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Haley Maddox
Field cardsBees

Haley's bee cards

The native bees working my garden, how to tell them apart, and what they visit.

Coll. Haley MaddoxOct 2026

Meet the bees

Most bees in my garden aren't honey bees. Pennsylvania has hundreds of kinds of native bees, and most live quiet, solitary lives: one female, one nest, often a tunnel in bare soil. Some are specialists that collect pollen from only one group of plants, so the only way to see them is to grow those plants.

437+kinds of bees in Pennsylvania
Solitarynearly all of them, with no hive or queen
Groundwhere most of them nest, so leave some bare soil

They pollinate food too: blueberries, squash, melons, pumpkins, apples and cherries all depend on or do better with bees. Wild bees and honey bees have both declined in recent decades, from habitat loss, parasites, pesticides and climate change.

Specialist Collects pollen from one plant group only

Generalist Collects pollen from many kinds of flowers

Bee hotel Nests in holes and will use a bee hotel

Source: Penn State Extension, Bees in Pennsylvania.

16 native bees in five families, A to Z by family, then the look-alikes. Tap “Show details” for season, nests, flowers and look-alikes.

Family · 100 species in PA

Mining bees Andrenidae

Solitary bees that dig nests in the ground, and many are specialists. The violet and blueberry bees fly in spring; the others wait for summer and fall flowers.

Aster mining bee: dark, with thin white hair bands and orange pollen on the hind leg

Aster mining bee Andrena asteris

NativeSpecialist

Look for About honey bee size and dark, with a sparse white hair band on each abdomen segment. Females' hind legs are usually loaded with orange pollen.

Bee balm bee: slender and black, with yellow on the face and the collar behind the head

Bee balm bee Protandrena abdominalis

NativeSpecialistRare

Look for A slender black bee with yellow on the face and on the collar behind the head, like others in its genus. Look on spotted bee balm in late summer.

Carolina mining bee: dark spring mining bee with pale hair bands

Carolina mining bee Andrena carolina

NativeSpecialist

Look for A dark spring mining bee on blueberry flowers. Females have velvety strips beside the eyes, like all mining bees.

Sunflower miner bee: dark abdomen, orange-tinged hair on the thorax

Sunflower miner bee Andrena helianthi

NativeSpecialist

Look for A fairly large fall mining bee with an orange tinge to the hair on its thorax. Males have a yellow face.

Violet mining bee: a small, dark spring mining bee

Violet mining bee Andrena violae

NativeSpecialist

Look for A small, dark mining bee working violet flowers in early spring. Females have velvety strips beside the eyes, like all mining bees.

Family · 118 species in PA

Bumble bees and kin Apidae

The biggest family here: honey, bumble, carpenter, long-horned, squash and cuckoo bees. Bumble bees live in colonies with a queen; Pennsylvania has 14 kinds.

Tell the bumble bees apart

Look at the thorax, then count the stripes on the abdomen from the waist back. Segment 2 does most of the work.

Bee
Thorax
Seg 1
Seg 2
Seg 3
Rest
Common easternBombus impatiens
Half-blackBombus vagans
Brown-beltedBombus griseocollis
Carpenter beeXylocopa virginica
Lemon yellowPale, messy yellowBrownish yellowBlackShiny, hairless black

The carpenter bee is the look-alike: no fuzz on its abdomen. Workers are shown. Queens are two to three times bigger, and males can differ, so check a few bees before you decide.

Patterns: Vermont Center for Ecostudies and Watching Bees.

Brown-belted bumble bee: yellow thorax black at the back, yellow first segment, brownish second segment, rest black

Brown-belted bumble bee Bombus griseocollis

NativeGardens and cities

Look for Short, buzz-cut hair, a lemon-yellow segment 1 and a brownish-yellow arc on segment 2. The back of the thorax is black.

Common eastern bumble bee: yellow thorax, one yellow band, rest of abdomen black

Common eastern bumble bee Bombus impatiens

NativeMost common in PA

Look for A lemon-yellow thorax with a dusky smudge, one yellow band on segment 1, then all black. It's the only one here with no yellow on segment 2.

Eastern carpenter bee: big, with a mustard-yellow thorax and a shiny, hairless black abdomen

Eastern carpenter bee Xylocopa virginica

NativeGeneralist

Look for Big like a bumble bee queen, with a mustard thorax and a shiny, hairless black abdomen. Bumble bees are fuzzy all over.

Half-black bumble bee: pale yellow thorax with a black spot, first two abdomen segments yellow, rest black

Half-black bumble bee Bombus vagans

NativeTurtlehead bee

Look for Segments 1 and 2 fully yellow, the rest black, with long, messy pale-yellow hair and a black spot between the wings.

Long-horned bee, male: very long antennae, dark body with pale hair bands

Long-horned bees Melissodes

NativeSpecialist

Look for Males have very long antennae. Females carry big, brushy pollen loads on their hind legs. Both often have pale marks on the face.

Squash bee: honey bee sized, with an orange thorax and smudgy bands on the abdomen

Squash bee Eucera pruinosa

NativeSpecialist

Look for About honey bee size, with a bright orange thorax, a face that sticks out and smudgy bands on the abdomen. Out at dawn in squash flowers.

Family · 24 species in PA

Cellophane and masked bees Colletidae

Ground nesters that line each brood cell with a thin, cellophane-like film.

Goldenrod cellophane bee: dark body with bold pale hair bands on the abdomen

Goldenrod cellophane bee Colletes solidaginis

NativeSpecialist

Look for Bold, pale hair bands across a dark abdomen. Their eyes angle toward each other, unlike the look-alike mining bees.

Family · 110 species in PA

Sweat bees Halictidae

A big, varied family, from tiny dark specialists to bright metallic green bees.

Beebalm shortface: a small all-black bee with a flat head and knobbly antennae

Beebalm shortface Dufourea monardae

NativeSpecialist

Look for A small black bee, about 7 mm, with sparse pale hair, a flattened head and antennae that bulge in the middle.

Metallic green sweat bee, male: shiny green head and thorax, black and yellow striped abdomen

Metallic green sweat bees Agapostemon

NativeGeneralist

Look for A shiny metallic green head and thorax. Males have a black and yellow striped abdomen; females are all green or green with a black and white abdomen.

Family · 81 species in PA

Mason and leafcutter bees Megachilidae

Mason, leafcutter, resin and wool carder bees. Most carry pollen on hairs under the abdomen, and many nest in holes, so they use bee hotels.

Blue orchard mason bee: dark metallic blue, round abdomen

Blue orchard mason bee Osmia lignaria

NativeGeneralistBee hotel

Look for Dark metallic blue all over, about honey bee size, with a big head and a round abdomen. No stripes.

Leafcutter bee: black with white hair bands and yellow pollen under the raised abdomen

Leafcutter bees Megachile

NativeBee hotel

Look for Black with bold white hair bands. Females carry pollen under the abdomen and often hold it up while they feed.

Look-alikes

Not bees

Flies and wasps that get mistaken for bees. Check the wings and antennae first.

Bee or not?

Bees
Look-alikes
Wings
4, in two pairs
Flies have only 2
Antennae
Longer
Flies' are short and stubby
Fuzz
Fuzzy, with hairs that carry pollen
Yellowjackets are smooth and shiny
Flesh fly: gray thorax with black stripes, checkered abdomen, red eyes

Flesh flies Sarcophagidae

FlySeen in my garden

Look for A gray thorax with bold black stripes, a gray-and-black checkerboard abdomen and red eyes.

Hover fly: yellow and black bands like a wasp, big eyes, one pair of wings

Hover flies Syrphidae

FlyGarden helperSeen in my garden

Look for Yellow and black bands like a wasp or sweat bee, but only one pair of wings and short antennae. It hangs in the air over flowers.

Bumble bee robber fly: hairy black and yellow, bearded face, long tapering body

Bumble bee robber fly Laphria

FlyPredator

Look for Hairy and black and yellow like a bumble bee, but with short straight antennae, a bearded face and a long, tapering body.

Yellowjacket: smooth, shiny yellow and black, narrow waist

Yellowjackets Vespula

Wasp

Look for Smooth and shiny bright yellow and black, with no fuzz.

Family counts: Penn State Extension, at least 437 bee species in Pennsylvania. The rusty patched bumble bee is endangered.