In Minnesota, there are twenty-five described species within the genus Colletes. Bees in this genus nest in the ground and have solitary nests. It is not uncommon for some species to nest in aggregations in well-drained soil such as sand. Colletes have large round abdomens often with continuous white hair bands, converging eyes resulting in a tapered (heart-shaped) face, a short bilobed or forked glossa (tongue), three forewing submarginal cells, and an S-shaped second recurrent vein (forewing). Females have pollen-collecting hairs on their hind leg femora and tibiae. They also have broad rounded abdomen that houses and enlarged Dufour's gland. Secretions from this gland, combined with saliva, form the waterproof cellophane-like lining in nest brood cells. Bees in this genus are small-medium to medium-sized and range in length from 6 to 15 mm (0.24 to 0.6 inches). 
 

Twenty-two or the majority of Colletes species that occur in Minnesota are pollen-collecting specialists (oligoleges). Many of the host plants bloom in summer or early fall. For example, in Minnesota, host plants in the plant genera Dalea, Amorpha, Solidago, Symphyotrichum, and Physalis support two or more Colletes specialists.