Bertie Lee The Bee Whisperer

Bertie Lee The Bee Whisperer I’m a wanderer of wildflower paths, a keeper of small stories, and a friend to bees!

Nomia melanderi - Alkali Be🐝Bee of the day for August 9th🐝Introducing the: Nomia melanderi - Alkali BeeColor: Metallic ...
08/09/2026

Nomia melanderi - Alkali Be🐝Bee of the day for August 9th🐝
Introducing the: Nomia melanderi - Alkali Bee
Color: Metallic green-black body with pale cream bands across the abdomen.
Size: 10–15 mm (0.39–0.59 in)
How to recognize them: They resemble a small honeybee but have a metallic green sheen and crisp white bands across the abdomen.
Where They Exist
Region: North America
Habitat & Nesting
Preferred habitat: Dry grasslands, agricultural fields, meadows, and alkaline soils.
Nest type: Solitary ground nester, often forming enormous nesting aggregations.
What this bee needs to survive: Alkaline or salty soils for nesting, abundant wildflowers, flowering crops, and pesticide-free habitat.
Temperament
Behavior: Active, fast-flying, ground-nesting, pollen-foraging, hardworking
Territorial / shy / social / docile / aggressive: Solitary, docile
Do they sting? Females can sting if handled but are extremely gentle and rarely do.
Favorite Flowers
Favorite flowers or plants: Alfalfa, clover, asters, goldenrod, rabbitbrush, and wild sunflowers.
Pollination relationships: Alkali Bees are among the most efficient pollinators of alfalfa and are widely recognized for improving seed production.
Why This Bee Matters
Ecological importance: They are one of North America's most valuable native agricultural pollinators.
What role they play in nature: By pollinating both native wildflowers and important crops, Alkali Bees help support healthy ecosystems and food production.
Conservation Status
Common / uncommon / rare / endangered: Common
Current threats: Habitat loss, destruction of nesting beds, pesticide exposure, and conversion of native grasslands.

08/09/2026

Everyday a new bee species will be introduced, you may find them in your back yard, you might just have to learn about them from the other side of the world. There are 20,000 different listed bee species across the world. Together we will learn how each bee is just a important as the next and what we can do to help protect each species!

🐝Bee of the day for August 9th🐝
Introducing the: Nomia melanderi - Alkali Bee

08/09/2026

Bee Omen 🐝✨
Aug 9th

🐝Bee of the day for August 8th🐝Introducing the: Rediviva neliana - Long-Legged Oil BeeColor: Dark brown to black with g...
08/08/2026

🐝Bee of the day for August 8th🐝
Introducing the: Rediviva neliana - Long-Legged Oil Bee
Color: Dark brown to black with golden-brown hairs.
Size: 10–13 mm (0.39–0.51 in)
How to recognize them: Their unusually elongated front legs are unlike those of almost any other bee and are often longer than the rest of the body.
Where They Exist
Region: Africa
Habitat & Nesting
Preferred habitat: Grasslands, shrublands, and wildflower-rich habitats where oil-producing flowers naturally grow.
Nest type: Solitary ground nester.
What this bee needs to survive: Sandy or well-drained soil, native oil-producing flowers, and undisturbed nesting areas.
Temperament
Behavior: Active, specialized, ground-nesting, pollen-foraging, oil-collecting
Territorial / shy / social / docile / aggressive: Solitary, shy, docile
Do they sting? Females can sting if threatened but are rarely aggressive.
Favorite Flowers
Favorite flowers or plants: Diascia, Hemimeris, Colpias, and other native oil-producing flowers.
Pollination relationships: These bees have an extraordinary partnership with Diascia flowers. While gathering floral oils, they pollinate the blossoms, making each species dependent on the other for survival.
Why This Bee Matters
Ecological importance: Long-Legged Oil Bees are essential pollinators for specialized native plants that few other insects can successfully pollinate.
What role they play in nature: They help maintain unique plant communities that rely on this remarkable bee-flower partnership.
Conservation Status
Common / uncommon / rare / endangered: Uncommon
Current threats: Habitat fragmentation, loss of native wildflowers, agricultural expansion, and pesticide exposure.

08/08/2026

Everyday a new bee species will be introduced, you may find them in your back yard, you might just have to learn about them from the other side of the world. There are 20,000 different listed bee species across the world. Together we will learn how each bee is just a important as the next and what we can do to help protect each species!

🐝Bee of the day for August 8th🐝
Introducing the: Rediviva neliana - Long-Legged Oil Bee

08/08/2026

Bee Omen 🐝✨
Aug 8th

🐝Bee of the day for August 7th🐝Introducing the: Homalictus urbanus - Urban Metallic Sweat BeeColor: Metallic green to b...
08/07/2026

🐝Bee of the day for August 7th🐝
Introducing the: Homalictus urbanus - Urban Metallic Sweat Bee
Color: Metallic green to blue-green with darker legs and translucent wings.
Size: 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in)
How to recognize them: Look for an exceptionally tiny bee with a jewel-like green sheen—their metallic coloring can be surprisingly vivid when sunlight hits them.
Where They Exist
Region: Australia/Oceania
Habitat & Nesting
Preferred habitat: Open woodland, grasslands, gardens, urban green spaces, and other areas containing exposed soil and flowering vegetation.
Nest type: Ground nester, excavating small burrows in soil.
What this bee needs to survive: Undisturbed patches of bare soil, diverse flowering plants, and protection from heavy pesticide use.
Temperament
Behavior: Active, quick, industrious, ground-nesting, pollen-foraging
Territorial / shy / social / docile / aggressive: Social, docile
Do they sting? Females can sting, but they are small and generally reluctant to sting unless directly threatened.
Favorite Flowers
Favorite flowers or plants: Eucalyptus, tea tree (Leptospermum), grevillea, wattle (Acacia), and native daisies.
Pollination relationships: These tiny native bees visit numerous Australian plants, transferring pollen as they forage for both nectar and pollen.
Why This Bee Matters
Ecological importance: Homalictus bees contribute to the pollination of native vegetation and help maintain diverse plant communities.
What role they play in nature: Their small size allows them to work flowers that larger bees may overlook, filling an important niche among Australia's native pollinators.
Conservation Status
Common / uncommon / rare / endangered: Common
Current threats: Habitat loss, pesticide exposure, disappearance of bare nesting soil, and reduced native flowering vegetation.

08/07/2026

Everyday a new bee species will be introduced, you may find them in your back yard, you might just have to learn about them from the other side of the world. There are 20,000 different listed bee species across the world. Together we will learn how each bee is just a important as the next and what we can do to help protect each species!

🐝Bee of the day for August 7th🐝
Introducing the: Homalictus urbanus - Urban Metallic Sweat Bee

08/07/2026

Bee Omen 🐝✨
Aug 7th

🐝Bee of the day for August 6th🐝Introducing the: Euglossa dilemma - Green Orchid BeeColor: Brilliant metallic emerald gr...
08/06/2026

🐝Bee of the day for August 6th🐝
Introducing the: Euglossa dilemma - Green Orchid Bee
Color: Brilliant metallic emerald green, sometimes with blue or golden reflections.
Size: 11–14 mm (0.43–0.55 in)
How to recognize them: Their intensely metallic green bodies make them look almost jewel-like, while their relatively slender shape separates them from many chunky metallic bees.
Where They Exist
Region: North America
Habitat & Nesting
Preferred habitat: Tropical and subtropical forests, woodland edges, gardens, and other warm, flower-rich environments.
Nest type: Solitary to communal cavity nester, often using enclosed natural spaces and coating nest materials with plant resins.
What this bee needs to survive: Diverse flowering plants, fragrance-producing plants, resin sources, suitable nesting cavities, and pesticide-free habitat.
Temperament
Behavior: Fast-flying, energetic, curious, fragrance-collecting, long-distance foraging
Territorial / shy / social / docile / aggressive: Solitary, docile
Do they sting? Females can sting defensively but are not generally aggressive; males cannot sting.
Favorite Flowers
Favorite flowers or plants: Orchids, passionflowers, lantana, basil, and salvia.
Pollination relationships: Orchid bees are especially important tropical pollinators. Their long tongues allow them to reach nectar in deep flowers that many other bees cannot effectively access.
Why This Bee Matters
Ecological importance: Green Orchid Bees connect widely scattered flowering plants by carrying pollen considerable distances through their habitat.
What role they play in nature: They pollinate numerous tropical plants while helping maintain genetic exchange between separated plant populations.
Conservation Status
Common / uncommon / rare / endangered: Common
Current threats: Habitat loss, pesticide exposure, and declining diversity of native flowering plants.

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