Wild Bees
Around 700 bee species live in Austria. The best known is the western honey bee (Apis mellifera), which has been selectively bred by humans and is the only species to produce honey and wax. All the others are wild bees. These species live alone or in small groups. They do not build combs, but lay their eggs in plant stems, or in holes in sand or soil. Their great diversity is their strength. In a wide variety of habitats, they pollinate many plants, including rare ones.
Masked Bees and Plasterer Bees
Family: Colletidae
Masked bees live at forest edges and in sand and clay pits. They can even be found above the tree line. Plasterer bees settle on walls and steep faces. As pollinators, most of them are specialised on individual plant species.
Spring plasterer bee (Colletes cunicularius)
Mining Bees
Family: Andrenidae
There are around 1,500 species of mining bees worldwide, 170 of them in Central Europe alone. They usually live solitarily in nutrient-poor grasslands and fallow land, where they build their nests in the soil.
Willow mining bee (Andrena vaga)
Furrow Bees and Sweat Bees
Family: Halictidae
Furrow bees and sweat bees occur in many different forms: small and large, living alone or together with others, flying by day or by night. Almost all of them, however, build their nests in the ground or in dead tree trunks.
Large scabious furrow bee (Halictus scabiosae)
Wool Carder Bees and Resin Bees
Family: Megachilidae
Wool carder bees and resin bees use plant hairs and resin to build their nests. Because of the striking yellow or white markings on their abdomens, they are reminiscent of wasps.
Large resin bee (Trachusa byssina)
Mason Bees and Leafcutter Bees
Family: Megachilidae
Mason bees nest in sand, plant stems or snail shells, while leafcutter bees nest in dead wood or hollow stems. For nest building, some collect sand and pieces of leaves, others use clay.
Horned mason bee (Osmia cornuta)
Threats and Conservation
Wild bees are increasingly under threat. Intensive agriculture, soil sealing, road construction and environmental toxins mean that they are finding less and less food. Industrial-scale beekeeping with many large colonies makes the situation worse. Honey bees not only use the same food sources as wild bees, they also bring in parasites and diseases.
Naturpark Kaunergrat and the region’s beekeeping associations are taking a different approach. They focus on beekeeping with the Dark European honey bee, a traditional breed adapted to local conditions. This reduces the pressure on wild bees. Additional protection is provided by beekeepers trained as ambassadors for wild bees.