Happy World Bee Day, 2022!

Join us today in celebrating World Bee Day, by contributing your pollinator observations to this Global Pollinator Watch project!

While World Bee Day was originally set up to celebrate the vital role Western honey bees have in both honey production and agricultural pollination services, we extend that celebratory vibe to include all of the native bee species all over the globe! Here in North America, that includes around 4,000 species of native bees, and if you’ve got a flower blooming someplace near you, I guarantee one of those bees will be buzzing around there sometime soon!

Scientists have noted, however, that many of our most important pollinator species have been in decline over the past couple of decades, with bees apparently being hit the hardest. Habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation are the main culprits, but indiscriminate use of pesticides and herbicides, the spread of parasites and diseases, and the bundle of significant threats posed by a rapidly changing climate all have contributed to this decline.

Lepidopterist and author Robert Michael Pyle reminds us that in most cases today, “extinctions happen one backyard at a time.” To me, that suggests that preventing extinctions can and should not only take place in our backyards, but as Douglas Talamy suggests, in our front yards as well, where our conservation values are on display for others in our community to see and hopefully emulate. That goes for our neighborhood parks, the gardens and open space around our apartment buildings and workplaces, and particularly in and around our community gardens, where pollinators are critical to the successful production of vegetables and fruits.

Here’s a couple of ways to help out bees:

1. Convert lawns into diverse natural habitats
2. Plant native species to your specific region and local ecosystem. Learn about which plants are native to your region using this resource from Pollinator Partnership: https://www.pollinator.org/guides
3. Include a patch of native wildflowers in community garden spaces – they’ll help everyone’s crops thrive! Learn about an inspiring effort “Power of the Pollinators”: https://www.inaturalist.org/blog/65349
4. Reduce pesticide and herbicide use by following these simple steps: https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/Sustainability/Organic-Practices?_ga=2.20518648.1179853802.1650557397-1600761744.1650557397  
5. Keep the dried stems and flowerheads intact through the fall, winter, and into the spring. Many species of bees and other pollinators have larval forms that overwinter inside those hollow stems!
6. Set up “bee houses” for mason and carpenter bees. Check out How to Build a DIY Bee House the Right Way: https://www.thespruce.com/build-a-diy-bee-house-5112611

Learn more about World Bee Day: https://www.worldbeeday.org/en/about/the-project.html

Posted on May 20, 2022 02:43 PM by apins