In the Buzz About Bees, Don’t Forget the Natives

Over at the National Wildlife Federation blog, there's a fascinating story about bees.

Honeybees have been in the news a lot this month. On May 2, the federal government published results of a comprehensive study looking at potential causes of the insects’ dramatic decline in a phenomenon known as colony-collapse disorder. 

The widely publicized report blamed a combination of problems, including parasites, pesticides, bad nutrition and low genetic diversity within hives.

The following week, some U.S. activists made headlines by demanding the government ban a class of insecticides, neonicotinoids, after learning the European Union placed a moratorium their use due to concerns the chemicals are harming honeybees. 

The upshot of the story, however, turns on the fact that our familiar honeybees (Apis mellifera) were imported to North America during the 1600s from Europe -- probably because most native American bees weren't honey producers.

While we should not be unconcerned about something as pervasive and disruptive as colony-collapse disorder, the good news is that recent studies show that wild bees and other wildlife are more effective crop pollinators than domestic honeybees.

So what can you do to help?  

Simple.  Kill your lawn, and landscape with native plants!