Tag: nature

Pacifists

I’ve heard many misconceptions about bees. Among them, there are two beliefs which are contradictory to each other… and both are false. On one hand, many people are afraid of all bees because they believe that there is high risk of being stung by any bee species. On the other hand, there is a popular belief that solitary bees, for example mason bees, are harmless because they do not have a stinger. What are the facts?

Females of almost all bee species in the world have stingers. The only group of bees I know of with reduced stingers are stingless bees, which live in the tropics and subtropics (if you know of any other examples, please let me know!). In contrast, males never have stingers.

Despite having a stinger, most bee species are very unlikely (or sometimes unable) to sting us. Why is it so? Most bees (not only solitary, but also social, as is the case in many halictid bees) do not defend their nests against large intruders like me, you, your children or pets. Even when their nest is being destroyed, they will flee rather than fight. They will make use of their sting when they cannot escape – like, held in hand or squeezed. Some species, however, have too minute stingers to pierce human skin so they pose no risk at all (I tested this on several Andrena females – they tried to sting me when held in hand, but didn’t succeed).

Summing up, most bees have stingers, but usually are unlikely to use it against us. The funny thing is, the stingless bees which I mentioned earlier, can effectively defend their colonies even though they can’t sting. They bite, pull hairs and sometimes produce secretions irritating skin of an intruder.

January 5, 2026

bee, bees, justyna kierat, nature, nonhoneybees, wild bees, wildbees
Monolectic

If monolectic bees could talk, would they be monotematic?
Monolecty means that a bee species uses pollen from only one species of plant or, in the broader sense proposed by Cane, from only one genus of plants. Species which collect from more species/genera, but all belonging to only one plant family, are called oligolectic. Other bees, more generalised in their pollen choices, are called polylectic.

Bees from the genus Macropis collect pollen (and floral oils) from Loosestrife (Lysimachia), which makes them, depending on which definition you use, narrowly oligolectic or monolectic.

December 22, 2025

bee, bees, insects, justyna kierat, nature, nonhoneybees, wild bees, wildbees
You deserve to be a queen

Here you can find the study I refer to in this cartoon. No additional comment is needed here, I believe 😉

This post was published on Instagram in cooperation with The Pollinator Academy. I’m happy to be involved in this initiative. If you are interested to learn about pollinators, in particular bees, hoverflies and butterflies, and recognizing them, check out the PA website!

December 18, 2025

bee, bees, insects, justyna kierat, nature, nonhoneybees, wild bees, wildbees
Pink bees

I recently ran a workshop for a group of schoolchildren. We talked about bees and drew them in a cartoon style. The kids had lots of questions, one of which really stuck in my mind. They wanted to know what colours bees could be. I was able to tell them that there are black, brown, red, white, yellow, orange, green and even blue bees. But what about pink? I can’t recall any pink bee species. Are there none, or I just don’t know them, or have forgotten about their existence? Please help me if you know the answer!

December 17, 2025

bee, bees, justyna kierat, nature, nonhoneybees, wild bees, wildbees
High five

Have you ever seen a bumblebee lift its leg as if to say hello or give you a high five? The bee looks as though she wants to be friends with you. In reality, however, it’s the opposite.

In bee language, raising a leg is a sign of discontent. This message can be directed towards humans or other insects. It’s a warning not to approach any closer if you don’t want to get stung. However, in the case of males, it’s only a bluff as they don’t possess a stinger.

December 12, 2025

bee, bees, insects, justyna kierat, nature, nonhoneybees, wild bees, wildbees
Arriving at the wrong time

Many bee species only fly at a specific time of year. Sometimes, they are only active for a few weeks and you can’t see them at any other time… or can you?

Every autumn, occasional sightings of spring-active bees are reported. It is thought that these are either bees that were disturbed in their underground nests, e.g. by gardeners, or bees that simply made a mistake regarding to when to emerge. Sadly, their fate is pretty much sealed – they have little chance to live long, not to mention finding a mate of their own species and reproducing.

Rumour has it that the cases of spring bees active in autumn are becoming more frequent because of the climate change. However, I don’t know of any papers that explore this possibility. If you know of any, please post a link in the comments!

December 7, 2025

bee, bees, insects, justyna kierat, nature, nonhoneybees, wild bees, wildbees
Chronotypes

Do you like to get up early, or prefer sleeping in and staying up late? In Poland, we call the first type of people “the skylarks” and the second – “the owls”. I’m definitely the latter.

Bees usually are early risers, but you still can find a variability among them. The pantaloon bee, Dasypoda hirtipes, prefers flowers of common chicory, which usually open early and close already around noon. The bee also tends to finish her work early. At the other end of the spectrum are nocturnal bee species, which fly at dawn or dusk. They usually have large eyes and ocelli to catch as much light as possible. Probably the best known nocturnal species is Megalopta genalis (in the cartoon, I portrayed a male).

November 30, 2025

bee, bees, insects, justyna kierat, nature, nonhoneybees, wild bees, wildbees
Mimicry

Mimicry is a phenomenon whereby different species resemble each other. One type of mimicry involves defenseless species resembling species that are somehow armed, e.g., poisonous or venomous. This is the case with defenseless hoverflies and stinging bees.The mimic gains protection when predators mistake it for the model and refrain from attacking.

Mimicry is not always perfect—sometimes the mimic only superficially resembles the model, but this is enough for it to gain benefits. A predator’s moment of hesitation can mean the difference between life and death. It is also important to remember that our perception of the world differs from that of other species, and what is different to us may be similar to a bird.

Today’s post was published on Instagram in cooperation with Pollinator Academy. From their website: “The Pollinator Academy is a European, open source platform for sharing taxonomic knowledge. It is a learning platform aiming to strengthen taxonomic capacity throughout Europe and was created through close collaboration between specialists and trainers from different institutes.” Want to check if you can tell a bee from a hoverfly? Take a look here!

November 24, 2025

bee, bees, bumblebee, insects, justyna kierat, nature, nonhoneybees, wild bees, wildbees
Scrolling

The honey bee is a unique species of bee, and we have made it even more so. It is bred in large numbers, even in places that it would never naturally reach. It is the best-known species — ask any child about bees and see which ones they describe! When people hear that bees are in danger and need protection, the honeybee is often the first species that comes to mind. Many people want to become beekeepers or support apiaries in order to help the bees. However, the honeybee is not a species threatened with extinction. Artificially increasing its population doesn’t help and can even endanger wild bee species — many of which are actually vulnerable! Honeybees can outcompete wild bees when collecting pollen and nectar, and their diseases can spread to wild bee populations. When honeybees’ densities are very large, they compete with each other and diseases spread more easily, which is not good for them either.

I believe that most of you reading this are familiar with the issue. What you can do is spread the word to others. Let people know that there are many bees in the world (and even more pollinators) that need food, a place to nest and a safe environment — not more honeybee hives.

November 12, 2025

bee, bees, honeybee, insects, justyna kierat, nature, nonhoneybees, wild bees, wildbees
Obstacles

Shortly after emerging from the nest and mating, young bumblebee queens start looking for a place to hibernate. Typically, a female will dig a hibernaculum in the ground — a relatively short tunnel with a small chamber at the end. I was surprised to read that when a digging female encounters an obstacle in her way, like a pebble, she doesn’t try to bypass it but leaves the burrow and starts a new one. What could be the adaptive significance of this? Or is there none? If you know, please tell me!

November 8, 2025

bee, bees, bumblebee, insects, justyna kierat, nature, nonhoneybees, wild bees, wildbees
Honey

Did you know that the majority of bee species do not produce honey? But they all pollinate plants!

This is another post which was published on Instagram in cooperation with Pollinator Academy. By the way, I hope you remember that I’m also on Instagram and Facebook?

October 28, 2025

bee, bees, justyna kierat, nature, nonhoneybees, wild bees, wildbees
Rediscovery

It’s a bit old news, but I’ve only just found out about it. During wild bee research in New York State, one species was observed for the first time in over 100 years in the state. Congratulations to the rediscoverer!
Do you remember my previous post about oligolectic bees? Andrena rehni is a member of this group. It is common in plant-pollinator relationships that the specialisation is only on one side. This is also the case here. The American chestnut can be pollinated by other insects in the absence of its specialist. So, Andrena rehni can’t live without its favourite tree, but the tree didn’t miss the bee too much during its absence.

October 25, 2025

bee, bees, bumblebee, inktober, justyna kierat, nature, nonhoneybees, wildbees