Approximately 900 species of solitary bees can be found in Colorado. Unlike social bees—such as honeybees or bumblebees that live in large colonies with a queen—solitary bees do not live in colonies. Instead, each female bee lives and nests alone, acting as her own "queen" by constructing her nest in wood cavities or tunnels in the ground.
It is also helpful to distinguish between "solitary" and "native" bees. While "solitary" describes their lifestyle, "native" refers to bees that have naturally belonged to the Colorado ecosystem for thousands of years. The vast majority of Colorado's native bees are solitary.
Solitary bees are known for their gentle nature and are non-aggressive, making them ideal for observation and habitat creation. Although solitary bees do not produce honey, they are highly efficient pollinators, playing a vital role in supporting local ecosystems and agriculture.
In our Pollinator Habitat, we have installed a solitary bee house to support these valuable insects. The supplies for our bee house are sourced online from Crown Bees in Washington State. While the bee house welcomes all native bee species, we focus on encouraging Leafcutter bees by providing nesting trays of the proper size. Every fall, we harvest the bee cocoons from the nesting trays and store them safely for release in the spring to continue the cycle. Additionally, we supplement our population by purchasing Leafcutter bee cocoons from Crown Bees, helping to ensure robust pollination throughout the growing season.