--- title: "UK Native Bee Species Map" date: 2026-07-18 published: 2026-05-13 author: "Dragos Nistor" --- # UK Native Bee Species Map An interactive field map # Where Britain’s *wild bees* live **Around 270 native bee species** share these islands: 24 bumblebees, around 245 solitary bees and a single honeybee.\[1\]\[2\] Tap a region to explore what flies there, or filter by group. 270Species 24Bumblebees 17Regions [Bees HubComplete guide to bees](/bees/) [Your Plate Without BeesSee what we stand to lose](/plate-without-bees/) [World Bee Atlas70+ countries, 250+ species](/world-bee-atlas/) All species Bumblebees Mining (Andrena) Mason & leafcutter Plasterer & flower Cuckoo bees Sweat & furrow Richness~95 to ~240 spp ### References & sources Part of the [HoneyBee & Co. Bee Education Series](/bees/). Explore global species in the [World Bee Atlas](/world-bee-atlas/) and see how bee decline affects your food in [Your Plate Without Bees](/plate-without-bees/). 1. National Bee Unit. *Wild Bees in the UK* (Fact Sheet 08, October 2024). APHA / Defra. [PDF](https://www.nationalbeeunit.com/assets/PDFs/3_Resources_for_beekeepers/Fact_Sheets/Fact_08_Wildbees.pdf) 2. Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society. National recording scheme for aculeate Hymenoptera in Britain & Ireland. [bwars.com](https://www.bwars.com/) 3. Bumblebee Conservation Trust. *Bumblebee Species Guide*, 24 species accounts with distribution maps. [bumblebeeconservation.org](https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/learn-about-bumblebees/species-guide/) 4. Powney, G. D. et al. (2019). *Widespread losses of pollinating insects in Britain.* Nature Communications 10:1018. [doi.org](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-08974-9) 5. Species on the Edge / NatureScot. *Great Yellow Bumblebee*, distribution, ecology and conservation status. [speciesontheedge.co.uk](https://speciesontheedge.co.uk/great-yellow-bumblebee/) 6. Buglife. Bug directory: *Bombus distinguendus*, *Bombus sylvarum*, *Osmia xanthomelana*. [buglife.org.uk](https://www.buglife.org.uk/bugs/bug-directory/) 7. Natural England. Species Recovery Programme, *Bombus sylvarum* (Shrill Carder Bee) strongholds: Thames Estuary, Gwent Levels, Somerset, Salisbury Plain. [gov.uk/natural-england](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/natural-england) 8. Falk, S. J. (2015). *Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland.* British Wildlife Publishing. [britishwildlife.com](https://www.britishwildlife.com/product/field-guide-to-the-bees-of-great-britain-and-ireland/) 9. Else, G. R. & Edwards, M. (2018). *Handbook of the Bees of the British Isles.* Ray Society. [raysociety.org.uk](https://www.raysociety.org.uk/publications/) 10. UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS). UKCEH / JNCC national citizen science survey, annual reports. [ukpoms.org.uk](https://ukpoms.org.uk/) 11. National Biodiversity Network Atlas. UK occurrence records for wild bees. [nbnatlas.org](https://nbnatlas.org/) 12. UK Parliament, House of Commons Library. *Bee numbers and decline*, Research Briefing CDP-2017-0226 (updated 2026). [commonslibrary.parliament.uk](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/) Regional species totals are indicative figures derived from BWARS county-level recording and NBN Atlas distribution data. Many solitary bee taxa are under-recorded outside southern England; treat figures as minimum counts. Notable-species attributions follow Falk (2015) and current BWARS species accounts. Understanding UK Bees ## How Many Bee Species Live in the United Kingdom? --- The United Kingdom is home to **around 270 bee species**. Most people only notice the honeybee and a handful of common bumblebees, but the majority of British bees are solitary species: small, ground-nesting or cavity-nesting bees that pollinate without forming colonies. Of the roughly 270 recorded species, **24 are bumblebees**, **one is the Western Honeybee**, and the remaining **245 or so are solitary bees** spanning mining bees, mason bees, leafcutter bees, plasterer bees, and furrow bees. These solitary species are responsible for a disproportionate share of wild pollination in the UK. Research published in *Nature Communications* found that **one-third of wild bee and hoverfly species experienced significant distribution losses** between 1980 and 2013, driven by habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change. The decline is most severe among habitat specialists: bees that depend on specific flowers, soil types, or coastal conditions. ~270Native bee species 24Bumblebee species ~245Solitary bee species 17Recording regions mapped ## Where Are the Richest Areas for Bees in the UK? --- The **South East of England** records the highest bee diversity, with around 240 species documented across chalk downland, heathland, and the Sussex and Kent coasts. **East Anglia** follows closely, where the sandy Breckland heaths and saltmarsh coasts support specialist species like the [Sea Aster Bee](/sea-aster-bee/) and dense colonies of mining bees. **Wessex and the South Coast**, including the New Forest and Dorset cliffs, hold around 230 species. Northern regions are less species-rich but ecologically vital. The **Scottish Highlands and Hebrides** are the last refuge of the [Great Yellow Bumblebee](/great-yellow-bumblebee/), once found across the whole of Britain but now restricted to fewer than 50 known colonies on machair grassland. The [Pinewood Mason Bee](/pinewood-mason-bee/) survives only in Caledonian pine forest remnants in the Cairngorms. Yorkshire and the Humber region, where [our British honey](/british-honey/) originates, records around 185 species. The [Heather Colletes](/heather-colletes/) nests on the same moorland that produces our [raw British Heather Honey](/heather-honey/), harvested once a year during the August heather bloom. ## Endangered and Declining Bees in Britain --- Several UK bee species are now critically rare. The [Large Mason Bee](/large-mason-bee/) (*Osmia xanthomelana*) clings to just three soft-cliff sites on the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales. The [Shrill Carder Bee](/shrill-carder-bee/) (*Bombus sylvarum*) has contracted to five isolated strongholds, including the Thames Estuary brownfield sites and the Gwent Levels in South Wales. The [Potter Flower Bee](/potter-flower-bee/) survives at roughly three locations on the southern coast. The [Short-haired Bumblebee](/short-haired-bumblebee/) was declared **extinct in the UK in 2000**, then reintroduced from Swedish stock to Romney Marsh from 2012 onwards. Whether these reintroduction efforts will establish a self-sustaining population remains uncertain. Conservation efforts are making a difference. Targeted [wildflower planting](/types-of-flowers-bees-like/), reduced mowing regimes, and the creation of pollinator corridors are helping stabilise populations in monitored areas. Every garden, allotment, and window box that provides forage from March to October contributes to the wider effort. ## Why We Built This Map --- HoneyBee & Co. exists because of bees. Our [six-generation beekeeping heritage](/about/) gives us a front-row seat to the pressures wild and managed bees face. We built this interactive map as part of our [Bee Education Hub](/bees/) to make distribution data accessible to anyone interested in British wildlife, whether you are a gardener wondering which bees visit your flowers, a student researching pollinator ecology, or a land manager planning habitat restoration. The data draws on records from the [Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society](https://www.bwars.com/), the [National Biodiversity Network Atlas](https://nbnatlas.org/), and published research. We have documented over 50 individual species profiles in our [bee species encyclopedia](/bees/), each with identification tips, habitat notes, and conservation status. If you would like to support pollinator-friendly beekeeping directly, [browse our raw honey range](/shop/). Every jar is traceable to its origin, and our apiaries are managed with bee welfare as the first priority. From the Same Landscapes ### The Bees on This Map Pollinate the Flowers That Make Our Honey Yorkshire heather moor. Transylvanian acacia forest. English wildflower meadow. The same habitats, the same seasons, the same bees. 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