Our native wild bees in Germany
by Michael Watson (comments: 0
- There are over 585 different species of wild bees in Germany.
- Unfortunately, wild bees in Germany are massively threatened with extinction.
- All facts about the appearance, species, reproduction, food, nesting, and protection of wild bees.
When people hear "bee," they often first think of the hardworking, fluffy honeybee. Few people know the difference between a wild bee and a honeybee – despite the fact that there are over 585 different species of wild bees in Germany! The world of wild bees is colorful, fascinating, and diverse.
Like honeybees, wild bees are also insects. However, there is a significant difference between the two species: honeybees are cultivated by humans, while wild bees are not. After cows, pigs, and poultry, honeybees are the most commonly kept livestock in Germany. The reason for this is – as the name suggests – honey. Unlike honeybees, wild bees do not make honey, but they still perform vital tasks for both humans and nature: they pollinate flowers and plants; they provide food for other animals and thus keep the natural balance in harmony. And although wild bees form the foundation of our nature, they are massively threatened with extinction.
Name | Wild bee |
Animal class | Insect |
Latin name | Apidae |
Higher classification | Hymenoptera |
Food | Nectar and pollen |
Common species in Germany | Horned mason bee, red mason bee, silk bee, bumblebee, blue wood bee |
Wild bees in Germany: Appearance, body structure and sensory organs
In Germany alone, there are over 585 different species of wild bees, so a typical description is not really possible, although a identification key can help to distinguish different wild bees. Wild bees come in numerous colors, shapes, and sizes, and sometimes they resemble wasps or flies, even though they are not. Nevertheless, there are some external features that allow us to recognize wild bees.
First, there are three simple eyes on the top of the bee's head, called "ocelli." These three immobile point eyes help the wild bee with navigation and flight maneuvers. To the right and left of the ocelli are the large "compound eyes." These compound eyes consist of nearly 5,000 small, hexagonal individual eyes, each of which detects individual points of light and sends this information to the wild bee's brain. There, the information is processed and combined into an overall image. The compound eyes are hemispherical, so each individual eye looks in a different direction.
Below the head (lat.: Caput) is the main shield (lat.: Mesonotum) of the wild bee. From here extend two pairs of wings, each with a forewing and a hindwing. The rear part of the bee is called the "abdomen" and is divided into several segments. The abdomen is usually the largest part of the wild bee. Like any other insect, wild bees have six legs.
Many wild bee species have a fuzzy coat, with nesting bees having particularly strong hair. The coat's color varies from red, brown, white, yellow to orange. The fine coat of the wild bee helps pollen to stick, which the wild bees need to feed their brood.
Different species of wild bees: Bumblebees and collective living bees
There are over 30,000 bee species worldwide. In general, bees are divided into three main groups: social bees, solitary bees, and cuckoo bees. The members of these three groups differ much more in their way of life than in their external characteristics.
The most prominent member of the social bees is the western honeybee. They live in colonies and organized bee hives and communicate through a complex bee language that has fascinated biologists for centuries. However, the honeybee is by no means the only social bee. Bumblebees also live together with their kin in so-called bumblebee colonies. Unlike honeybees, however, these bumblebee colonies are much smaller and consist of 30 to 600 bumblebees. In winter, only the future queens survive, who then found new colonies in the spring.
In Germany, there are nearly 40 different species of bumblebees, and their work and importance for nature are often underestimated. Like all wild bees, bumblebees are also under nature conservation. Tragically, three species of bumblebees are already extinct in Germany, and 16 are on the Red List.
Unlike the honeybee and other wild bees, bumblebees are very adaptable and cold-resistant: Bumblebees have been discovered at 5,000 meters above sea level, and even in the lowlands, the first bumblebees fly out at 3 degrees to search for food. For other bees, such temperatures are still too cold, and bumblebees are the only pollinators at this time. Thanks to the hardworking bumblebees, plants that live in high mountains or bloom in winter can spread. Physiologically, bumblebees can only withstand these low temperatures because they maintain a constant body temperature of 35 degrees with their flight muscles. The bumblebee species Bombus polaris can even survive in the icy conditions of Canada or Alaska!
It is not far-fetched to say that bumblebees are the powerhouses of wild bees: They are heavier, stronger, and have a longer proboscis, allowing them to reach nectar sources that other wild bees can only dream of. Only the bumblebee pollinates red clover and many different nightshade plants (e.g., tomato, potato, deadly nightshade).
What are the most common wild bees? The solitary bees
There are over 30,000 bee species worldwide. In general, bees are divided into three main groups: social bees, solitary bees, and cuckoo bees. The members of these three groups differ much more in their way of life than in their external characteristics.
The most prominent member of the social bees is the western honeybee. They live in colonies and organized bee hives and communicate through a complex bee language that has fascinated biologists for centuries. However, the honeybee is by no means the only social bee. Bumblebees also live together with their kin in so-called bumblebee colonies. Unlike honeybees, however, these bumblebee colonies are much smaller and consist of 30 to 600 bumblebees. In winter, only the future queens survive, who then found new colonies in the spring.
In Germany, there are nearly 40 different species of bumblebees, and their work and importance for nature are often underestimated. Like all wild bees, bumblebees are also under nature conservation. Tragically, three species of bumblebees are already extinct in Germany, and 16 are on the Red List.
Unlike the honeybee and other wild bees, bumblebees are very adaptable and cold-resistant: Bumblebees have been discovered at 5,000 meters above sea level, and even in the lowlands, the first bumblebees fly out at 3 degrees to search for food. For other bees, such temperatures are still too cold, and bumblebees are the only pollinators at this time. Thanks to the hardworking bumblebees, plants that live in high mountains or bloom in winter can spread. Physiologically, bumblebees can only withstand these low temperatures because they maintain a constant body temperature of 35 degrees with their flight muscles. The bumblebee species Bombus polaris can even survive in the icy conditions of Canada or Alaska!
It is not far-fetched to say that bumblebees are the powerhouses of wild bees: They are heavier, stronger, and have a longer proboscis, allowing them to reach nectar sources that other wild bees can only dream of. Only the bumblebee pollinates red clover and many different nightshade plants (e.g., tomato, potato, deadly nightshade).
Nasty bee: Cuckoo bee as the last group of wild bees
We humans know this as well: taking care of, nurturing, and raising children requires a lot of time and energy – and it’s no different in the animal world. However, the cuckoo bird has a much more devious method for raising its young: The cuckoo selects the nest of another bird, lays its eggs there, and then no longer cares for them. The unsuspecting nest owner continues to lovingly care for the eggs until they finally hatch. But compared to the other chicks in the nest, the cuckoo chick is instinctively much more aggressive and immediately starts pecking its "siblings" to death.
Such nasty cuckoo tricks don’t only exist in the bird world: there are also cuckoo bees among wild bees. And in the world of bees, these brood parasites are even more common than among birds! Around 25 percent of all wild bee species are cuckoo bees, and nearly every solitary bee has at least one (sometimes several) cuckoo bees that target the brood cells of this one solitary bee. Just like with the birds, the cuckoo bees are quite sneaky and wait until just before the brood cell is completed. Once the coast is clear, because the bee mother is off to fetch food for her larvae, the cuckoo bee enters the foreign nest and lays a second egg in the brood cell. After several months, the cuckoo larva hatches and immediately starts eating up the valuable food provisions of the solitary bee larva. By the time the other larva hatches, it will be killed by the cuckoo larva – although usually, the egg is already broken open and eaten beforehand.
Pollen & nectar: What are specialists and generalists?
Another important distinguishing feature among wild bees is their food: Of course, all wild bees feed on nectar and pollen, but there are some bees that specialize in a few specific flowers (specialists), while others visit all types of flowers (generalists). However, it’s not about the nectar for their own needs, but about the pollen for their offspring. Both female and male bees meet their high energy needs with nectar from many different plants. Therefore, it can happen that you find a pollen specialist on a “wrong” plant.
Pollen specialists (also known in expert circles as oligolectic wild bee species) exclusively use the pollen from one plant family or sometimes even just one genus. Werner David explains this in his book Ready for Move-In: Nesting Aids for Wild Bees with an example: “The Dark Willow Sand Bee (Andrena apicata) exclusively uses willow species (Salix) as a pollen source. The Viper’s Bugloss Mason Bee (Osmia adunca) collects pollen from viper’s bugloss (Echium), and the Bellflower Scissor Bee (Osmia campanularum) collects from bellflowers (Campanula).” Pollen generalists (polylectic wild bee species) are less picky and collect pollen from a wide range of plants. The Horned Mason Bee (Osmia cornuta) or the Red-Tailed Mason Bee (Osmia bicornis) are good examples of native pollen generalists. From an evolutionary biology perspective, pollen specialists are very important for plants because the "chance of pollination with pollen from a flower of the same species increases," as Anja Eder writes in her book Wild Bee Helpers.
Where do wild bees nest? Natural nesting sites, nesting aids and bee hotels
As you already know, the daily life of a wild bee mom is quite exhausting: Pollinating flowers, collecting pollen and nectar for the offspring, and building brood cells. After such a busy workday, some hardworking little bees look forward to a restful night in the insect hotel, while there are also real “nature boys” among the bees who prefer to sleep under the clear starry sky.
Some wild bee species crawl into the flower cups of various flowers at night, during bad weather, or in extreme heat. Here, they often snuggle closely together and enter an inactive phase. The most popular "sleeping flowers" in our regions are the bellflower, cranesbill, mallow, chicory, thistles, and the scabious. Usually, it’s mason bees, wasp bees, wool bees, and bastard bees that take advantage of this unusual sleeping place. Other wild bee species, like the Florentine wool bee, the stone bumblebee, or the rail bee, sleep clinging tightly to plant stems.
Of course, there are also wild bees that crawl into insect hotels to sleep. They climb into the tubes or open crevices and get their well-deserved rest there. However, insect hotels – or “nesting aids,” as experts call them – are primarily intended to provide wild bees with artificial breeding places. With the increasing urbanization and sealing of areas, wild bees are also facing higher rent prices and a shortage of living space.
As Werner David writes in his book Ready for Move-in: Nesting Aids for Wild Bees, the insect hotels built by humans are only partially useful, as the majority of native bees do not inhabit these insect hotels:
- 50 percent nest in the soil,
- 3 percent gnaw their tunnels into wood or pithy plant stems,
- 19 percent use existing cavities,
- 1 percent builds nests out of resin or mineral mortar,
- 25 percent parasitize other species as cuckoo bees,
- For 3 percent, the nesting method is still unknown.
Nevertheless, insect hotels, when built correctly, are usually fully occupied by wild bees and contribute to conservation and the preservation of biodiversity!
Why are wild bees important? The importance for humans and nature
But why are wild bees even important if they don't produce honey or wax? The wild bee has several super important roles on our Earth that help keep the balance of nature in harmony. Researchers estimate that bees have been on Earth for about 200 million years, ensuring that plants are pollinated and can reproduce. The evolution of plant pollination is one of nature’s most beautiful wonders, as Dirk Peters writes in "The Wild Bee and its Importance in Nature":
"Initially, pollen spread through the wind, later beetles carried the seed cells from flower to flower. But it wasn’t until flying insects emerged that pollination really took off. Then a process began, which biologists call coevolution: the mutual influence of animal and plant species with a common center, pollination."
Nearly 200 million years later, the fundamental concept of pollination hasn’t changed: pollen is the seed cell of plants and it is mainly carried by bees from plant to plant. This happens when it sticks to the bodies of the animals and lands on another plant as a "stowaway," triggering fertilization. Through this exchange of genetic material, different DNA strands are recombined, and the next generation develops further.
Plants that rely on insects for reproduction evolved to attract insects. These so-called "zoophilic" plants produced abundant nectar sources and formed large, colorful flowers to ensure they were seen and smelled by wild bees and other insects.

Wild bee mortality in Germany: Why are bees under threat?
Despite the immense importance of wild bees for humans and nature, they are massively threatened with extinction. In Germany, numerous native wild bee species are on the Red List, and some species have tragically already become extinct. In the ultimate wild bee reference work The Wild Bees of Germany by Paul Westrich, the biologist explains:
“Wild bees, unlike the honey bee, have long been affected by a worrying decline in Germany: 52% of species are endangered, threatened with extinction, or extremely rare; 7% are lost and their populations have most likely already disappeared.”
The reasons for the so-called “insect extinction,” which also affects butterflies, beetles, and moths, are manifold. However, renowned researchers see modern agriculture as the main cause of insect extinction: monocultures, over-fertilization, and the use of pesticides and herbicides have disastrous consequences for insects. On the one hand, they destroy important food sources and habitats; on the other hand, insects are killed by toxic chemicals.
In Germany, all wild bee species are protected under § 39 Abs. 1 of the Federal Nature Conservation Act, yet experts criticize that too little is being done here to stop the bee extinction. Researchers from the University of Duisburg and the Entomological Association of Krefeld found that the insect population has declined by 75 percent in the last 30 years! The now-famous Krefeld study is considered groundbreaking and has brought the insect and bee extinction to public attention.
Protecting wild bees: How to save the lives of busy bees
To stop the extinction of insects, serious political decisions are needed to fundamentally change the agricultural sector. But you can also take action on a small scale, because wild bees only need two things to keep them happy: food and nesting sites. Native plants such as willows, viper's bugloss and bluebells are particularly important for the specialists among the wild bees. Colorful meadows in gardens, flower boxes or along roadsides provide wild bees with delicious all-you-can-eat buffets, and insect hotels or gardens rich in structure also provide them with safe places to nest.
Bee friendly bee seed allows you to create food sources for wild bees in your home town. Whether in the garden at home, in the balcony box in the office or on the green strip in the city: every flower has the potential to feed a wild bee and stop insect extinction.
Quellen:
Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung, Hochbedroht und unverzichtbar, https://www.wildbiene.org/.
NABU - Naturschutzbund Deutschland e.V., Wild- und Honigbienen - NABU Schleswig-Holstein, https://schleswig-holstein.nabu.de/tiere-und-pflanzen/insekten/wespen/19172.html.
Eder, Anja (Hg.), Dirk Peters, Michael Römer, Wildbienenhelfer. Wildbienen & Blühpflanzen jeder kann zum Wildbienen-helfer werden und damit zum Erhalt unserer Artenvielfalt beitragen, 1. Auflage, Rheinbach 2017.
Stiftung, Deutsche Wildtier, Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung | Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung: Wir geben Natur und Wildtieren eine Stimme, https://www.deutschewildtierstiftung.de/.
Westrich, Paul, Faszination Wildbienen, https://www.wildbienen.info/.
Westrich, Paul, Die Wildbienen Deutschlands, Stuttgart 2018.
Wikipedia, Wildbiene, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildbiene.
Wildbienenschutz im Naturgarten, Naturgartenfreude.de, https://www.naturgartenfreude.de/.