30 Types of Bees in Virginia (With Identification Tips and Nesting Habits)
October 20, 2026
Most people can name two bees, the honey bee and the bumble bee, yet the types of bees in Virginia run far past that pair. The Virginia Division of Natural Heritage’s provisional list documents 477 bee species in six families. The state’s range, from barrier islands to mountain ridges, gives bees a wide choice of nesting sites and flowers.
This guide covers 30 of those bees, grouped loosely by how they live. Some drill into wood, some dig into lawns, and some pack mud into snail shells. A few, like the rusty-patched bumble bee, are now rare enough that a confirmed sighting matters to scientists.
Most of these insects are solitary and non-aggressive, which surprises many homeowners. Virginia hosts more than 400 bee species, and the majority are solitary and non-aggressive. For a wider look at bee families worldwide, see this overview of different types of bees, or check how many types of bees there are globally.
1. Eastern Carpenter Bee
The eastern carpenter bee (Xylocopa virginica) is the bee most Virginians meet first, usually hovering near a porch rail or eave. It is a large, solitary bee found in wooded areas and urban environments, and it nests in wood. Virginia Cooperative Extension describes it as heavy-bodied and about an inch long, with yellow or orange hair everywhere except a shiny black abdomen.
That bare, glossy abdomen separates it from a bumble bee, which is fuzzy from front to back. According to Better Termite’s Virginia bee guide, the telltale signs are perfectly round half-inch holes and a trail of sawdust, and males cannot sting. Only females carry a stinger, and they use it rarely.
Pro Tip: Bare, unpainted softwood attracts carpenter bees most. Older homes with painted-over cedar and wood trim are especially attractive to them. Fresh paint or stain on exposed trim removes much of the appeal.
Carpenter bees are also the reason many people search for other black bees, since the glossy abdomen leads to frequent misidentification.
2. Southern Carpenter Bee
The southern carpenter bee (Xylocopa micans) looks like its eastern cousin in build but wears a metallic blue-green sheen over much of its body. It tunnels in wood in southeastern Virginia and stings only rarely. Virginia sits at the northern edge of its range.
That edge position explains why it is hard to find. The state’s provisional bee list gives it a rank of S1S2, a rarity category that reflects very few records. Photographs from the Tidewater region are the most likely to be genuine.
The bee is far more common farther south, and the types of bees in Georgia offer a good comparison for how Southeastern species shift with latitude.
3. European Honey Bee
The European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is not native to Virginia. English colonists brought hives across the Atlantic in the 1600s, and feral colonies have lived in hollow trees and wall voids ever since. Workers have amber and brown stripes, and a single hive holds thousands of them.
This is the only Virginia bee that lives in a perennial, large colony. A bumble bee colony holds a few hundred workers, while a honey bee hive holds tens of thousands. That difference is why honey bees are managed commercially and bumble bees mostly are not.
Honey bees sting once in defense of the hive, then die. Swarms in spring are usually docile and best left to a local beekeeper. Readers who want to sort the many races and varieties can browse the types of honey bees.
4. Common Eastern Bumble Bee
The common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) is the bumble bee most Virginia gardens see from April through October. It is one of the most common bumble bees in eastern North America, with distinctive black and yellow coloring. The Virginia Working Landscapes pamphlet calls it common and notes that it is used commercially to pollinate greenhouse tomatoes.
Colonies nest in ground cavities, abandoned rodent burrows, and sometimes sheds or insulation. Unlike most Virginia bees, bumble bees will sting repeatedly if a nest is disturbed. Leaving a nest alone is usually safe, because colonies die off each fall.
This species is one of many in the genus. Virginia Cooperative Extension reports 14 bumble bee species in the state, and the next several sections cover most of them in a Virginia Tech publication on native and solitary bees context.
5. American Bumble Bee
The American bumble bee (Bombus pensylvanicus) is a large grassland species that has lost ground across much of its range. Virginia Working Landscapes lists it as uncommon, possibly in decline, and a species of conservation concern. It visits vetches, goldenrods, and clovers, and its tongue is long.
Open meadows, field edges, and unmowed pastures are the best places to look. The state’s provisional list gives it a state rank of S3S4, which means vulnerable to apparently secure. Late summer goldenrod stands are a reliable spot.
Growers can help by leaving some bunch grass standing, since queens often nest in old clumps. Mowing fields in late fall instead of midsummer also protects foraging workers.
6. Two-Spotted Bumble Bee
The two-spotted bumble bee (Bombus bimaculatus) is one of the earliest bumble bees to appear in spring. Virginia Working Landscapes describes it as common, found on thistles and clovers, with a medium-length tongue. Queens are often seen in March, working early blooms.
The species is secure in Virginia. Its state rank is S5, the most secure category in the list. Wooded edges and suburban yards both suit it.
The same species ranges north through the Appalachians and into the Northeast, which is why it also appears in guides to the types of bees in Pennsylvania.
7. Brown-Belted Bumble Bee
The brown-belted bumble bee (Bombus griseocollis) is one of the three most common bumble bees in the state. It is common and visits milkweeds, thistles, and sunflowers. It is abundant along the East Coast, and its range extends north into Canada.
Its name comes from a dull brown patch on the abdomen. That patch is the main field mark, and it causes confusion with a far rarer bee. The brown-belted has clear wings and a dull brown abdominal patch, unlike the rusty-patched bumble bee.
Common Mistake: Many reported rusty-patched bumble bees in Virginia turn out to be brown-belted bumble bees. Check the wings and the color of the abdominal patch before reporting a rare species.
8. Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee
The rusty-patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) was once common across the eastern United States and is now one of the continent’s most imperiled bees. Virginia Working Landscapes classes it as rare, in decline, and a species of conservation concern, with visits to sunflowers and goldenrods. It has been federally listed as endangered since 2017.
Records from the Virginia mountains are old. The University of Virginia’s Blandy Experimental Farm notes a record from the 1980s and states the species no longer occurs there. The clearest evidence points to a fungal disease, Nosema bombi, which spread across bumble bee populations from the 1980s onward.
The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources species profile is the best starting point for identification. Workers have a rusty reddish patch on the second abdominal segment, but only some individuals show it clearly. Ohio’s records are more recent, and the types of insects in Ohio guide gives context on the Midwestern range.
9. Yellow Bumble Bee
The yellow bumble bee (Bombus fervidus) is a long-faced, golden-haired species of open fields and old pastures. Virginia Working Landscapes lists it as uncommon and possibly in decline, seen on honeysuckles and thistles, with a long tongue. The long tongue lets it reach deep tubular flowers.
The provisional Virginia list gives it a state rank of S3, meaning vulnerable. Sightings cluster in the western half of the state, where meadows are larger and less fragmented.
Native honeysuckle, wild bergamot, and late-blooming thistles all draw it. Planting a mix of long-tubed flowers near a hayfield edge gives the species a better chance of staying in a county.
10. Black-and-Gold Bumble Bee
The black-and-gold bumble bee (Bombus auricomus) is a large, handsome bee with a long tongue and a taste for bee balm. Virginia Working Landscapes calls it uncommon and notes it visits bee balm and nightshades. Its state rank is S3S4.
It prefers open, sunny habitat with plenty of summer bloom. Gardens with native monarda and tomato or eggplant plants are the likeliest places to find one.
The table below sums up how often the Virginia bumble bees covered so far are seen, based on the Virginia Working Landscapes bumble bee pamphlet.
| Bumble Bee | How Often Seen in Virginia | Flowers Noted |
|---|---|---|
| Common Eastern Bumble Bee | Common | Greenhouse tomatoes, garden flowers |
| Brown-belted Bumble Bee | Common | Milkweeds, thistles, sunflowers |
| Two-spotted Bumble Bee | Common | Thistles, clovers |
| American Bumble Bee | Uncommon, possibly declining | Vetches, goldenrods, clovers |
| Yellow Bumble Bee | Uncommon, possibly declining | Honeysuckles, thistles |
| Black-and-gold Bumble Bee | Uncommon | Bee balm, nightshades |
| Rusty-patched Bumble Bee | Rare, in decline | Sunflowers, goldenrods |
11. Lemon Cuckoo Bumble Bee
The lemon cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus citrinus) is a social parasite, and it does not build a nest or raise workers of its own. Females enter the nests of other bumble bees and lay eggs there, so the host colony ends up feeding the intruder’s young. Cuckoo bees do not collect pollen or build their own nests.
The bee’s yellow, lemony thorax and lack of pollen baskets on the hind legs are the best clues. The state list gives it a rank of S3S4. Since it depends on healthy host colonies, its numbers follow those of the common bumble bees it targets.
Most sightings come from late summer, when males visit flowers for nectar. They are easy to overlook, because they look like any other yellow bumble bee at a glance.
12. Southern Plains Bumble Bee
The southern plains bumble bee (Bombus fraternus) is a grassland specialist whose range centers on the south-central United States. Virginia lies at the eastern edge, and records here are scarce. The state list gives it an S1S2 rank, which means critically imperiled to imperiled.
The species needs large areas of unplowed prairie or old field. Habitat loss in the Great Plains has pushed it toward conservation concern across its range, so a Virginia record is notable.
For a look at where the species is better documented, the types of bees in Oklahoma guide covers its core country.
13. Gypsy Cuckoo Bumble Bee
The gypsy cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus bohemicus) is another cuckoo species, and one of the rarest bumble bees on the Virginia list. The Virginia Division of Natural Heritage’s checklist ranks it G3G5/S1, which marks it as critically imperiled within the state. It is known to target colonies of bumble bees that are themselves in decline, including the rusty-patched bumble bee.
That link to a vanishing host is the main reason for concern. When a host species collapses, its parasite goes with it. The 2021 list from Virginia’s Natural Heritage program remains the most complete record of what has been documented.
The species also occurs across the Northeast, so the types of insects in New York offer a useful comparison for readers curious about its northern range.
14. Common Eastern Little Carpenter Bee
The common eastern little carpenter bee (Ceratina dupla) is a tiny, dark metallic bee that is easy to mistake for a small fly. It is listed in Virginia’s provisional bee list as the Common Eastern Little Carpenter. Adults are only a few millimeters long.
Unlike the big carpenter bees, little carpenters do not chew into solid lumber. Females hollow out the soft pith inside broken raspberry canes, sumac, and elderberry stems. Mothers stay near the nest and guard the young, a rare habit among solitary bees.
Entomologist Justin Schmidt ranked small carpenter bee stings at level one on his pain scale, which means they are mild. Leaving a few dead stems standing over winter gives these bees a place to nest.
15. Eastern Carder Bee
The eastern carder bee (Anthidiellum notatum) is a small black bee marked with bright yellow spots, about the size of a grain of rice. It belongs to the resin bees, a group in the mason and leafcutter family. Virginia’s list records it in the family Megachilidae.
Instead of mud or leaves, carder bees use plant resin. Females build small resin cells, often decorated with pebbles, on stems or stones. The nest looks like a tiny pot of dried sap.
Adults visit legumes and mints in summer. They are easiest to see on sunny afternoons around pea family flowers.
16. Wool Carder Bee
The wool carder bee (Anthidium manicatum) is a European species that has spread across North America, and it is one of the more entertaining bees to watch. Virginia’s checklist records it among the Megachilidae, marked as a non-native species. Yellow spots run along the sides of the abdomen.
Females scrape the soft fuzz from plants like lamb’s ear and use it to line their nests. Males are larger than females and fiercely territorial. They patrol flower patches and ram intruding bees in midair.
The aggression looks alarming, but males have no stinger. Gardeners across the mid-Atlantic report the bee, and the types of bees in New Jersey guide notes its presence there too.
17. Blue Orchard Bee
The blue orchard bee (Osmia lignaria) is a metallic blue-black solitary bee that appears in early spring. Mason bees use mud or clay to build their nests and are excellent pollinators of fruit trees and other crops. Apple, pear, and cherry blooms are common targets.
The species takes readily to nesting blocks. Holes capped with mud show that orchard mason bees are using a bee house. The Virginia Cooperative Extension publication explains how to set up a nesting box.
Pro Tip: Place nesting blocks facing southeast, three to six feet off the ground, and within a short flight of blooming trees. Replace or clean the tubes each year to limit mites and fungus.
18. Blue Mason Bee
The blue mason bee (Osmia caerulescens) is a small, metallic blue-green bee that was introduced from Europe. It appears later in spring than the blue orchard bee and keeps flying into summer. It looks much like a tiny blue fly at first glance.
Females use existing cavities such as hollow stems, old beetle tunnels, and nail holes. A single bee fills each tube with a row of pollen-stocked cells. Each cell holds one egg.
The species is a gentle pollinator that rarely stings. Mixed gardens with mints, clovers, and fruit trees keep it well fed.
19. Eastern Snail Mason Bee
The eastern snail mason bee (Osmia conjuncta) is among the stranger nesters in the state. It raises its young inside empty snail shells instead of drilling or digging. A female stocks the shell with pollen, lays her eggs, and then seals the opening.
The shell is often hidden under leaf litter or tucked into a crevice. Because of that, the bee is rarely seen and poorly studied. Few Virginians have ever spotted one in the wild.
Gardeners can help by leaving old shells and a little leaf litter undisturbed along fence lines and wooded edges. Snail shells are a free resource that gets tidied away too often.
20. Common Leafcutter Bee
The common leafcutter bee (Megachile centuncularis) is a small, dark bee that looks like a honey bee. Virginia Cooperative Extension notes that leafcutters resemble small, dark honey bees. The giveaway is the pollen carried on the underside of the abdomen.
The bee’s work shows up before the bee does. Neat half-circles cut from leaves are the signature, and nests sit in hollow stems or old beetle holes. Redbud leaves are a favorite.
The damage is cosmetic and plants shrug it off. Anyone puzzled by tunnels in dead wood should also review the types of beetles in Virginia, since beetle holes are what leafcutters reuse.
21. Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee
The alfalfa leafcutter bee (Megachile rotundata) is an introduced species that farmers now manage as a crop pollinator. It arrived in North America in the 1930s and spread through alfalfa seed production. Loose populations also live wild around fields and gardens.
Females line their nests with neatly cut leaf pieces and mark nest tubes with a small plug of leaf. The bee nests readily in drilled wooden boards, which makes it simple to manage by the thousand.
Its largest commercial use is in the western states, and the types of bees in Arizona guide shows how alfalfa-growing regions shape the local bee mix. In Virginia the species is a minor presence at best.
22. Common Eastern Plasterer Bee
The common eastern plasterer bee (Colletes inaequalis) is one of the first bees to fly in early spring. The common name refers to the waterproof, cellophane-like lining that females spread inside their burrows. The family Colletidae is also called the cellophane or plasterer bees.
Cellophane bees nest in sandy, bare ground, look slender and wasp-like, and gather in big loose groups. Dozens of burrows can appear in a patch of lawn within days. Males hover just above the soil, searching for newly emerged females.
Plasterer bees rarely sting, and when they do the pain is mild. The aggregations disappear in a few weeks, and mowing can wait until they are gone.
23. Familiar Yellow-Faced Bee
The familiar yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus affinis) is a tiny, slender, mostly black bee with yellow markings on the face. It is a masked bee. Several masked bee species live in Virginia. It looks more like a small wasp than a bee.
These bees carry pollen in their crop instead of on the body, so they appear almost hairless. They regurgitate the pollen and nectar mix into their nest cells. Nests go into hollow plant stems and old beetle burrows.
Sting risk is very low, and the insect is easy to miss. Look for them on small, shallow flowers such as mountain mint, carrot relatives, and clover.
24. Squash Bee
The squash bee (Peponapis pruinosa) is a specialist that feeds almost entirely on the pollen of squash, pumpkin, and gourd flowers. It is the early-morning bee found asleep in a squash blossom, and it nests in the ground beneath squash plants. Males often spend the night in closed flowers.
Squash bees are active at dawn, long before honey bees leave the hive. A garden visited at six in the morning will show the most. By midmorning, the blossoms close and the bees are gone.
Pro Tip: Avoid deep tilling in the squash bed after harvest. Squash bee larvae overwinter a few inches underground, and a rototiller can destroy next year’s pollinators.
25. Hibiscus Bee
The hibiscus bee (Ptilothrix bombiformis) is a large, bumble bee-like solitary bee that is closely tied to hibiscus and other mallow flowers. Some lists call it the hibiscus turret bee. That alternate name appears in one Virginia species roundup. The name refers to the small tower of soil that sits at its burrow entrance.
Females collect pollen from hibiscus and rose-of-Sharon blooms in the cool morning hours. Each bee appears with a heavily pollen-dusted body. Nests are dug in bare or sparsely vegetated soil.
The bee is gentle and rarely stings. Planting native swamp rose mallow or marsh hibiscus near a moist garden edge draws it in July and August.
26. Mallow Bee
Mallow bee is a common name that field guides apply to bees that specialize on mallow-family flowers, including hibiscus, hollyhock, and rose-of-Sharon. Different checklists use the label for different species, so the name is not always reliable. In Virginia, the hibiscus bee is the mallow specialist gardeners meet most often.
These bees visit open, bowl-shaped blooms and collect large, sticky pollen grains. The grains are too coarse for many generalist bees to handle well. Specialists have the hair and behavior to manage it.
Mallow beds also host butterflies and moths. The types of caterpillars in Virginia guide lists several species that feed on the same plants.
27. Two-Spotted Miner Bee
The two-spotted miner bee belongs to the mining bees, a large group of ground nesters in the family Andrenidae. Mining bees are some of the first bees seen in spring. Virginia’s list records 114 species of mining bees, so the common names overlap and shift between sources.
Females dig narrow vertical tunnels in sunny, well-drained soil and mound the dirt around the entrance. A lawn can show dozens of dime-sized holes ringed with soil in early spring. The mounds look like tiny volcanoes.
The bees rarely sting, and the nesting season is short. Watering the patch gently and delaying mowing for a few weeks is all that is needed.
28. Eastern Miner Bee
The eastern miner bee is another solitary, ground-nesting member of the Andrenidae. Mining bees are a solitary type of bee. Each female digs her own burrow, even when hundreds nest side by side.
The group is important for early fruit and wildflower pollination. Spring beauty, willow, maple, and wild cherry all depend on them in the weeks before most other bees fly. One example is the Andrena genus, which includes the Virginia miner bee.
Nest sites are often on south-facing slopes or bare patches. Leaving a patch of exposed soil in the garden is an easy way to help.
29. Pearly-Banded Bee
The pearly-banded bee belongs to the genus Nomia, a group of sweat bees whose abdomens carry pale, shimmering bands. The family Halictidae is the second-largest in the state. Virginia’s list tallies 115 species of sweat bees.
Bees in this group nest in the ground, often in dense aggregations on sandy or compact soil. They fly in summer and visit a wide range of flowers. The pale bands can look pearly or bluish in sunlight.
They rarely sting and are best viewed at a distance. A hand lens helps separate them from the many metallic green sweat bees that share the same flowers.
30. Southeastern Blueberry Bee
The southeastern blueberry bee (Habropoda laboriosa) is a fast, dark, bumble bee-shaped bee that works blueberry flowers in early spring. It appears early, often in March, and buzz-pollinates blueberry blooms. The bee vibrates its flight muscles to shake pollen loose.
It is easier to find in southeastern Virginia than in the mountains. Females nest in the ground, and many commercial blueberry growers in the Southeast rely on them. The Better Termite guide notes the bee’s southern origin.
The bee is a good example of how a narrow specialist can matter to a farm. Blueberry flowers bloom in a short window, and this bee is built to match it.
Key Insight: Where a bee nests tells a homeowner what to do about it. Wood nesters, ground nesters, and colony bees each call for a different response.
The table below groups the types of bees in Virginia by where they nest. Few of them are pests, and most do their work unnoticed.
| Nesting Group | Bees in This Guide | Sting Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Wood and Stem Nesters | Eastern Carpenter Bee, Southern Carpenter Bee, Common Eastern Little Carpenter Bee, Blue Orchard Bee, Blue Mason Bee, Common Leafcutter Bee, Familiar Yellow-faced Bee | Low |
| Ground Nesters | Miner Bees, Plasterer Bee, Squash Bee, Hibiscus Bee, Pearly-banded Bee, Southeastern Blueberry Bee | Low |
| Colony Bees | European Honey Bee, Common Eastern Bumble Bee, Brown-belted Bumble Bee, Two-spotted Bumble Bee | Higher near a nest |
| Cuckoo Bees | Lemon Cuckoo Bumble Bee, Gypsy Cuckoo Bumble Bee | Low |
Together these 30 bees show how varied the state’s pollinators are, and how many depend on small habitat choices like bare soil, hollow stems, and uncut meadows. Readers interested in the wider insect world can continue with the guide to different types of insects.