To Be or Not Two Bees

by Rebecca Cuningham

Early spring in Wisconsin is the time for ground bees. I had never noticed these earth dwelling creatures before I lived in Madison. Ground bees are not aggressive, often solitary and they make up 70% of bee species! There is a new tradition to avoid mowing the lawn in May, so that these beneficial insects will not bee disturbed. Also, they and other native bees will have flowers in the grass to pollinate.

Ser o no ser dos abejas

Temprano en la primavera en Wisconsin, es la época de las abejas que se anidan en el suelo. Antes de vivir en Madison, yo no había visto estas criaturas ni sus viviendas en la tierra. Estas abejas no son agresivas, generalmente solitarias y ¡los 70% de las abejas tienen sus nidos en la tierra! Hay una tradición nueva de no cortar el pasto en mayo por razones ecológicas. Así no molestamos a estos insectos beneficiales. Además, ellas y otras abejas nativas tienen flores en el pasto para polinizar.

Ground Bee Homes Photo: R. Cuningham

Have you seen ground bees?

¿Has visto las abejas que se anidan en el suelo?

¡Olé! –Rebecca

This post is part of Debbie’s Six Word Saturday. Click on the challenge name for some great photos! 

Este artículo es parte de Debbie’s Six Word Saturday (6 palabras los sábados). Haz un clic en el nombre del reto para ver unas fotos maravillosas.

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Rebecca Cuningham

30 thoughts on “To Be or Not Two Bees”

  2. I love your sense of humor, Rebecca. Great title! I’m not familiar with ground bees, so I looked them up. It turns out they are found in central North Carolina but not in the red clay soil we have in our yard. It seems they need well-drained soil, which red clay is not. I’ve learned something today by reading your blog post and doing a little follow-up research. Thank you.

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    1. Thanks, Janet. Happy you liked the post and it inspired research of your own! Interesting about the red clay soil retaining too much moisture. I learned something too. 🙂

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    1. I bet ground bees live happily in dry desert soils. Yes, bees are in danger because of humans’ playing god with pesticides and genetic changes without understanding the complete implications of our actions.

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    1. I don’t know if they are common in India. When I went to look it up, the results were sites about getting rid of ground bees! So sad, they don’t do any harm.

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  8. Lots of bees here in my corner of rural NC, and yes, we have ground bees. The ones here are black and yellow and about 1/3 the size of bumble bees., which I adore. We also have yellow jeckets which nest in the ground, but they are far less pleasant. Enjoy your garden Rebecca.

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    1. Thanks, Henry. Interesting about the ground bees in your part of NC. Ours look similar to the ones you described. Yes, yellow jackets are another thing entirely. I was stung several times by those as a child when they nested in my parents’ back yard. Not mellow or solitary. Yes, I look forward to planting today!

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  9. I had no idea that ground bees existed, as I assumed bees were flighty little creatures that hung around flowers or trees. Very fascinating to hear of this particular bee species then!

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