Bees of Israel

Reports place Israel's wild-bee fauna at approximately 1,100 species.[4][1] The figure is an estimate rather than an exhaustive species-by-species count. Israel still lacks the long-term population data needed to determine whether its wild bees are undergoing declines comparable to those documented in Europe and North America.[6]

Most bee species worldwide, including most of Israel's wild bees, are solitary rather than social and do not produce honey or live in hives.[7][4] Their nests may be located in the ground or in trees, and not all species live socially.[5] Spring is the key season for many wild bees, when they collect nectar and pollen to provision their larvae.[8] Wild bees are major pollinators of wild plants, and their activity has been described as enabling the reproduction of nearly 90 percent of the world's flowers.[1]

At least 250 wild-bee species have been identified in the Carmel region alone, and several are known crop pollinators there.[2] Habitat loss and fragmentation, pesticide pollution, and climate-related disruption are recognized pressures on Israel's wild bees.[6]

The original and indigenous honey-bee subspecies in Israel is Apis mellifera syriaca, the Syrian honey bee.[7] More productive and docile commercial races were introduced over time, including the Italian honey bee, Apis mellifera ligustica.[7] The spread of the Varroa mite contributed to declines in wild local honey-bee populations; together with the introduction of managed races, this has led local honey-bee races to disappear from parts of their natural range.[7]

The dwarf honey bee, Apis florea, became established around Eilat and the southern Arava after entering the Gulf of Eilat region, representing a more recent addition to the country's bee fauna.[7] Honey bees were the main bee visitors to almond flowers in a study conducted in the Judean Foothills, underscoring their continued role in commercial agriculture.[9]

Bombus terrestris, the earth bumblebee, is the most common and adaptable bumblebee species in Israel.[10] Its range extends from southern Europe through Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon into Israel. It was formerly concentrated mainly in the Upper Galilee and at the foot of Mount Hermon, with evidence of a southward expansion possibly linked to increased agricultural use.[7]

Bumblebee colonies may contain up to approximately 400 individuals, and the insects are described as less aggressive than honey bees.[10] They practice buzz pollination — vibrating flowers to release pollen — which makes them important pollinators for crops such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants that depend on this form of pollination.[10]

The yellow carpenter bee is one of Israel's largest wild bee species and is especially common in settled areas, occurring across almost all of the country except its coldest zones.[6] It nests in trees and hollow stems, including wooden beams and pergolas in populated areas. Females are black and shiny with a yellow-haired patch on the back; as they age, friction from entering and leaving the nest wears away the hairs and gradually enlarges a bald spot.[6]

Xylocopa pubescens, described by researchers as a local species in Israel, was evaluated as an agricultural pollinator in greenhouse-grown honeydew melons alongside honey bees.[11] Although X. pubescens had shorter flower visits than honey bees and its foraging schedule did not align closely with the flowers' nectar-production patterns, its pollination produced three times the fruit set achieved by honey-bee pollination, with similar fruit mass and seed numbers.[11] Researchers concluded that X. pubescens can effectively pollinate melons in enclosed greenhouse settings.[11]

A Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel field guide — described as the first Israeli guide to map common bee types in the country — named five wild bees of note: the ornate hoverfly-like bee, the squash bee, the Carmel digger bee, the eastern panurgine bee, and the small wool-carder bee.[1] Scientific names were not provided for these five in the source.

The crimson iris, Iris atropurpurea, illustrates a difference between honey-bee and wild-bee behavior. Honey bees collect its pollen and carry it back to their hives, reducing the amount left available on the flowers, whereas wild bees visit without collecting the pollen in the same directed manner.[8]

Lasioglossum dorchini is a bee species described from Israel's coastal sand dunes. It was encountered accidentally during a five-year study by Hebrew University researchers Yael Mandelik and doctoral student Karmit Levy at Alexander Stream National Park near Bet Yannai Beach.[3] The researchers used insect nets and traps, plant surveys, and records of flowering and potential bee-nesting substrates to examine habitat restoration in a coastal sand ecosystem altered by eucalyptus planting.[3]

The previously unknown species was identified and formally described by Alain Pauly of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and named in honor of Israeli bee researcher Achik Dorchin.[3] Researchers said the species was probably unique to the coastal-plain sands of Israel. The same study reported an improvement in the wild-bee community following restoration of the sandy habitat.[3]

A study of wild bees in Israel's Judean Foothills sampled bees and flowering plants during almond bloom in 2008, comparing natural habitat, conventional almond orchards, a weedy orchard where wildflowers were permitted to grow, and the margin between orchard and natural habitat.[9] Wild bees were significantly more abundant in natural habitats and orchard margins than in the orchard itself; the weedy orchard showed intermediate abundance.[9]

While no significant difference was found among habitat types in the number of wild-bee genera, the composition of genera differed between natural habitat and orchard, indicating that land management shapes which bees are present even when the number of genera appears similar.[9] These findings highlight the potential value of habitat margins and weed-tolerant orchard management for supporting wild pollinators alongside commercial bee colonies.

Bee curator Gideon Pizanti said that about 40 additional bee species had been identified in Israel in the year before an April 2023 report, including some entirely new to science.[5] The country's fauna therefore remains incompletely documented. The absence of long-term population data also makes it difficult to assess national trends, even as habitat loss, pesticides, pollution, and climate-related changes are recognized threats.[6]

Research in the Carmel has documented at least 250 wild-bee species, including several crop pollinators.[2] At Alexander Stream National Park, researchers reported that restoration of sandy habitat improved conditions for the wild-bee community.[3]

The ecological effects of managed honey bees remain disputed. The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel argued that commercial hives can compete with wild bees for nectar and pollen and sought tighter controls near nature reserves. The Ministry of Agriculture responded that the primary cause of declining local species was the loss of open spaces and natural habitats, and argued that removing honey-bee hives would provide little benefit to wild bees.[1]