Book 24, Question 42
Why do so many kinds of bees nest in the ground?
Many kinds of bees nest in the ground, where females dig tunnels and raise their young.
About seven out of ten bee species dig their nests in the soil. Each female digs a tunnel and makes little rooms stocked with pollen for her babies. They are usually not dangerous to people and do not live in big colonies. They look for bare, sunny patches of dry soil.
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Quick answers
How many bee kinds are there?
More than 20,000 kinds in the world.
How many nest underground?
Approximately 70% of bee species build their nests underground.
What does a nest look like?
A little mound of soil with a hole in the middle.
Source: NCSU
More fun facts
- There are more than 20,000 kinds of bees in the world.
- About 70 percent of them build their nests underground.
- Females lay their eggs in these underground nests, and the young grow up there.
- Some ground bees nest close together in groups that can grow to thousands of nests.
- A ground bee's nest looks like a little mound of soil with a hole in the middle.
- Mining bees are often among the first ground nesting bees people notice each spring.
Sources: NCSU
Questions kids ask
Why do ground nesting bees matter?
They are important pollinators for wild plants and for crops.