What Do Digger Bees Eat?
Digger bees feed on two main things: nectar and pollen. As adults, they drink nectar from flowering plants as their primary energy source. It fuels their flight, digging activity, and daily foraging.
These bees also gather pollen, but that’s mainly for their developing offspring rather than for themselves. Female digger bees collect pollen on their legs or body hairs, carry it back to their underground nests, and pack it into brood cells. They mix this pollen with nectar to create a nutrient-dense “bee bread,” which serves as the sole food supply for their larvae. Different species may show preferences for certain flowers, but most digger bees are generalists and will visit a wide range of blooming plants.
Do Digger Bees Eat Nectar?
Yes, adult digger bees do eat nectar. Nectar is their primary fuel source, giving them the energy they need for flying, foraging, and excavating their underground nests. While they also collect pollen, that pollen is mainly gathered to provision their brood cells and feed their developing larvae, not for their own nutrition.
Do Digger Bees Eat Pollen?
Adult digger bees don’t typically eat much pollen themselves, but they do collect it intensively. Pollen is primarily used as a protein-rich food source for their larvae. A female digger bee gathers pollen, mixes it with nectar to form a “bee bread,” and places it in each brood cell before laying an egg on it. The developing larva consumes that mixture as its sole nourishment.
Adults may ingest trace amounts while grooming, but nectar—not pollen—is their main food.
What Else Do Digger Bees Eat?
Digger bees have a very simple diet, and beyond nectar and pollen they don’t consume much else. Their nutritional needs are almost entirely met by flowering plants. A few additional points help round out the picture:
- Trace plant liquids: While foraging, adults may incidentally take in small amounts of plant sap or moisture from plant surfaces, but this isn’t a meaningful part of their diet—more of an occasional byproduct of feeding activity.
- Water: They do drink water when needed. Water helps them regulate moisture in the nest and can assist in softening soil during excavation, although they don’t “eat” it in the nutritional sense.
- Larval diet remains the same: Their larvae feed exclusively on the pollen–nectar mixture (“bee bread”) that the mother provides. No insects, no detritus, and no additional food sources.
Overall, digger bees are strict floral foragers. Nectar provides energy, pollen provides protein (for larvae), and water supports basic physiological needs. They are not predators and don’t scavenge other kinds of food.