In praise of the humblebee

[randy_byers]

The Seattle Times reports on something some of us have noticed in our own gardens for quite a while now: where the European honeybee has died back, the native bumblebees have stepped in to fill the pollinator niche.

This doesn't necessarily help farmers of monocrops, because native bees require a diverse habitat to thrive. An interesting tidbit from this article that I hadn't known: "In recognition of the pollinator problem, Congress in the 2008 farm bill included cost sharing to encourage farmers to plant some of their land just for bugs, to diversify the nation's pollinator portfolio with more native bees and other beneficial insects." Nice to be reminded that Congress isn't completely useless! I'm still working my way slowly toward helping out with this project by planting a garden that's friendly to native bees.

The article also reports on yet another theory about what's causing Colony Collapse Disorder amongst the European honeybees. Still inconclusive, it looks to me.

Comments

[kim-huett.livejournal.com]

I recall hearing that the honeybee died out completely in England during WWI and the population had to be started from scratch with bees imported from Portugal. I suppose that if it can happen once it can happen again.

[randy-byers.livejournal.com]

I hadn't heard that before, but I seem to have found confirmation: "An epidemic first reported in the Isle of Wight in 1904 wiped out 90% of the UK's honey bee colonies."