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It is a little known fact that only one percent of the Apoidae super family of bees prefer living in societies. This means that all other bees with the exception of the honey bee and bumblebee prefers to live alone. In the two largest families of bees, the Andrenidae and Halictidae, all species are solitary bees that nest in tunnels in the ground. Solitary bees are usually smaller than honey bees. They have dark black bodies with a few white or light yellow hairs spread over the trunk. In early spring they can be seen feeding on sage brush, willow or cherry blossoms and near their burrows which are usually built in packed earth or sand. The entrance to the burrows are no larger than the diameter of a pencil with earth piled up around them that is about an inch in height. In most cases they are built in a dry, open area such as road sides, old meadows or on the sides of pathways.
The Andrenidae solitary bee emerges in early spring. Both males and females can be seen feeding on pollen and nectar for the earliest spring flowers. Once they have mated the females begin to dig a burrow and collect pollen. The pollen is stored at the base of the burrow where the female lays her egg. She then seals over that portion of the burrow and begins this process again until the burrow is filled with these pollen pods. When the eggs hatch the larvae feed on the pollen until they pupate, emerging as adults by summers end to dig their burrows for the winter. Some species of this bee over winter in the pollen pods until the following spring before emerging to dig their burrows and mate. The Halictidae family of solitary bees also raise their families in under ground tunnels. The difference in the two is found in the fact that all emerging Halictidae bees are mature females that make their tunnels off their mother's tunnel, raising their brood without mating. In this case the brood that emerges develop as males who mate with the next brood that is produced. When their eggs hatch they produce the brood of all females that will over winter in the burrow.
Solitary bees are known very rarely to sting and in some cases can be held without any danger to a human. Although the behavior of the male is just beginning to be studied it is believed that males usually patrol the areas where the females are feeding. The male solitary bee, in most cases, can be observed by watching the behavior of the bee. They will hover near certain flowers until another bee or fly comes to close and then dart out after the intruder. It is believed that the males are territorial and will defend a flower site against other males or any insect that attempts to feed in their territory. There are many parasites and predators of the solitary bee that can be found near the entrance of their burrows. The cuckoo wasp, which is a bright metallic green, will enter the burrow to lay their eggs. Their larvae feed on the provisions stored by the solitary bee or on the bee larvae. The wingless wasp, which looks like a large black or red ant covered with short hair, is also known as a parasitic predator of the solitary bee. Both wasp have a painful sting and should be avoided by humans. The blister beetle, which is dark metallic blue and excretes a substance that will blister human skin, lays its eggs near the burrow. When the larvae hatch they enter the burrow by attaching themselves to the bees. Once inside they detach and enter the larval chambers to feed.
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