Types of Bees in Hawaii: 14 Native and Introduced Species to Know
September 28, 2026
Hawaii is home to only one group of truly native bees, yet it also hosts a growing cast of introduced species that arrived with human settlement. Understanding the types of bees in Hawaii means learning the difference between the islands’ original pollinators, the tiny black Hylaeus yellow-faced bees, and the honey bees, carpenter bees, and other newcomers that now share the same flowers.
This matters more than most visitors realize. Several native Hawaiian bee species are federally endangered, and some have not been seen in decades. Below is a species-by-species look at the bees you might encounter across the islands, along with what makes each one worth recognizing.
Key Insight: Hawaii’s native bee fauna consists of a single genus, Hylaeus, that evolved from one ancestral colonist into dozens of endemic species found nowhere else on the planet.
1. Hawaiian yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus spp., ~63-70 native species)
The Hawaiian yellow-faced bee, Hylaeus spp., traces back to a single ancestral bee that managed to reach the islands on its own, and researchers at the University of Hawaii note that from that one original colonist they evolved into 63 known endemic species, about 10% of the world’s yellow-faced bees and more than are found in this genus in all of North America. These native bees belong to the family Colletidae and are found on all the Main Hawaiian Islands and Nihoa.
Unlike the social honey bees most people picture, Hylaeus species are solitary and nest in unusual places. They have adapted to habitat types ranging from coastal strand to high elevation wet forests and nest in hollow stems, holes in trees, under bark, in crevices, or in burrows in soil. If you spot a small, wasp-like black insect near native coastal shrubs, you may be looking at one of these bees rather than one of the types of insects that look like bees commonly mistaken for pollinators.
Early naturalist R.C.L. Perkins, who surveyed Hawaii’s insects in the late 1800s, described the group as “almost the most ubiquitous of any Hawaiian insects” at the time. That abundance has not held up. Over the past century, yellow-faced bees have experienced dramatic range reductions, population declines and possibly extinctions, and today the majority of the 63 known species show significant declines in both range and numbers. Readers curious how this native lineage compares to bee diversity elsewhere can browse the broader roundup of different types of bees found across the country.
2. Hylaeus anthracinus (anthracinus yellow-faced bee)
Hylaeus anthracinus, known as the anthricinan yellow-faced bee, is a coastal bee endemic to the islands of Oahu, Molokai, Kahoolawe, Maui, Hawaii, and formerly Lanai. It was one of the seven Hawaiian bee species that made history in 2016 as the first bees included on the US Fish and Wildlife Service Federal Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants.
This species is now restricted to small, isolated pockets of habitat. It is apparently restricted to small patches of habitat on each island, with the largest area probably on Molokai, where sand dunes stretching from Moomomi to Kalaupapa may support a large population. According to the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, though once abundant in coastal areas, this bee now persists in healthy populations in only a few areas on Oahu.
Invasive ants pose a serious threat to this bee’s survival. A study published in NeoBiota found that competitors and predators, such as invasive bees, wasps and ants, are thought to be important drivers of range reductions and population declines, especially at lower elevations. Researchers tested this by placing artificial nest blocks in pairs at 22 points encompassing three sites on the north and east sides of Oahu to track how ant access affected nesting success, a threat distinct from the pressures facing the types of ants in Hawaii that compete with native insects across the islands.
3. Hylaeus assimulans (assimulans yellow-faced bee)
Hylaeus assimulans is a coastal and dry forest bee endemic to the islands of Oahu, Maui, Kahoolawe, and probably formerly Molokai. According to the Xerces Society, this species is distinguished by its large size compared to other coastal species, and large facial marks.
Population trends for this bee are concerning. It is typically found as scattered individuals, and habitat destruction has caused its range to contract significantly. It favors coastal strand and dry forest habitat, and it is frequently collected on Sida fallax (ilima), where its greater size may be an adaptation to handling the large pollen of that plant.
Pro Tip: Because Hawaiian yellow-faced bees rarely visit non-native flowers, the best places to look for them are patches of native coastal shrubs like ilima, naupaka, and akiaki rather than ornamental garden plants.
4. Hylaeus facilis (facilis yellow-faced bee)
Hylaeus facilis is one of the seven Hylaeus species that received federal protection in the historic 2016 listing, alongside H. anthracinus, H. assimulans, H. hilaris, H. kuakea, H. longiceps, and H. mana. Like its relatives, it belongs to the Colletidae family and shares the plumose, branched body hairs that distinguish all Hylaeus bees from true wasps.
As with several of the rarer yellow-faced bees, detailed population data on H. facilis is limited, which itself reflects the broader survey gaps affecting Hawaii’s native insects. The species follows the same general life cycle as other members of the genus, nesting in cavities such as hollow plant stems and emerging as adults after passing through larval and pupal stages. Conservation groups group it with the other six endangered species when discussing recovery planning and habitat protection needs.
5. Hylaeus hilaris (hilaris yellow-faced bee)
Hylaeus hilaris is another of the seven species listed as endangered on September 30, 2016, a date the Apidologie journal notes marked when seven endemic species of Hawaiian yellow-faced bees were listed in the Federal Register to become the first bees included on the US Fish and Wildlife Service Federal Lists. This milestone made headlines nationally as the first time any bee species received federal endangered status in the United States.
Like the other six species in this group, H. hilaris nests in the hollow stems, tree cavities, and soil burrows typical of the genus. Its decline mirrors the pattern seen across the family: habitat loss, competition from introduced insects, and the spread of non-native plants that native bees cannot rely on for pollen and nectar have all combined to shrink its range over the past century.
6. Hylaeus kuakea (kuakea yellow-faced bee)
Hylaeus kuakea rounds out the group of federally protected Hawaiian yellow-faced bees. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service species profile for this bee tracks its listing status, critical habitat considerations, and recovery planning alongside the other six endangered Hylaeus species.
Conservation biologists classify H. kuakea within the same broader recovery framework as its relatives, since all seven species face similar pressures from habitat degradation and invasive predators. As with many rare Hawaiian insects, ongoing survey work continues to refine what is known about where remaining populations persist and which native plant communities they depend on most.
7. Hylaeus longiceps (longhead yellow-faced bee)
The longhead yellow-faced bee, Hylaeus longiceps, is endemic to Hawaii and known from only six populations. It is black in color with smoky-colored wings, and it was historically known from coastal and lowland dry shrubland habitat up to 2,000 feet on the islands of Maui, Lanai, Molokai, and Oahu.
Perkins documented this bee as widespread in his surveys, noting in 1899 that H. longiceps was locally abundant, and probably occurred throughout much of the leeward and lowland areas on these islands. Today the picture looks very different. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the main threat to the species is habitat loss, with damage occurring via development, the introduction of nonnative plants and animals, agriculture, recreational activity, and fire, and natural disasters such as hurricanes are also a threat to the habitat.
This species holds a notable distinction: alongside its six relatives, its 2016 listing marked a first listing for any bee species in the US. Anyone comparing Hawaii’s insect conservation story to mainland efforts might also find it useful to browse the types of insects in New York or types of insects in Ohio for a sense of how regional habitat loss affects pollinators differently across the country.
8. Hylaeus mana (mana yellow-faced bee)
Hylaeus mana is the seventh and final species from the 2016 endangered listing. The Fish and Wildlife Service profile for this bee documents its federal status alongside recovery planning details shared with the other endangered Hylaeus species.
Like its relatives, H. mana depends heavily on native coastal and lowland plant communities that have shrunk dramatically over the past century. Since less than 5% of insects in Hawaiian coastal areas are native to the islands, species like H. mana represent an increasingly rare category of wildlife found in these lowland ecosystems, making every remaining population significant to conservation planning.
Important Note: All seven endangered Hylaeus species share the same 2016 federal listing and face overlapping threats. Population-specific data for some, including H. facilis, H. hilaris, and H. mana, remains limited compared to better-studied species like H. anthracinus.
9. Honey bee (Apis mellifera, introduced)
The honey bee, Apis mellifera, is by far the most economically important bee in Hawaii today, despite not being native to the islands. Honey bees were introduced primarily for honey production and agricultural pollination, quickly becoming an important resource for the islands’ agricultural sector. Unlike the solitary native bees, these social insects live in large colonies or hives, contrasting with the solitary native yellow-faced bees.
Honey bees are generalists in a way that native Hylaeus bees are not. They are generalist foragers, collecting nectar and pollen from a wide variety of flowering plants, both native and introduced. That flexibility has made them enormously useful for agriculture, but it comes at a cost to native species: introduced honey bees and other generalist pollinators often compete with native yellow-faced bees for floral resources like nectar and pollen, a dynamic also documented among the types of bees in Colorado and other mainland states where honey bees share range with native pollinators.
10. Leafcutter bee (Megachile sp., introduced)
Leafcutter bees in the genus Megachile are among the other introduced bee species in Hawaii, which also contribute to pollination in urban and agricultural landscapes alongside carpenter bees and sweat bees. Females of this group are easy to identify by their distinctive nesting habit: they cut neat, circular pieces from leaf edges to line their nest cells, a behavior that leaves telltale semicircular notches on garden foliage.
Unlike honey bees, leafcutter bees are solitary and do not form hives. Each female builds and provisions her own nest, typically in existing cavities such as hollow stems or pre-drilled holes, rather than excavating new tunnels. Gardeners in Hawaii sometimes notice their leaf damage before ever spotting the bee itself, much like homeowners in the types of bees in Massachusetts guide often first notice these bees through their signature leaf-cutting marks.
11. Small carpenter bee (introduced)
Small carpenter bees, typically in the genus Ceratina, are a much less conspicuous introduced group compared to Hawaii’s large carpenter bees. These bees are notably smaller and often metallic or dark-colored, and they favor soft, pithy plant stems rather than solid wood for nesting.
Because of their small size, these bees are frequently overlooked or mistaken for flies or small wasps rather than bees at all. They tend to nest individually in broken or dead plant stems, excavating a narrow tunnel through the soft pith rather than boring into solid timber the way larger carpenter bees do. Their low profile means they attract far less attention than Hawaii’s more conspicuous introduced pollinators, even though they visit many of the same flowering plants.
12. Mason bee relatives (introduced)
Mason bee relatives make up another group of solitary, cavity-nesting bees found in Hawaii’s introduced bee community. These bees typically use mud or other masonry-like materials to seal off individual nest chambers inside existing cavities, a trait that gives the group its common name.
Like leafcutter bees, mason bee relatives do not form colonies. Each female works independently, provisioning a series of small chambers with pollen and nectar before sealing them off for her offspring to develop. Because they nest in pre-existing holes rather than digging new burrows, they are often confused with other small, dark bees or even some of the types of black bees found across different regions.
13. Golden Northern Bumble Bee (Bombus fervidus)
The golden northern bumble bee, Bombus fervidus, is a species native to North America, easily recognized by its yellow-colored abdomen and thorax. Its established range includes the North American continent excluding much of the southern United States, Alaska, and northern Canada, and it is common in cities and farmland with populations concentrated in the Northeastern United States.
Important Note: True bumble bees are not established in Hawaii’s wild bee fauna. University of Hawaii extension materials note that carpenter bees “are often confused with bumblebees, which occur on the mainland, but not in Hawaii,” so any Bombus fervidus sightings in the islands are exceptions rather than an established population.
On the mainland, this species carries conservation weight of its own. The IUCN Red List classifies Bombus fervidus as Vulnerable, and it is an important pollinator, so recent population decline is a particular concern. Readers who want to see how this species behaves in its actual home range can compare notes with the types of bees in Oregon or types of bees in New York, both regions where golden northern bumble bees are genuinely part of the local pollinator community.
14. Two-spotted longhorn bee
The two-spotted longhorn bee, Melissodes bimaculatus, is a solitary, ground-nesting species more commonly documented on the mainland than in Hawaii. State wildlife resources such as the Illinois Department of Natural Resources list it among native bumble bee and longhorn bee species found two-spotted longhorn bee Melissodes bimaculatus in continental habitats.
Longhorn bees in general are named for the unusually long antennae of the males, and they are important pollinators of composite flowers such as sunflowers and asters. As with the golden northern bumble bee, any records of this species in Hawaii would represent an unusual occurrence rather than an established island population, since its natural range and ecological role center on mainland North American habitats. Anyone building a broader picture of how mainland longhorn and bumble bees compare to island pollinators may find it useful to browse the types of bees in South Carolina or types of bees in Texas, along with the wider different types of insects that share habitat with bees across these regions.
Hawaii’s bee fauna tells two very different stories at once. The native Hylaeus yellow-faced bees represent a singular evolutionary event, one ancestral bee giving rise to dozens of endemic species, several of which now sit on the brink of extinction and require active conservation to survive. Meanwhile, honey bees, carpenter bees, leafcutter bees, and other introduced species have reshaped the islands’ pollination networks in ways that both support agriculture and pressure the bees that were here first. Recognizing which bee you’re looking at, native or introduced, is a small but meaningful step toward understanding what’s at stake for Hawaii’s unique insect life.