Bees

Bees collect pollen and feed it to their young, making them the most effective pollinators, as they spend a lot of time visiting a diversity of flowers. Most of our native bee species live solitary lives with a small number of them being social and forming colonies or nesting in aggregations. Our native bees come in a variety of sizes and colours.

Bees have different tongue lengths so include a variety of flower shapes, colours and sizes to attract a diversity of bee species. Bees also have good colour vision and are mostly attracted to blue, purple, white and yellow.

To identify a bee from other insects these common features are shared amongst all: two pairs of wings (4 wings), small eyes, long antennae, wide back legs and usually a hairy body.

Bumblebees are one of the social groups in the bee world. They live in small underground colonies and feeding on a wide range of plant species. They can easily be identified by their characteristic fuzzy bodies, loud buzzing sound, and a combination of white, yellow, orange and black colouration.

Other important bee species on Vancouver Island include: Mason bees, leaf cutter bees and sweat bees.