BEES

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 ♥ Honey Bees - the most well-known bees. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are not native to North America- they were brought to Turtle Island by European Settlers in 1622 to produce locally-made honey, and to help with the pollination of crops. By the 1800s, honey bees were spread across the continent. Farmed honey bees are "an agricultural animal, in the same way that sheep and cattle are" and may sometimes out-compete and push out lesser known, non-honey making, native bees

 ♥ Mason Bees - The unsung heroes of the bee world! These native bees are gentle and non-territorial. They are very proficient pollinators. They are less picky about temperatures and sunlight, and will be out foraging on cool mornings and cloudy days (unlike the honey bee). 99% of flowers landed on by mason bees get pollinated. Mason bees can hit up 2,000 flowers per day, while honey bees on average visit about 15. One mason bee is equivalent to 60 honey bees in pollinating cherries. In a recent study over 5 days, European mason bees spent 33+ hours foraging, while honey bees spent about 15 hours

 ♥ Leafcutter Bees - These native bees are not social and live solitary lives. These bees benefit from bee hotels. They carry pollen on their bellies and are not aggressive

♥ Bumble Bees - Native pollinators and big fluffy, friendly giants. Work from spring to fall. These bees are not solitary. Bumble bees live in colonies that only last for one year

 ♥ Carpenter Bees

 ♥ Mining Bees

 ♥ Digger Bees

See our tips on attracting bees to your garden here. To learn about non-bee pollinators, see here.