As spring nears, you may start to see headlines like "10 Amazing Facts About Bees!" or "How to Attract Bees to Your Garden." These articles and the photos in them almost always refer to honey bees. Although they are an important and charismatic part of our agricultural system, honey bees are not native to North America. With an estimated 400 different species of native bees in Minnesota, we think they deserve their own list of amazing facts.
1. Bees in Minnesota show tremendous diversity, ranging in size from small sweat bees to large bumble bees. They may be black and yellow striped like cartoon bees but can also be green, orange, or metallic blue.
2. Most Minnesota bees are solitary, meaning they do not nest with other bees and do not share responsibility for maintaining a hive or colony.
3. Many bees spend most of their life as larvae or pupae and may only be active as adults for a few weeks of the year. You probably have many bees in your yard that yo…
1. Bees in Minnesota show tremendous diversity, ranging in size from small sweat bees to large bumble bees. They may be black and yellow striped like cartoon bees but can also be green, orange, or metallic blue.
2. Most Minnesota bees are solitary, meaning they do not nest with other bees and do not share responsibility for maintaining a hive or colony.
3. Many bees spend most of their life as larvae or pupae and may only be active as adults for a few weeks of the year. You probably have many bees in your yard that yo…