Monday, June 9, 2025
Anne Bulger, WaBA volunteer
Big or small, Washington's native bees come in all sizes
Native bees come in a variety of sizes — some are big, some are small, and some are… even smaller! Enjoy these two vignettes from guest blogger and Washington Bee Atlas volunteer Anne Bulger, each examining a bee of a different size.
Grounded royalty: The springtime reign of the queen bumblebee
If you’ve seen an unusually large, fuzzy bee zigzagging around in your garden lately, don’t panic — it’s not lost, it’s a queen on a mission. These “really big” bees are Bombus queens (a.k.a. bumblebee royalty), and spring is their season to shine.
After spending the winter in underground hibernation, queens emerge hungry and on the hunt for those ravishing blooming flowers full of nectar and pollen.Her royal duties don’t stop there. The queen’s next job is to build a new nest. The queen bumblebee may choose an existing hole in the ground or burrow into thick vegetation or even nest in a rock pile. Once she decides on her new home, she will build a wax pot to store the nectar and pollen and then lay her eggs on top. Her family, or colony, can range from 50 to 400 bees.
Soon, the queen retires from fieldwork, focusing on her egg-laying empire while her daughters forage and feed the growing family.
Bumblebees are not just darling, they are skillful! Their long, hairy tongues slurp nectar, while they use specialized pollen baskets (corbiculae) on their hind legs carry the pollen they collect. And their superpower? Buzz pollination — an artistry where they vibrate their wings while hanging onto a flower’s anther (the male part of the flower holding the pollen) with their jaws. This buzzing technique is the only way to release pollen from certain flowers such as tomatoes, peppers, and blueberries.
The bumble queens fly in the cooler temperatures and lower light levels of early spring, like their companion native bee, the mason bee. They are active from February to November. Unlike female honeybees, female bumblebees don’t sting unless you mess with their nest!
Want to support these industrious native bees? Plant flowering species that bloom in early spring and continue into fall. Diversity and bloom timing are key — your garden might just become a pollinator palace.
Tiny tunneling titans: Meet the small carpenter bee
Wait... Was that an ant on that flower?Think again! That might have been a small carpenter bee — a Ceratina bee — buzzing under your radar. These bees are tiny, less than 8 mm long, and often mistaken for ants... until they fly away.
Ceratina bees are gentle and only sting if seriously provoked (like being squished).At first glance, they look plain black — but up close? These tiny bees shimmer in metallic shades of blue, green, and even purple. Nature’s hidden gems!
Home sweet hollow stem
Ceratina bees chew through dead twigs and stems to make their nests. Look for them in dried-out raspberry, rose, or hydrangea stems. Want to invite them to stay in your yard? Here’s how to create a Ceratina starter home:- Bundle 15–20 teasel or reed stems, 4–11 mm in diameter, 3–5 inches long.
- Make sure each stem has a closed node at the back.
- Tuck the bundle into a 3-inch PVC pipe and mount it on a wall or post.
- Face it east or southeast to catch the morning sun.
- Keep it dry and sheltered from rain and wind.
- Install at eye level for easy viewing from April to October.
Some Ceratina bees are solitary moms — doing all the nesting and parenting solo. Others go subsocial, with daughter bees helping their mother with parenting duties. The egg-laying female might even stick around until her babies become adults. Female Ceratina bees are super-moms!
Ceratina bees are everywhere, quietly working in gardens, meadows, and wildflower patches. Be a friend — leave a stem behind.