That little buzzing in our ears while we are outside picnicking, gardening or just enjoying the summer might seem annoying but let’s give the bee some respect. While you might see the bee as a pest to be avoided or squashed because of it’s stinger, farmers throughout the United States know that the native bee serves a greater purpose than terrorizing the general public.
Native bees and domesticated honeybees are cross-pollinators for numerous crops including almonds, apples, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, pears, plums, squash, tomatoes and watermelons. But it’s not just food crops that need the native bee. Oil and bio fuel crops including canola and sunflower require them for cross-pollination as well as alfalfa and clover which the meat and dairy industry depend on for forage crops for their livestock.
Bees and their role in pollination are responsible for 15 to 30 percent of the food US Consumers eat and contribute to an estimated $3 billion worth of crop production annually in the US.
In light of their necessity, it’s distressing to note that in the last 50 years, the domesticated honeybee population has declined by about 50 percent. The decline in the population makes farmers dependent on rented honey bees (yes, you can rent them. Who knew?). But if those rentals are expensive or unobtainable, the farmer is left with a less than abundant crop yield. A recent example occurred last February in California where there were insufficient honeybees for all the almond blossoms in California and many farmers failed to meet their expected yields.
So why have all the bees disappeared? Quite simply, because they have no place to live.
While there are pests that attack the bee populations such as the tracheal mite, the disappearance of the native bee’s habitats are the major cause of the current bee shortage. Habitat for bees require a place for the nest (usually underground or in a wood tunnel) and flowers for the bees to forage. These two components need to be close enough that the bees have a short commute between the two or else they might look elsewhere to nest or will just not survive in that area.
But it’s not just location that has affected the habitat of bees. Pesticide use needs to be minimized or eliminated in order for the bees to thrive. Insecticides not only kill pollinators but it affects their foraging and nesting behaviors. Herbicides can kill plants that pollinators depend on when crops are not in bloom which reduces the amount of foraging available. Even if a pesticide dose list hazards to honeybees, oftentimes, they don’t list the effects on smaller, native bees. (Imagine a growing number of bamboo farms which require no use of pesticides. The bees would thrive!)
Another harm to bee habitats is the impact of grazing, mowing, haying and burning. Studies suggest that less than one-fifth of pollinator habitats should be burned, mowed or hayed at any one time in order to protect dormant pollinators, foraging adults and other wildlife. In order to maximize foraging and nesting opportunities, maintenance activities should be avoided while plants are in flower.
While the farmer can adopt these pollinator-friendly practices, what can the general public do to help? Well, you can build the bees a house! On Wednesday, we’ll talk about the types of artificial nests that can be constructed to help the struggling bee population including a bamboo option that will have your yard buzzing!
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