Plight of the Bumblebee

Let’s talk about bees. When I was a kid it took me years to learn not to run around outside barefoot. After countless bee stings, I finally got the hint. Of course, I wanted every bee to die as revenge. Then one day I realized no bees, no honey. Now that I’m older and wiser I realize it’s much bigger than that. No bees, no food.

Bee pollinating pearly everlasting flowers

Bees are small animals but vital not just to ecosystems but to civilization as we know it. For a critter that has the weight of humanity on its shoulders, you would think that these busy little workers would be better protected. Worldwide, bee populations are plummeting. No one sure what is behind the die-offs, but the leading suspects are pesticides and disease, coupled with habitat loss of course.

According to the EPA, the suspected causes of Colony Collapse Disorder (in which the workers leave the hive- the queen and larvae remain with an adequate food supply) are: the invasive varroa mite, new and emerging diseases, pesticides applied to crops or in-hive for mite control, stress from transporting hives, habitat degradation, poor nutrition, and immune-suppression caused by one or more of the previous listings.

Honeybee (from Finger Lakes Land Trust)

In Europe, neonicotinoid pesticides have been banned because of the harm to the bees (The Guardian). America has yet to follow suit. You may be wondering how bees can lose habitat. Well, bees are just like everyone else in the world. They need a place to live, food to eat, and a lack of stuff that kills them. When that field or forest gets converted into "New Townhomes Starting In The Low 200s!" it isn’t just deer and birds that are displaced. Not every bee hive is under your eaves or inside your Mustang’s engine.

Bumblebee (from keywordsuggests.com)

How can you help the bees? Plant flowers. Native flowers are best because the native bees are attracted to them, they support other native wildlife, and they are low-maintenance because they are adapted to the local climate. Not sure where to start? Ask your local National Wildlife Foundation Habitat Steward (like me) for help.

Mason bee (from Gardeners Supply Company)

Fast fact: There were no honeybees in the Americas before they were brought from Europe.

This week's sources:

EPA: https://www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection/colony-collapse-disorder

EU ban on neonicotinoids: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/23/europe-poised-for-total-ban-on-bee-harming-pesticides

Finger Lakes Land Trust: http://www.fllt.org/cl-the-honey-bee-our-friend-in-danger/

keywordsuggests.com: http://www.keywordsuggests.com/216WYHErZLESNc*3XIHAyvHvnvYHZLEjeAwp6kKWUxWfg*RQ6TyVcou9EM7ms6O*EtEwdMeAl9n2qfSJuf%7CIBw/

Gardeners Supply Company: http://www.gardeners.com/how-to/about-mason-bees/8198.html