Most of us are familiar with honeybees and bumblebees, but did you know that over 90% of the UK’s bees are actually made up of a different species - the solitary bee.

In the UK, there are around 270 species of bee, nearly 250 of which are solitary bees. As their name suggests, solitary bees tend not to live in colonies together like honeybees and bumblebees. Instead of a hive, solitary bees live a single nest hole in soil, sand, wood or even cracks in brickwork.

Solitary bees are excellent pollinators. They are also non-aggressive making them a nice subject to study. The males don’t have a sting and the female’s sting is usually too weak to penetrate the skin.

With so many different species, identification can be tricky. But the main features that differentiate them are their smaller size, furry appearance, and their lack of pollen baskets. Rather than collecting a ball of pollen on their back legs, solitary bees collect pollen on specialised hairs called scopa on the leg or abdomen.

Where and when to look

A south-facing garden is ideal for solitary bees. Attracted by the warmth, it’s often possible to sit and observe them on a leafy bush, soaking up the sunny rays. 

Different species will be found in different habitats and best seen during different times of the year. Tawny mining bees are among the first to emerge during spring. For clues of their whereabouts, look for tiny molehills on the edges of your lawn or along sandy paths in parks. One of the best places I’ve seen them in abundance is along a sandy path in a supermarket car park.

Emerging in spring, the impressively named, hairy-footed flower bee can often be confused for a bumblebee. It can be differentiated by it’s darting flight motion, similar to that of a hummingbird. Males and females of this species are very different, with the lighter-coloured males showing the namesake ‘hairy feet’.

Early summer is also a good time to look for red mason bees. Famously nesting in the crumbling mortar of old buildings, red mason bees need mud to line the cells of their nests with. Look around muddy margins of ponds or lakes for these bees, where they’ll be seen rolling mud into a ball and flying off with with it in their mouthparts. 

Ivy bees emerge later in the year. As their name suggests, they feed mainly on the nectar of ivy flowers, so they time their emergence to fit in with the flowering period of this common plant: late September to November.

Tracks and signs 

It can be tricky trying to find a solitary bee for the first time, so instead look for the signs they leave behind. Look for tiny molehills in your lawn. They’ll have a small hole in the centre where a solitary bee has emerged. Also look for semi-circular holes in the leaves of your garden plants (particularly roses). This is a sure sign of leaf-cutter bees hard at work.

You can attract solitary bees to your garden by creating a bug hotel. It doesn’t need to be grand, simply fill a tin can or old mug with short lengths of hollow cane and hang in a sunny spot outdoors, shielded from the rain.