Flowers

the wild bees of Quebec !

This page is dedicated to the wild bees of Quebec which, when honeybees are scarce, do a magnificent job of pollinating our fruit trees.

Did you know ?

There are about 40 genera of bees in Quebec and within each genus, several species are often represented.

On this page, you can learn a bit about many of the native bees found in Quebec.

If you want to know more, we recommend inaturalist.ca.

What is the difference between a bee and a wasp ?

Bees are often confused with wasps, here are some useful differences:

Bees often have hair, while wasps rarely have hair.
Many wasp species have longer legs, while bees tend to be more compact.
Wasps are often thinner than bees.
Bees collect pollen for their larvae and have a way to transport it while wasps tend to be hunters.

If you see and are able to identify wild bees, you can submit your observations to BWARS.com

Coming soon: more information about what you can plant to encourage our bees.

Agapostemon

Andrena bee

Wool carder bees line their brood cells with hairs from the leaves and stems of plants such as Lamb’s Ears. They adore mint and bluish-purple flowers with long corollas.

Female Andrena bees can be easily identified by the facial foveae that are covered in short velvety hairs. They are ground-nesting bees that range in size from 5mm to over 15mm. Most species have dense, mostly brown hairs or are comparatively hairless. They are particularly common visiting willows in spring or goldenrod in late summer. There are approximately 74 species of the Adrena genus in Canada.

Wool carder bee

Les Agapostemons ont une tête et un thorax vert vif. Les mâles ont des rayures jaune et noires sur le métasome. Ce sont des abeilles qui nichent au sol et que l'on peut repérer autour des roses trémière et des roses de Saron, en août et en septembre.

Andrena

Wool carder bees

agapostemon bee

Anthophora terminalis

Augochlorella aurata is greenish-bronze bee, somewhat smaller than the Augochlora pura. They are common in southern parts of eastern Canada and their ground nests have small turrets.

Augochlora pura is a bright bluish-green solitary bee that nests in rotting wood.

Anthophora terminalis have hairless forewing cells and excavate their nests in pithy stems.

Augochlora pura

Augochlorella aurata

Anthophora terminalis bee

Augochlorella aurate bee

Augochlora pura bee

Augochloropsis metallica

This is a southern bumblebee (Bombus impatiens); and often have full pollen baskets on their legs.

There are 27 species of Bumble bees. The Bombus Polaris is the only bee on the tundra and they forage for 24 hours a day under conditions of continual sunlight. Bumble bees are usually the first native bee to come out in the spring.

Augochloropsis metallica is bluish-green and more robust than either the sweat bee or the Augochlorella. Again a ground-nester, with some nests containing multiple females.

Bumble bees

Bombus Impatiens

Augochloropsis metallica bee

Bumble bee

Bombus impatiens bee

Calliopsis andreniformis

Of the 3 bees of the Chelostoma genus, C. philadelphi is native to Canada and C. campanularum is a tiny, narrow black bee which commonly visits Campanula flowers in urban areas. These solitary bees nest in stems.

Ceratina or small Carpenter bees are all dark metallic blue with ivory markings on the face and/or legs. There are 3 species in Canada. They nest in dead, pithy stems and they overwinter as adults.

Calliopsis andreniformis bee

Calliopsis andreniformis is easily identified by the pattern of white markings on the face of the female and the entirely yellow legs of the male. They nest in flat, sandy soil.

Ceratina

Chelostoma philadelphi

Ceratina bee

Chelostoma philadelphi bee

Coelioxys

Bees from the Coelioxys genus are black bees with bands or spots of short dense white hairs. They are cleptoparasites that lay eggs in the nests of Megachile species.

Colletes

Polyester bees or Colletes are solitary bees that nest in the ground and line their tubular nests with a cellophane-like secretion that waterproofs the brood cells to prevent both waterlogging from rain and leakage of the rather watery provisions provided for the larvae. They can be found from early spring on maple flowers and in late autumn on goldenrod. They have a unique heart shaped face.

Dianthidium simile

Dianthidium simile is Canada’s mason bee and like other mason bees they are known for their nests of resin and gravel found on or in buildings.

Colletes bee

Coelioxys bee

Dianthidium simile bee

Dufourea

There are three Dufourea species, and one forages solely on pickerel weed, thus best spotted while canoeing.

Epeolus

Epeolus are robust bees with bands with spots of white or creamy appressed hairs and orange or red marks on their legs. They are cleptoparasitic bees that attack Colletes, and they can often be found flying low over the ground looking for host nests.

Halictus

Sweat bees (Halictus) are attracted by the salt in human sweat. In Quebec we have 4 species. One species is dull metallic green, the other three are brownish-black, all with strong apical wing venation.

Dufourea bee

Epeolus bee

Halictus bee

Heriades

Heriades are small, black, coarsely sculptured Megachilidae. There are three species in Quebec.

Heriades bee

Holcopasites calliopsidis

Holcopasites calliopsidis is a small black and red bee with many spots of white.

Holcopasites calliopsidis bee

Hopliti

Hopliti are small to relatively large, black Megachilidae and are summer-flying bees ranging into the sub-arctic regions. They will gladly live in your bee homes.

Hopliti bee

Hylaeus

Hylaeus are with a few exceptions are shiny black bees with white/yellow markings on the face that carry pollen and nectar internally and therefore do not possess a scopa. H. nelumbonis has a few red segments. They are small bees common in the summer, and most nest in stems but a few species nest in the ground and, like Colletes, they line their nest with cellophane-like material.

Lasioglossum

Lasioglossum are like halictines with reduced apical wing venation. Lasioglossum are very common throughout temperate and boreal Canada, although less so in the subarctic. They often make up a large proportion of all specimens collected in surveys. L. oenotherae is a common early morning visitor to evening primrose.

Macropis

Macropis are uncommon, relatively small, ground-nesting bees that are completely dependent on their floral hosts, Lysimachia from which they collect pollen and oils. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has assessed the status of four wild bee species including the Macropis Cuckoo Bee and believe this species to be at risk.

Hylaeus bee

Lasioglossum bee

Macropis bee

Megachile

Megachile or leafcutting bees use cuttings from leaves or floral petals to line their brood cells which are usually in pre-existing holes in wood. The alfalfa leafcutter bee was accidentally introduced into North America prior to the 1950’s, and is now managed for alfalfa pollination. Leafcutting bees are common in bee houses and sometimes you can spot their cut leaves.

Melissodes

Melissodes are robust, solitary ground-nesting, long-tongued bees. The males have extremely long antennae.

Nomada

Nomada are wasp-like bees with narrow bodies marked with yellow, orange or red. They are most dominant in the early spring and are often flying low above the ground looking for host nests.

Megachile bee

Melissode bee

Nomada bee

Osmia

Osmia are robust dull metallic blue-green bees which overwinter as adults, and thus are common in spring and early summer.

Peponapis pruinosa

Peponapis pruinose, better known as the Hoary Squash Bee, is often found in gardens because it dines only on squash.

Perdita

Perdita are small, flat bees with dull metallic bodies and pale markings on the face and metasoma.

Osmia bee

peponapis pruinosa bee

Perdita bee

Sphecodes

Sphecodes are shiny, usually coarsely sculptured and usually with red metasoma. They attack the nests of other halictines. They will exhibit marked size variation according to which caste or species of host the parasite female laid their eggs on.

Stelis

Stelis have with yellow markings on the metasoma of all 10 species. They steal the nests of Megachilidae, primarily Heriades and Hoplitis, but possibly Osmia and Chelostoma as well.

Svastra obliqua

Svastra obliqua are known as the sunflower bee and have enormously long antennae and like the Melissodes. They are relatively rare in Quebec.

Sphecodes bee

Stelis bee

Svastra obliqua bee

Triepeolus

Xylocopa virginica

Xylocopa virginica are large carpenter bees that nest in wood and can be pests of outdoor wooden structures. Nest sharing by females is known and they are comparatively long-lived as adults. They are becoming more common.

xylocopa virginica bee

Triepeolus with appressed patches/bands of white or yellowish hairs have a strongly patterned appearance. There are 10 species in Southern Canada.

Triepeolus bee

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Saint Bernard de Michaudville, Québec, Canada
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Insectes bénéfiques série de timbres de Postes Canada utilisée avec la permission de Postes Canada.