Common Yellow-face Bee vs Masked bee

Hylaeus communis compared with Hylaeus variegatus

Key Differences

• Common Yellow-face Bee is Least Concern while Masked bee is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Yellow-face Bee	Masked bee
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (artrópodos)	Arthropoda (artrópodos)
Class same	Insecta (insecto)	Insecta (insecto)
Order same	Hymenoptera (himenópteros)	Hymenoptera (himenópteros)
Family same	Colletidae	Colletidae
Genus same	Hylaeus	Hylaeus
Species	Hylaeus communis	Hylaeus variegatus

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Yellow-face Bee and Masked bee share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Hylaeus.

Conservation Status

Common Yellow-face Bee

LC — Least Concern

Masked bee

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Yellow-face Bee	Masked bee
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Yellow-face Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Masked bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Sweden, and United States.

Common Yellow-face Bee

<em>Hylaeus communis</em>, the common yellow-face bee, is a small solitary bee in the family Colletidae. It is widely distributed across much of Europe and western Asia, where it is one of the most frequently encountered members of its genus. The species inhabits a broad range of open and semi-open habitats including gardens, meadows, hedgerows, heathlands, and woodland edges, often nesting in existing cavities such as hollow plant stems, galls, and old beetle burrows. Adults are small, typically 6–8 mm in length, and are characterized by yellow facial markings on an otherwise black body, the pattern being more extensive in males than females. Biological traits such as average lifespan, precise body weight, and detailed population estimates remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. Unlike many bees, <em>Hylaeus</em> species lack specialized pollen-carrying structures; instead, they transport pollen and nectar internally in their crop. Adults visit a wide variety of flowers for food and are considered polylectic generalists. <em>Hylaeus communis</em> is assessed as Least Concern, reflecting its broad distribution and tolerance of diverse habitats, though it may be affected by loss of nesting sites and floral diversity in intensively managed landscapes.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇸🇪 Sweden