and introduced...
Test your bee and other pollinator knowledge!
Test your bee and other pollinator knowledge!
It’s pollinator week and USGS is providing science to better understand the status of pollinator species. Here’s the chance to test your knowledge...
Pesticides, Pollinators, and Pestilence: Protecting Public Health and Pollinators
Pesticides, Pollinators, and Pestilence: Protecting Public Health and Pollinators
Tick and mosquito control provides important public health protection, but can also affect pollinator populations. The effects are often dependent on...
Pollinators Get a National Strategy to Restore Their Health
Pollinators Get a National Strategy to Restore Their Health
Small bees that don’t bother or sting us can remain unstudied despite their abundance.
