Solitary Bees
🐝 Habitat: Sandy banks, bare soil, chalk grassland, gardens, woodland edges and flower-rich meadows
📍 Found in Britain: Over 250 species found across the UK
📏 Size: Usually between 5–15 mm long, depending on the species
🌼 Season: Most active during spring and early summer
🌸 Wildlife Connections: Superb pollinators of wildflowers, fruit trees and many garden plants
👀 Look out for: Small bees flying low over the ground, disappearing into tiny holes or hovering around sandy banks
🦸 Nature Superpower: Every female builds an underground nursery, stocking each chamber with enough food for her baby to survive until the following year
✨ Fun Fact: Around 90% of Britain's bee species are solitary bees. Most people think of honeybees first, but the vast majority of our native bees live alone.
Not all bees live in hives. Meet the gentle, hardworking bees that raise their families alone in tiny tunnels beneath our feet.
Before this year, I thought a solitary bee was... well... a solitary bee. It turns out that around 90% of Britain's bee species are actually solitary bees. There are over 250 different species, making up the vast majority of our native bees. Rather than one type of bee, "solitary bee" is a whole group that includes mining bees, leafcutter bees, mason bees, carder bees and many more.
They all have one thing in common – they don't live in colonies like honeybees or bumblebees. Instead, every female builds her own nest and raises her young entirely on her own.
We discovered them at Dry Sandford Pit in spring. As we wandered through the reserve, we noticed dozens of little bees busily flying backwards and forwards to tiny holes in the sandy ground. At first glance, it looked like a miniature airport, with bees constantly taking off and landing.
The bees we were watching were mining bees, one of Britain's most familiar groups of solitary bees. They excavate tiny tunnels in sandy or well-drained soil, often with dozens or even hundreds of females nesting close together. Although it looks like a busy little village, each female is completely independent, looking after only her own nest.
One of the things I love about solitary bees is how peaceful they are. Unlike honeybees, they have no hive to defend and are very unlikely to sting people. They simply want to get on with collecting pollen and nectar before returning to their little underground nursery.
Each female carefully digs or finds a tunnel, then divides it into a series of chambers. In every chamber she places a ball of pollen mixed with nectar, lays a single egg on top, seals it up and starts building the next room. It's almost like creating a row of tiny packed lunches for the young bees that will hatch after she's gone.
Not all solitary bees nest underground, though. Leafcutter bees line their nests with neat circles cut from leaves, mason bees use mud to divide their nesting chambers, while carder bees collect soft plant fibres to make cosy nests. They all solve the same problem in wonderfully different ways.
Now, whenever we walk across sandy paths, chalk grassland or sunny banks, we find ourselves looking much more carefully at the ground. Tiny volcano-shaped holes, little bees hovering close to the soil, or insects disappearing into tunnels might all be signs that a solitary bee colony is busy beneath our feet.
Where we spotted it
Why not try this Oxfordshire Nature Adventures to see if you can spot any solitary bees? Or head here for more inspiration
April 2026 · Nature Reserves · Free
Dry Sandford Pit
A distinctly Jurassic stroll through the most diverse area in Oxfordshire, taking in FIVE nature reserves. We saw solitary bees, fossils, woodpeckers and some impressive geology.
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