You may have heard about the declining number of bees and concerns about it are justified. According to Best Bees, a company on a mission to expand the bee population and improve their health, over 75 percent of the food we eat depends on pollinators like bees. More than half of the world’s diet of fats and oils comes from animal-pollinated plants like canola and sunflowers. There are also more than 150 fruit, grain, seed and vegetable crops in the US that depend on pollinators. That makes for plenty of work for bees and a big impact on our food supply if they aren’t around to do it.
Honey bees are the most frequent single species of pollinator worldwide and while some of us may have been afraid of bees as children, honeybees are generally not aggressive and will only attack when their hive is threatened. Only worker bees and queens have stingers (drones do not) and a worker will die after it stings.
The reasons for the decline in the number of honey bees vary from genetics and pests to nutrition and pesticides. North American bees descended from a small gene pool and not much effort has been made into breeding for traits other than docility and honey production.
Breeding for resistance to pests like the Varroa mite, the single worst honey bee pest, has also not been explored much. The mite reproduces quickly and spreads easily, weakening and killing bees. Mite wounds are a huge vector for the spread of bacteria, viruses and fungus. The Nosema ceranae fungus has recently been identified as causing some colony collapses as it interferes with bees’ ability to digest and absorb food, as well as weakening their immunity to toxins and diseases.
The two other contributors–nutrition and pesticides–are directly related to our growing of crops. The lack of food diversity, as illustrated by the fact that 60 percent of all hives taken to CA are done so to pollinate the almond crop, contributes to poor nutrition. Changes in forest and land management have also reduced plant diversity and, therefore, alternative food sources for bees. Hundreds of pesticides, both synthetic and organic, intended to kill insects can also be deadly to bees.
We can’t solve all of the problems contributing to the decline in the number of bees, but there are steps we can take to be part of the solution. There are hundreds of flowering plants that are food sources for bees–Salvias, Echinacea and Asters are just a few–as are common herbs like lavender and thyme. Clover is a flowering cover crop that can be added to lawns or used as a lawn substitute. And don’t forget the much-maligned dandelion. Called a weed by most, as one of the earliest flowering plants, it can be an important early season food source for bees.
Avoiding the use of pesticides, both synthetics and organics, on bees’ food sources is especially important when blooming. Portland Nursery has a listing of both that are known to be harmful to bees, available at portlandnursery.com/garden-projects/bee-friendly, as well as tips for using treatments if they are required.
No yard or space to grow flowering plants for bees? You can still help bees and support local beekeepers by buying local honey. Local bees tend to feed on a larger variety of food sources and receive better care. Plus, buying locally keeps your dollars in the local economy.
Image from Best Bees.
