How you’re not Saving the Bees

Did you know that honeybees are not native to or naturally found in the United States?

Of the approximately 4,000 bees native to the United States none belong to the genus Apis (i.e., honeybees)? In fact, of the more than 20,000 species of bees found around the world only 10 are honeybees.

So when you want to help pollinators & want to help “Save the Bees” there’s more you can do than simply starting to keep bees, in fact, keeping bees in solely to help bee populations is the worse thing you could do. Why?

1. Honeybee hives usually consist of 1,000 – 10,000 individual bees. So when you add a new hive you are introducing more competition for the limited supply of resources in your area.
2. Honeybees are known to steal pollen from other bees ( – cleptoparasitism), primarily bumble bees, because they transport pollen in the same fashion – pollen mixed with nectar which is then groomed into specialty areas on their hindlegs called corbicula.

So how can you help “Save the Bees”?

Leave your yard a little messy.

Bees nest in many different habitats. Some create nests underground in old & occupied rodent dens. Others nest in loose dry soil. Still others build individual chambers inside the stems of old plants or excavate tunnels in soft, downed trees.