The summer garden is literally buzzing with honey bees. But take a closer look. Honey bees are not native to North America, and much of the important work of pollinating plants and trees—including food crops—is undertaken by other, native insects. These helpful indigenous pollinators are probably alongside the honey bees in your garden right now.
One of the more common garden visitors native to North America is the bumble bee. There are many species of bumbles common in New Jersey, and many look so alike that even experts have difficulty identifying them by appearance alone. Bumble bees are bigger than honey bees, with a more bulky and square build, and tend to be fuzzy all over. They are ground nesting bees, so you won’t find their nests in trees or on structures. Another important bee family pollinator is the mason bee. Mason bees are solitary bees well known for their gentle demeanors. They are smaller than honey bees, and are often mistaken for flies. But don’t let their diminutive stature fool you; they are far more efficient pollinators even than honey bees, and are crucial for our food production. As honey bee populations continue to be in crisis, the native blue orchard mason bee is increasingly being used as a commercial pollinator for fruit crops in the US.
Flower flies, of which there are numerous species, are also regular visitors to your garden. The easiest way to tell if an insect is a fly or a bee is to look at the eyes. Bees have teardrop-shaped eyes, and flies have giant (relative to their heads) rounded bulbous eyes. The antennae of bees are also long, while flies have shorter, stubby antennae. Flower flies can range in size from tiny insects a few millimeters long to over two centimeters in length. Additionally, many flower fly species have larvae that eat garden pests such as aphids. This makes them a welcome addition to the garden landscape.
Next time you have a few minutes, take a closer look at who is busy among your flowers. There are a lot of pollinators besides honey bees that help our gardens grow.
Read More:
Stanley, Cory. “Blue Orchard Bee (Osmia lignaria).” Fact Sheet, Utah State University Extension and Utah Plant Pest Diagnostic Laboratory, ENT-162-12, April 2012. https://extension.usu.edu/planthealth/files/Bees/blue-orchard-bee.pdf
Shepherd, Matthew and Scott Hoffman Black. “Flower Flies.” US Department of Agriculture and US Forest Service, n.d., accessed 25 June 2025. https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/flower_flies.shtml
Sharpe, Paula, and Ross Eatman. “ID Guide to Wild Bees – New York.” Sharpe-Eatman Nature Photography, 2014-2016. https://www.sharpeatmanguides.com/sweat-bees
Photo Captions:
Photo 1: A bumble bee flies in to join a green sweat bee on a purple coneflower. Like mason bees, sweat bees are non-aggressive.
Photo 2: Three native pollinators. Clockwise from upper left, a blue orchard mason bee, a flower fly, and a green sweat bee. Note the bulbous red eyes on the flower fly.
Photo 3: This picture of a honey bee on an oak-leaf hydrangea flower clearly shows the tear-shaped eyes and long antennae.
Photo 4: Flower flies have rounded bulbous eyes that appear large relative to their heads, as seen here.
All photos taken by Laura Wangerin.
