Save the [Wild] Bees

 

Now that the annual Great Southeastern Pollinator Census is complete for this year, I hope that at least a few people learned more about the presence and diversity of our native bees. Perhaps they noticed that that carpenter bees, bumble bees, and small bees – all categories of native bees – outnumbered non-native honey bees in their count. They should outnumber them because there are so many more species of native bees and because this is their home turf. 

Yet, each of these native bee species have specific roles and we do need all of them. Those of us who census count on a variety of flowers see that different bee species use different flowers (although some are generalists).

Conservation work should be associated with doing all we can to support native bees. However, a recent article discussed how some businesses are trying to boost their conservation credentials by installing honey bee hives on their property and proclaiming they want to ‘save the bees.’ A recent video discussed the same topic and said that proclaiming you want to save the bees but focusing on honey bees is like saying we should save the birds and using a chicken in your messaging.

Beekeepers manage honey bee hives like farmers manage their crops. It’s mostly about agriculture. This is not about conservation. According to the article, there are “more honey bees on the planet than there have ever been in human history,” and “the population is already overwhelming the finite floral resources” in some areas.

Honey bees are important for agriculture and the by-products of their work – honey, wax, pollen – are used and appreciated by humans as well. When it comes to average gardeners like most of us, we don’t need to help honey bees. We need to help our native bees in our conservation efforts. I’ve written about supporting native bees before and you can find those articles here, here, and here.

Some ideas for good native bee plants

The best way to help our native bees is to plant flowering plants and especially to incorporate plants native to our ecoregion in our gardens. We should plan to have flowering plants across all 3 seasons: Spring, Summer, and Fall. We should also avoid pesticides, including NOT having our yards treated for mosquitoes; despite what the companies taking your money say, the chemicals used do not apply only to mosquitoes. Practices like removing or treating standing water are among the best ways to manage mosquitoes.

Metallic bees like tiny flowers

So when it comes to talking about saving the bees, let’s direct the conversation to saving our wild and native bees. Those are the bees that need our help as much as native plants do. Luckily by using native plants in your garden, you have a chance to help both.

Note: This post is not intended to disrespect honey bees or the folks who keep hives for personal use.