Oregon State University Extension Service


Nesting habits of solitary bees

Providing healthy habitat alongside pollen and nectar sources for our native bees is one of the best ways to support a healthy pollinator population.

Do you ever wonder where cavity-nesting species go when they don’t have access to man-made cardboard tubes or bee houses?

Solitary cavity-nesting bees are clever and resourceful, and they’ll find holes, tunnels and tubes in our natural and developed environment. For instance, here is a leafcutter bee sunning on a barn wall, just outside the hole where he probably hibernated all winter. Here too, is evidence of a female leafcutter pulling pollen into a new hole for the next generation to feed on.

Previously titled
Nesting habits of solitary bees

Source URL: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/pollinators/nesting-habits-solitary-bees