Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is a native California bee species?

A: A bee species that has evolved over many years with its native host plant flowers under pristine environmental conditions in some part of the state. That is, it has always been here.

Q2. What is an exotic bee species?

A: A bee species that has been introduced into the state during the recent times, almost always with the help of humans. Fortunately, there are relatively few examples of exotic bee species in California.

Q3. Is the familiar honey bee a native or exotic species?

A: It was introduced by humans into the New World from Europe years ago. It is a classic example of an exotic species that has become naturalized in many different California habitats.

Q4. Does the European honey bee (EHB) in northern California differ greatly from the exotic Africanized honey bee (AHB) which has recently moved from S. California to the S. San Joaquin Valley?

A: Both species are subspecies of Apis mellifera, and they look very similar with the AHB usually a little smaller in size and often a little darker. The greatest difference is observed in their behavior. AHB have a more sensitive defensive behavior, and some colonies can carry out their defense in aggressive ways through persistent pursuit and massive stinging of would be intruders. Fortunately, not all colonies are equally nasty in their defensive response.

Q5. What is a social bee?

A: Honey bees are social in their behavior as they form colonies with a highly structured caste system of drones, queens, and a range of worker types, each with a different colony task. Colonies remain active year round with cooperation among all members to provide food for developing brood (offspring) and to clean and protect the colony.

Q6. Are most bees social?

A: No, relatively few are truly social. There are, however, intermediate cases between social and solitary habit.

Q7. What is the solitary bee habit?

A: Solitary bees have a simple lifestyle that does not include colonies and a structured caste system. In its simplest form, male and female bees of a species emerge at a particular time of the year and mate. The male usually dies shortly thereafter. The fertilized female proceeds to build and provision a nest of several cells by her self. Within each cell, a single bee will develop. Once a given nest of perhaps 3-10 cells is completed, the female closes the nest and leaves. The provisioned cells with pollen and nectar are sufficient to feed the developing new bee larvae until they become adults, usually the following year. Then, the adults emerge to start the next generation.

Q8. Do the urban bee-plant patterns of the San Francisco Bay Area apply to other areas of California and to other states as well?

A: We are just beginning to look at other areas around California for the bee-flower patterns we have observed in this area. We have also asked colleagues in other states to check their ornamental plants for bees. This phase of our work is in a very preliminary stage, but it seems that bees are also diverse and common in other areas provided that the right host plants are present. We expect to have much more to say about this matter in another year.