Discover these wild bees on a spring walk

What could be more beautiful than taking an extensive spring walk in nature on a mild day? If you look closely, you can already spot some wild bee species. Since early March, some wild bees have been busy collecting nectar and pollen to care for their offspring next year.

With rising temperatures, more and more bees and bumblebees are venturing out each day. To help you recognize and identify them, we've put together a small selection of bees and bumblebees that are active in March and April.

Wild bees in spring: you can discover these species in March and April

The Horned Mason Bee can be recognized by its black head and thorax, as well as its red abdomen. It has two curved horns on its flat forehead, and the female has a white beard and white head hair.

The Red-tipped Mason Bee is easily confused with the Horned Mason Bee and is also active around Easter. You can recognize the Red-tipped Mason Bee by its mostly rust-red abdomen. The thorax of the Red-tipped Mason Bee is light brown, and the males have a lighter-haired face and longer antennae.

It takes a bit of luck to spot the blue-black wood bee in spring. Although it has been around since the end of February, it is a very rare species of wild bee. If you are lucky enough to spot it, it is very easy to recognize as it is relatively large and has black-blue wings. The blue-black wood bee has a black head, thorax and antennae. The wings of the wood bee shimmer in a metallic black-blue. It is one of the largest native wild bees.

You will also be able to spot bumblebees on your spring walk: for example, the stone bumblebee. You can recognize them by their black and reddish-brown colouring. Most of its body is covered in black fur and its rump is rust-red. The male has additional yellow hairs on its head. Even though their coloration makes them fairly easy to identify, you need to look very closely as there are eleven other species of bumblebee that look very similar to the rock bumblebee.

The field bumblebee is really busy in March and April and pollinates many vegetable plants. You are guaranteed to have seen the field bumblebee, as it is one of the most common bumblebee species in Germany and flies until late in the fall. You can recognize the field bumblebee by its light brown chest and black-grey abdomen with a reddish-brown terminal band.

We hope you enjoy identifying wild bees!