Bees

NATIVE BEES ARE PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF THE POLLINATOR LANDSCAPE. WITHO OVER 4000 SPECIES IN THE UNITED STATES, THEY CARRY THE LION'S SHARE WHEN IT COMES TO POLLINATION RESPONSIBILITIES.

AN OVERVIEW OF BEES

What Is the First Type of Bee That Comes to Your Mind?

If we had to guess, we bet that most of you pictured the well-known honeybee. 

Are Honeybees Native to the United States?

Contrary to what some believe, the honeybee is actually not native the United States but rather they were introduced during European settlement! After their introduction, they escaped domestication to form swarms and eventually set up nesting areas. Since then, they have become an important part of pollination; however, they tend to pale in comparison to their native counterparts who have a better ability to pollinate native plant species such as:
  • Pumpkin
  • Cherries
  • Blueberries

Are There Any Downfalls When It Comes to Honeybees?

In the above section, we stated that honeybees are an important part of pollination, however, their use certainly has limitations. When it comes to their abilities, honeybees are unable to pollinate certain types of plants such as tomatoes or eggplants. 

What Are the Advantages of Native Bees?

Unlike honeybees, some species of native bumblebees are also able to forage under many types of unfavorable weather scenarios such as:
– Rain
– Cold
– Cloudy skies

Vs.

TO BE CONTINUED

Native bees come in many different shapes and sizes, they also differ in their lifestyles, the places they visit, and the seasons in which they are active. Please continue to the next section where the three major native bee groups are discussed in more detail. Divided by phylogeny, the groups are:
 Apidae, Halictidae, and Megachilidae