Types › Types of Bees

Types of Bees

Most bees are nothing like the honeybee hive: the vast majority are solitary natives that nest in the ground or in hollow stems and never make a drop of honey. They are also the planet’s most important pollinators, and many are in steep decline. Here are the bees in the Huck field guide.

29 bees in the Huck field guide. Tap any one for identification, habitat, diet, and a live sightings map.

Two of these are especially easy to mix up - see how to tell them apart.

Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee
Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee
Megachile rotundata
Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee
Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee
Agapostemon virescens
Blue Orchard Bee
Blue Orchard Bee
Osmia lignaria
Brown-belted Bumble Bee
Brown-belted Bumble Bee
Bombus griseocollis
Common Eastern Bumble Bee
Common Eastern Bumble Bee
Bombus impatiens
Eastern Carpenter Bee
Eastern Carpenter Bee
Xylocopa virginica
European Wool Carder Bee
European Wool Carder Bee
Anthidium manicatum
Long-horned Bee
Long-horned Bee
Melissodes bimaculatus
Orange-banded Sweat Bee
Orange-banded Sweat Bee
Halictus rubicundus
Pallid Bee
Pallid Bee
Centris pallida
Polyester Bee
Polyester Bee
Colletes inaequalis
Pure Green Sweat Bee
Pure Green Sweat Bee
Augochlora pura
Squash Bee
Squash Bee
Peponapis pruinosa
Tawny Mining Bee
Tawny Mining Bee
Andrena fulva
Two-spotted Bumble Bee
Two-spotted Bumble Bee
Bombus bimaculatus
Valley Carpenter Bee
Valley Carpenter Bee
Xylocopa tabaniformis
Western Honey Bee
Western Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
Yellow-faced Bee
Yellow-faced Bee
Hylaeus mesillae
Bellflower Bee
Bellflower Bee
Megachile campanulae
Black-and-gold Bumble Bee
Black-and-gold Bumble Bee
Bombus auricomus
Cactus Bee
Cactus Bee
Diadasia enavata
Golden Northern Bumble Bee
Golden Northern Bumble Bee
Bombus fervidus
Nevada Bumble Bee
Nevada Bumble Bee
Bombus nevadensis
Red-belted Bumble Bee
Red-belted Bumble Bee
Bombus rufocinctus
Spotted Nomad Bee
Spotted Nomad Bee
Nomada maculata
Stingless Bee
Stingless Bee
Trigona fulviventris
Eastern Honey Bee
Eastern Honey Bee
Apis cerana
Western Bumble Bee
Western Bumble Bee
Bombus occidentalis
Dwarf Honey Bee
Dwarf Honey Bee
Apis florea

Not sure which bee you found?

Point Huck at it. One photo identifies it on the spot, and adds it to your collection.

Get Huck - free

Common questions

Do all bees make honey?

No. Of some 4,000 native North American bee species, only the introduced honeybee stores honey. The rest, from bumble bees to tiny sweat bees, are mostly solitary and store just enough pollen to raise their young.

What is the difference between a bee and a wasp?

Bees are usually fuzzy and feed their young pollen; wasps are typically slick and narrow-waisted and feed their young insects. That fuzz is not decoration: it carries the pollen that makes bees such vital pollinators.

More types

Types of OwlsTypes of Oak TreesTypes of HawksTypes of WoodpeckersTypes of SparrowsTypes of WarblersTypes of DucksTypes of HeronsTypes of HummingbirdsTypes of WrensTypes of Maple TreesTypes of Pine TreesTypes of FernsTypes of LiliesTypes of OrchidsTypes of MilkweedsTypes of TurtlesTypes of SnakesTypes of FrogsTypes of SalamandersTypes of LizardsTypes of BatsTypes of SquirrelsTypes of WhalesTypes of FoxesTypes of BeetlesTypes of MothsTypes of SpidersTypes of Swallowtail Butterflies