Most solitary bees need nothing more than flowers, a patch of bare soil and a few hollow stems, and mason and leafcutter bees will use a purpose-built bee hotel. Below: what the main groups look like, what helps them, and what is known in Scotland.
What does it look like?
Solitary bees are a varied group, with more than 250 British species and no single description that covers them. Mining bees (Andrena, around 65 species, 5 to 17mm long) nest in the soil and leave small volcano-like spoil heaps in lawns in spring. The tawny mining bee is bright red, and the ashy mining bee is black with two broad ashy grey bands on its back. Mason bees (Osmia, 11 species) nest in hollow stems, old masonry and other cavities; the red mason bee is probably the most familiar solitary bee to many people, but it is uncommon in Scotland and Ireland. Leafcutter bees (Megachile, 7 species) cut neat pieces from leaves to line their nests, and up to 40 pieces are needed for one nesting cell. Sweat bees (Lasioglossum and Halictus) are a group of around 40 smaller species. The wool carder bee lines its nest with the soft fibres on leaves such as lamb's ear; its males are very territorial, defending a patch of flowers, and the females emerge before the males. Solitary bees are not at all aggressive, and stinging is unlikely if they are left alone.
Life cycle
Solitary bees have no worker caste and no colony: each female builds and provisions her own nest alone and dies before the next generation emerges, so no queen survives to start again. Several mining bees may nest close together in one patch, though each female still works alone. Most species are on the wing for only part of the year. The tawny mining bee flies from late March to mid June, the northern colletes from June to August, and the ivy bee on flowering ivy from September through October into November.
How to encourage it
Grow pollen-rich flowers through as much of the year as possible, the starting point for any pollinator. Some solitary bees are specialists that collect pollen from one plant or plant family, so a few specific plants help beyond general flower cover.
Mining bees nest in the ground, so leave some bare or lightly vegetated soil uncovered rather than mulching or planting every inch. Small volcano-like heaps in a lawn in spring are mining bee nests; they can be inconvenient in a lawn, but they can be left alone. Other species use hollow plant stems, holes in dead wood or crumbling mortar, so leaving a few of these in place is itself a help. A bee hotel suits mason and leafcutter bees: fix an untreated plank at least 10cm wide as a frame, fill it with hollow stems such as bramble, reed or bamboo cut to fit, mix hole diameters from 2 to 10mm with plenty at the preferred 3 to 5mm, and discard any bent or knobbly stems. Hang it on a sunny wall sheltered from rain, and clean it once a year to remove built-up fungi, debris and parasites.
Avoid pesticides wherever possible, and do not spray a flower that is open, since that is when a pollinator is likely to be on it.
Plant these to help:
- Willow: catkins in late winter and early spring; several mining bees are willow specialists, including Clarke's mining bee.
- Lamb's ear: the wool carder bee lines its nest with the soft fibres on its leaves.
- Ivy: flowers in autumn, when little else is in bloom. The ivy bee times its emergence for the ivy flowering and was first recorded in Scotland in 2021, near Dunbar, so flowering ivy is worth a look in October and November.
Pollinators need flowers from March to October.
Why it matters
More than 250 British species of solitary bee pollinate alongside bumblebees in most gardens, mostly unnoticed because none forms a visible colony. Insect pollination is essential for most fruits and many vegetables to crop (RHS), and the Wildlife Trusts say solitary bees carry out the majority of pollination in Britain, with specialist species often collecting pollen from the daisy and pea families. Mason and leafcutter bees take to a purpose-built bee hotel. A hotel gives a gardener a hands-on way to help beyond planting.
Why this matters in Scotland
The tawny mining bee is common and widespread in England and Wales but has only been recorded in Scotland in recent years (Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society). The NBN Atlas lists 86 Scottish records out of 10,816 across Britain, against 9,495 in England and 1,214 in Wales (retrieved October 2026), so it is thinly recorded here.
The best-known Scottish solitary-bee specialist is the northern colletes mining bee, which nests in coastal sand dunes and machair, with Scotland and Northern Ireland as its strongholds. Its first British record came from south-west Scotland in July 1899, and it is a focus species of Species on the Edge, a programme for 37 threatened coastal and island species. Because it is tied to dunes and machair, it is a bee of coastal sites rather than most gardens.
Myths about solitary bees
“Solitary bees like mason and leafcutter bees make honey, just less of it than honeybees”
Honeybees are the only insects that produce honey (RHS). A solitary bee has no worker caste and no colony, and each female provisions her own nest alone before she dies.
Our read The word bee covers very different life histories. A mason or leafcutter bee is a solitary species, and a bee hotel or a patch of mining bee burrows is not a source of honey.
What to do: Don't expect honey from a bee hotel or a patch of mining bee burrows. Honey needs honeybees and a hive, which is a different undertaking from encouraging solitary bees.
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- RHSHoneybees are the only insects that produce honey. Solitary bees do not have a worker caste, and each female constructs and provisions her nest on her own and dies before the next generation of bees emerges.
“Solitary bees live in a colony with a queen and workers, like bumblebees or honeybees”
Solitary bees have no worker caste and no queen: each female builds and provisions her own nest alone and dies before her offspring emerge. Unlike a bumblebee colony, there is no surviving queen to start again the next year.
Our read Several mining bees can nest close together in one patch of bare soil, which can look like a colony from above. Each female is still working her own nest.
What to do: Treat a cluster of small mounds in a lawn as many separate nests, not one nest to be dealt with.
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- RHSUnlike the social bumblebees and honeybee, solitary bees do not have a worker caste, and each female constructs and provisions her nest on her own and dies before the next generation of bees emerges.
“Solitary bees are aggressive and likely to sting if you're near a nest”
Solitary bees are not at all aggressive, and stinging is unlikely if they are left alone (RHS). There is no colony to defend and no worker caste standing guard.
Our read The confusion probably comes from people who are wary of wasps or bumblebee nests assuming any bee nest carries the same risk.
What to do: There is no need to avoid a lawn with mining bee mounds or a wall with mason bee holes in it.
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- RHSSolitary bees are not at all aggressive, and stinging is unlikely if they are left alone.
“Once a bee hotel is put up, it's maintenance-free; just leave it alone”
The Wildlife Trusts' guide says to clean a bee hotel once a year to remove any build-up of fungi, debris and parasites. Left alone year after year, the used tubes collect all three.
Our read Leaving wildlife features alone is usually right for a log pile or an unmown patch. A bee hotel is an exception because it concentrates many nests in a small reused space, where fungi and parasites can carry over from one year to the next.
What to do: Clean the bee hotel once a year to remove built-up fungi, debris and parasites, and do not treat it as a set-and-forget feature.
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- The Wildlife TrustsA bee hotel should be cleaned once a year to remove any build-up of fungi, debris and parasites.
“Solitary bees are a minor sideshow to pollination; honeybees do the real work”
The Wildlife Trusts say solitary bees are amazingly effective pollinators and carry out the majority of pollination in Britain. The RHS counts more than 250 species, and specialist solitary bees often collect pollen from the daisy and pea families, which include several crops.
Our read Honeybees are the more visible pollinator because hives are managed and countable. Visibility is not the same as doing most of the work.
What to do: Treat bare soil patches, hollow stems, a bee hotel and flowers through the season as core pollinator gardening, not an optional extra alongside honeybee-focused planting.
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- The Wildlife TrustsSolitary bees carry out the majority of pollination in Britain; specialist solitary bees often collect pollen from the daisy and pea families.
“Bee hotels are just garden decoration and do not attract or help solitary bees”
The Wildlife Trusts' building guide says a frame of hollow stems on a sunny wall sheltered from rain can draw in female mason bees to nest, and that mixing hole diameters from 2 to 10mm, with plenty at 3 to 5mm, suits a wider range of species. The promise is hedged ('with any luck'), and there is little trial evidence on how much a hotel helps wild bees.
Our read A hotel suits cavity-nesting bees such as mason and leafcutter bees. Mining bees nest in soil, and a hotel gives them nothing, so bare soil matters as much.
What to do: Pack untreated hollow stems such as bramble, reed or bamboo into a simple frame, mixing hole diameters from 2 to 10mm with plenty at 3 to 5mm, and discard any bent or knobbly stems. Site it on a sunny wall sheltered from rain.
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- The Wildlife TrustsHang your hotel on a sunny wall, sheltered from rain, and include 2 to 10mm diameter holes, including the preferred 3 to 5mm.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy solitary bees?
Some suppliers sell mason bee cocoons, but a purchase is not needed to get solitary bees. Nest sites (bare soil, hollow stems, a bee hotel) and flowers across the season are what keep a population in a garden, and the red mason bee is uncommon in Scotland (Wildlife Trusts).
When will I see solitary bees?
It depends on the species, and most are on the wing for only part of the year. The tawny mining bee flies from late March to mid June, the northern colletes from June to August, and the ivy bee on flowering ivy from September into November.
Do solitary bees sting?
They are not at all aggressive, and stinging is unlikely if they are left alone (RHS). A patch of mining bee nests in a lawn is not a risk.
Do bee hotels work?
They can attract mason and leafcutter bees when built with the right hole sizes, sited on a sunny wall sheltered from rain and cleaned once a year (Wildlife Trusts). There is little trial evidence on how much a hotel helps wild bees, and mining bees need bare soil, not a hotel.
Sources
Show the 10 sources
- RHS: More than 250 solitary bee species in Britain; no worker caste, each female builds and provisions her nest alone and dies before the next generation emerges; honeybees as the only insects that produce honey; solitary bees not at all aggressive; pollen-rich flowers through the year; avoiding pesticides; nests that can be inconvenient in lawns.
- Wildlife Trusts: Species counts and descriptions for the main groups (mining, mason, leafcutter, sweat and wool carder bees), the red mason bee as uncommon in Scotland and Ireland, and solitary bees carrying out the majority of pollination in Britain.
- Wildlife Trusts: Bee hotel building guide: untreated plank at least 10cm wide, hollow stems cut to fit, holes of 2 to 10mm with plenty at the preferred 3 to 5mm, a sunny wall sheltered from rain, and cleaning once a year to remove fungi, debris and parasites.
- RHS: Plant and bee pairings: willow for specialists including Clarke's mining bee, lamb's ear fibres for the wool carder bee's nest, and ivy timed to the ivy bee's emergence.
- bwars.com: Tawny mining bee: common and widespread in England and Wales, recorded in Scotland for the first time only in recent years, flies from late March to mid June, nests in lawns and short turf.
- NBN Atlas Scotland: Record counts for the tawny mining bee by country from the NBN Atlas records service, retrieved 12 October 2026: 10,816 records in total, of which 9,495 in England, 1,214 in Wales and 86 in Scotland.
- Buglife: Northern colletes: coastal sand dunes and machair, Scotland and Northern Ireland as strongholds, first British record from south-west Scotland in July 1899, flies from June to August.
- bumblebeeconservation.org: The northern colletes mining bee as a focus species of Species on the Edge, a NatureScot-led programme for 37 threatened coastal and island species in Scotland.
- snhbs.scot: The ivy bee first recorded in Scotland in 2021, near Dunbar, and seen on flowering ivy through October and into November.
- NatureScot: NatureScot's Gardening for Pollinators leaflet: March to October as the key period for garden flowers for pollinators in Scotland.