Bees are very important because they are major pollinators of many of both the pretty flowers we enjoy but many foods we eat. And there is a problem with bees that has been called ‘colony collapse disorder’ with beekeepers reporting a loss of 30-90% of their hives!
I plant flowers like the sunflower above to bring and nourish bees, both the non-native honey bees and native bees, in my yard. They have rewarded by efforts by very successfully pollinating my tomato and pepper plants providing a bountiful harvest.
The Great Backyard Bee Count is a chance for everyone to help by counting bees in their own yard this Saturday, August 11. This will provide important information from us ‘citizen scientists’ about where and how many bees there are, information that is lacking. Listen to the following short video that explains the bee count project:
What do you need to take part in the bee count
- Just 15 minutes this Saturday, August 11
- “You can participate by growing some bee friendly plants in your yard and then taking 15 minutes out of your day to count the bees that visit them. “
- You do NOT need to be a ‘bee expert’-they have guides to help you identify what you see including ‘How to tell a Bee’.
(there are other insects that look like bees that are also found on pollinating flowers)
And do add some pollinator plants to your yard, try at least one native or near-native plant (like the pretty blanketflower above).
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I am a master gardener in Winnabago County, Illinois. With the drought, have brought an abundance of bee’s , as well as other pollinator’s. With saying that, there is also an over abundance of Japanese beetles. Area nurseries are leading their customers in the use of Seven, which indeed will kill the beetle’s, as well as all the good insects. In my gardens. I am totally organic,the reward are the bee’s, the flower’s have been prolific, they have survived the oppressive heat, and hopefully will continue to draw the pollinators.
Hi Patti, I am sorry to hear that there is a push in your area to use Seven insecticide that will kill many lovely butterflies, bees, etc. Glad to hear you have a lot of bees, especially in current drought conditions.
Thanks for making it clear (most articles do not) that honey bees are non-native. It is importsnt to note that Colony Collapse Disorder only affects honey bees, and that the native bees (most of which are solitary or at most in small colonies) have not been affected. The greatest threats to them have been competition from cultivated honeybees, habitat loss, and failure to use pesticides in ways that minimize damage to bees.
It is also important to note that it is modern non-sustainable agriculture (monoculture, huge farms, heavy pesticide use and so on) that has created the need for the beekeeping industry where large numbers of hives are trucked from field to field during bloom. Smaller, ecologically sustainable farms that incorporate native bee habitat, careful use of pesticides, their own hives for honey, and smaller field size would minimize the need for commercial beekeepers whose practices and overbreeding of the bees may well bear great responsibility for CCD.
we discovered ground bees in our backyard last time we mowed. awesome!
Hello Trish. I am not a bee expert but I believe these would be from the group of bees called ‘solitary bees.’ Here is an article about solitary bees called ‘digger’ or mining’ bees that nest in burrows in the ground.
I went to several different locations today and counted bees. At the Arkansas River in a 15 minute period I counted 40, 15 honey bees, 15 huge ground bees, and 10 wasps. In my teaching garden I counted about 25 honey bees. Im my perinneal garden I only counted 9 honey bees and a 25 yellow jackets. Each sight I spent 15 minutes walking around flowering plants
The folks that run the Great Backyard Bee Count have posted last year’s results including a cool google map on which you can look for bee counts done in or near where you live.
{ 1 trackback }