Xylocopa violacea
Switzerland's largest bee (20–28 mm) with iridescent violet wings. It bores tunnels into dead wood with powerful mandibles — a true carpenter bee.
🧐 Top 10 Curiosities
The strangest, quirkiest and most fascinating wild bees of Switzerland.
Osmia rufohirta
This mason bee nests in empty snail shells instead of soil or cavities — the only Swiss species with this quirky preference.
Colletes hederae
The only Swiss bee that flies in autumn (September–November). First described in 1993 and has since expanded rapidly northwards.
Andrena florea
Both sexes sleep inside bryony flowers at night. Wake up, collect pollen, go back to sleep — the cosiest life of any Swiss bee.
Megachile sculpturalis
A 19–25 mm giant from East Asia spreading rapidly across Switzerland. With its four-toothed mandibles it looks like a tiny superhero.
Anthidium manicatum
Males have three sharp abdominal spines and fight fierce aerial battles over territory. Females scrape plant 'wool' for nest lining — hence 'wool carder bee'.
Melecta albifrons
This cuckoo bee looks like a tiny panda: jet black with cream spots. It has no pollen-collecting apparatus — it smuggles its eggs into other bees' nests.
Eucera longicornis
Males have antennae as long as their entire body — an alien-like appearance. They also sport a bright yellow face mask.
Osmia bicolor
Also nests in snail shells, but then camouflages them with pine needles and grass — a master of disguise in the bee world.
Bombus bohemicus
A cuckoo bumblebee with no workers of its own. The female invades a host nest, kills the queen, and forces host workers to raise her young. Brutal, but brilliant.