The beginning of my quest to spot a native bee. But only a honey bee visits on a sunny January day
MELBOURNE, Fla.--When the garden is abuzz, I’ve always assumed honey bees and bumblebees are at work, pollinating plants. In fact, those are the only two species I'd recognize.
At a recent presentation “Meet the Bees You’ve Never Noticed,” Florida native bee authority Laura Zurro introduced her audience to native bees in landscapes.
Of the 20,000 known bee species worldwide and 4000 in North America, honey bees make up only eight species. Florida is home to 320 species of native bees of which 29 species are only found in the state, Zurro explained.
Honey bees were brought to this continent by European settlers (16th-17th centuries) for pollination, honey and wax. However, native bees have been here for thousands of years. In fact, the earliest bees are estimated to date back more than 130 million years (Goulson).
Moving to the Melbourne area nearly 10 years ago, Zurro said she developed an interest in bees after she purchased a macro lens for her camera and then spent “hundreds of hours” in her garden where she identified 47 species of native bees.
“I started crawling around on the ground a lot.”
Since that time, Zurro has gained recognition as an authority on Florida native bees through her photography and publications.
Speaking to a Melbourne audience of nearly 70 native plant enthusiasts, she pointed out, “If you don’t know where they [native bees] are, you don’t know what to look for.”
Given native bees have evolved with native plants and crops, they are effective pollinators, relying on a variety of foraging techniques like buzz pollination, or scopal hairs on the back legs or abdomens to collect pollen They may travel a distance of 100 feet to about a mile to collect pollen. (Hatfield; Larsen; Zurro, “Welcome”).
Unlike honey bees, which live in hives with a distinct social structure, native bees are often solitary (Zurro, “Bee”). Given that 70 percent of native bees nest in the ground (and the other 30 percent nest in hollow plant stems or rotting wood), habitat is critica.
Native bees and honey bees are important to pollination and our food sources. But these species are on the decline due to loss of habitat, use of pesticides and competition for resources. What every homeowner can do is plant natives for nutrients, leave dry stems and leaves to enable bees to nest in colder seasons and mulch lightly.
Zurro ended her talk with a parting message—spend time in our gardens and observe closely. Many of us will try to identify native bees that frequent our gardens. For now, I've only seen a honey bee, but I know the natives are out there. . . .
Some color remains in a native plant border in January
Bees show a preference for yellow or white flowers.
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Works Cited
Goulson, David. “The Beguiling History of Bees {Excerpt].” Scientific American. 25 April 2014. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-beguiling-history-of-bees-excerpt/. Accessed 17 January 2026.
Hatfield, Rich, and Matthew Shepherd. “Want to Save the Bees? Focus on Habit, Not Honey Bees.” Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. 27 March 2025. https://xerces.org/blog/want-to-save-bees-focus-on-habitat-not-honey-bees. Accessed 17 January 2026.
Hitchcock, Hannah. “Honeybees and Native Bees—What’s The Difference?” Butterfly Pavillion. 4 April 2025. Butterfly Pavilion. https://butterflies.org/honey-bees-and-native-bees-whats-the-difference/. Accessed 15 January 2026.
Kerr, Amanda. “Deciphering All the Buzz about Honey Bee Loss.” NC State University. 14 April 2025. https://cals.ncsu.edu/news/deciphering-all-the-buzz-about-honey-bee-loss/. Accessed 16 January 2026.
Larsen, Claudia. “Celebrate Native Bees and Other Pollinators.” Florida Wildflower Foundation. 17 November 2023. https://www.flawildflowers.org/celebrate-pollinators/. Accessed 17 January 2026.
Zurro, Laura. “Bee the Difference—How You Can Protect Native Bees through Fall and Winter.” Bay Soundings—Tampa Bay’s Environmental News. 12 August 2025. https://baysoundings.com/bee-the-difference-how-you-can-protect-native-bees-through-fall-and-winter/. Accessed 11 January 2026.
Zurro, Laura. “Meet the Bees You’ve Never Noticed!” Presentation. Conradina Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society. Melbourne, Fla. 12 January 2026.
Zurro, Laura. “Welcome Florida’s Native Bees into Your Yard.” Bay Soundings—Tampa Bay’s Science and Nature News Journal. 13 August 2025. https://baysoundings.com/welcome-floridas-native-bees-into-your-yard/. Accessed 16 January 2026.
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