Stem-nesting native bees
multiple genera (Ceratina, Hylaeus, Osmia, etc.)
Bee
Functional-group entry for the native solitary bees that nest in hollow plant stems through winter. The reason NC State Extension's standing advice for Echinacea, Rudbeckia, and many other native perennials is to cut dead stems to 12-24 inches and leave them standing rather than clearing flush to the ground.
Plan for this species
Location-fit plant set for Chicago, IL: host and specialist plants first, then nectar, fruit, seed, foliage, and shelter plants that still fit the current and mid-century climate read.
0 essential relationships / 6 supporting plants
Host/specialist links: 0
Forage/pollination links: 5
Shelter links: 1
Relationship roles: 3
Common camas
Supporting / Nectar plants
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center flags Camassia quamash as a plant of special value to native bees, and NC State Extension lists the flowers as "bee friendly." Used here as the closest available native-bee entry; common camas is a spring nectar and pollen source rather than a stem-nesting substrate.
Inkberry
Supporting / Nectar plants
Native solitary bees work holly bloom alongside honey bees. The flowers are small and open, so they are accessible to short-tongued bees rather than being a specialist resource.
Possumhaw
Supporting / Nectar plants
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center records nectar-insects among the benefits. The small open holly flowers are shallow and accessible to short-tongued solitary bees rather than being a specialist resource.
Firecracker penstemon
Supporting / Pollen plants
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center flags Penstemon eatonii as of "Special Value to Native Bees" (a Xerces Society pollinator-value flag).
Pussy willow
Supporting / Pollen plants
Willows (Salix) are documented hosts for a suite of pollen-specialist native bees that emerge in early spring to coincide with willow bloom; pussy willow is one of the earliest available sources.
Big bluestem
Supporting / Shelter plants
Standing clumps and stems provide nesting materials and overwintering structure for native bees.
Plants in the catalog
Nectar plants · 5
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center flags Camassia quamash as a plant of special value to native bees, and NC State Extension lists the flowers as "bee friendly." Used here as the closest available native-bee entry; common camas is a spring nectar and pollen source rather than a stem-nesting substrate.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center flags special value to native bees and lists it as a nectar source; manzanitas are an important late-winter/early-spring nectar plant for native bees.
Native solitary bees work holly bloom alongside honey bees. The flowers are small and open, so they are accessible to short-tongued bees rather than being a specialist resource.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center records nectar-insects among the benefits. The small open holly flowers are shallow and accessible to short-tongued solitary bees rather than being a specialist resource.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center records the flowers as attracting insects generally; the small open holly flower is accessible to short-tongued native bees rather than being a specialist resource. The Wildflower Center also lists yaupon as the larval host of Henry's elfin (Callophrys henrici), a small early-spring hairstreak that does not yet have its own entry in this catalog and so is named here rather than wired as a relationship.
Pollen plants · 3
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center flags special value to native bees and a role in conservation biological control; the dense spring thyrses are a heavy pollen and nectar source.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center flags Penstemon eatonii as of "Special Value to Native Bees" (a Xerces Society pollinator-value flag).
Willows (Salix) are documented hosts for a suite of pollen-specialist native bees that emerge in early spring to coincide with willow bloom; pussy willow is one of the earliest available sources.
Shelter plants · 17
Elderberry stems have soft pith that stem-nesting native bees can excavate; the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center flags the species as providing nesting materials and structure for native bees.
Standing clumps and stems provide nesting materials and overwintering structure for native bees.
NC State documents stem-nesting bee use of dead Liatris stems through winter. Cut back to 12 to 24 inches in late fall and leave standing through the cold season.
Dill's hollow, pithy stems are the kind of standing structure stem-nesting native bees use when left over winter; this is the general habit of hollow-stemmed herbs rather than a dill-specific record in the cited sources.
NC State Extension notes native bees nest in the dead, hollow stems of roses; leaving some cut canes standing provides nesting habitat.
Dense clumps and standing stems through winter provide overwintering habitat for ground-nesting native bees.
Dogwood stems are pithy, and pithy-stemmed shrubs are the standard nesting substrate for small carpenter bees (Ceratina) and other stem-nesting natives, which excavate the soft centre of a broken or cut stem and provision cells inside it. That relationship is well documented at the level of the plant group - Cornus, Rubus, Sambucus - rather than for Cornus alternifolia specifically, which is why this is marked plausible. The practical consequence is the same either way: leave cut stems standing at 12 to 18 inches rather than flush-cutting and clearing them, and the nesting habitat is free.
Native bees nest in the dead, hollow stems through winter; the load-bearing reason NC State Extension advises cutting back stems to 12 to 24 inches in late fall rather than clearing flush to the ground.
Native bees nest in the dead, hollow stems of roses; leaving some cut canes standing can provide nesting habitat, as it does for other Rosa.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center lists Yucca glauca as providing nesting materials and structure for native bees, and food and nesting for small mammals, birds, and reptiles.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents the species as providing nesting materials/structure for native bees; NC State Extension likewise notes native bees use this plant for nesting materials.
Native bees nest in the dead, hollow or pithy stems of roses; leaving some cut canes standing can provide nesting habitat, as it does for other Rosa, though the tie is plausible rather than documented for this group.
NC State explicitly notes "Dead stems are used by stem-nesting bees" and recommends cutting back to 12 to 24 inches in late fall to let the standing stems shelter overwintering bees.
Range
Across North America; specific species depend on region.
Sources & citations
Cite this page
Use this citation for the Plotwright wildlife record. Use the source cards below to explore the references that informed its taxonomy, range, conservation, host plants, foraging, and habitat.
Plotwright. (n.d.). Stem-nesting native bees (multiple genera (Ceratina, Hylaeus, Osmia, etc.)). Retrieved 2026, August 20, from https://plotwright.com/wildlife/native-stem-nesting-bees
Sources used for this record
This record is compiled from the sources below.
Xerces Society: Nests for Native Bees
Functional-group reference for native cavity- and stem-nesting bee habitat and the broad North American native-bee context used by this group entry.
University of Minnesota Extension: Flowers for pollinators
Extension reference for pollinator-supportive garden planting and habitat practices.