#nativebees — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #nativebees, aggregated by home.social.
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I’ve finally completed and made a small series of my print “Our Fate is Tied To That of The Insects” available. People kept asking for the one that is on exhibit. Get your native bee and other pollinator propaganda now!
https://minouette.etsy.com/listing/4512155120
#linocut #printmaking #sciart #nativeBees #pollinators #mastoArt
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From 2020: #Mexico has 1,900 species of #bees and they’re all at risk: biologist
by Susy Buchanan
May 21, 2020"All of Mexico’s 1,900 different species of native bees are at risk of extinction, says Ricardo Ayala Barajas, a National Autonomous University researcher based at the Chamela Biology Station in Jalisco.
"Most of Mexico’s bees do not sting and only 47 species produce honey, but all native species are endangered, explained the researcher on the United Nations World Bee Day, May 20.
"In an interview with the newspaper Milenio, Ayala said that around the world there are approximately 20,000 different named species of bees, and like in Mexico, every one is threatened by the use of #insecticides and #deforestation.
" 'A great effort is required to try to reduce the use of insecticides and make more careful use of natural resources, for the future of humanity and to care for the bees that help plants reproduce and generate fruits and seeds,' Ayala said. 'We must appreciate and understand them more in order to prevent them from disappearing.'
"Bee conservation is on the rise in Mexico, just as it is globally.
"In #Guanajuato, people who kill #bees or harm their #habitat can be fined up to 8,000 pesos (US $350). In #Yucatán, the government and communities are collaborating on a bee conservation project after significant bee populations have died, thought to be a result of crop dusting. A similar campaign is underway in #Campeche."
Source:
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/mexico-has-1900-species-of-bees-and-theyre-all-at-risk-biologist/#WorldBeeDay #SaveTheBees #NativeBees #YucatanBees #BeeConservation
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From 2020: #Mexico has 1,900 species of #bees and they’re all at risk: biologist
by Susy Buchanan
May 21, 2020"All of Mexico’s 1,900 different species of native bees are at risk of extinction, says Ricardo Ayala Barajas, a National Autonomous University researcher based at the Chamela Biology Station in Jalisco.
"Most of Mexico’s bees do not sting and only 47 species produce honey, but all native species are endangered, explained the researcher on the United Nations World Bee Day, May 20.
"In an interview with the newspaper Milenio, Ayala said that around the world there are approximately 20,000 different named species of bees, and like in Mexico, every one is threatened by the use of #insecticides and #deforestation.
" 'A great effort is required to try to reduce the use of insecticides and make more careful use of natural resources, for the future of humanity and to care for the bees that help plants reproduce and generate fruits and seeds,' Ayala said. 'We must appreciate and understand them more in order to prevent them from disappearing.'
"Bee conservation is on the rise in Mexico, just as it is globally.
"In #Guanajuato, people who kill #bees or harm their #habitat can be fined up to 8,000 pesos (US $350). In #Yucatán, the government and communities are collaborating on a bee conservation project after significant bee populations have died, thought to be a result of crop dusting. A similar campaign is underway in #Campeche."
Source:
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/mexico-has-1900-species-of-bees-and-theyre-all-at-risk-biologist/#WorldBeeDay #SaveTheBees #NativeBees #YucatanBees #BeeConservation
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From 2020: #Mexico has 1,900 species of #bees and they’re all at risk: biologist
by Susy Buchanan
May 21, 2020"All of Mexico’s 1,900 different species of native bees are at risk of extinction, says Ricardo Ayala Barajas, a National Autonomous University researcher based at the Chamela Biology Station in Jalisco.
"Most of Mexico’s bees do not sting and only 47 species produce honey, but all native species are endangered, explained the researcher on the United Nations World Bee Day, May 20.
"In an interview with the newspaper Milenio, Ayala said that around the world there are approximately 20,000 different named species of bees, and like in Mexico, every one is threatened by the use of #insecticides and #deforestation.
" 'A great effort is required to try to reduce the use of insecticides and make more careful use of natural resources, for the future of humanity and to care for the bees that help plants reproduce and generate fruits and seeds,' Ayala said. 'We must appreciate and understand them more in order to prevent them from disappearing.'
"Bee conservation is on the rise in Mexico, just as it is globally.
"In #Guanajuato, people who kill #bees or harm their #habitat can be fined up to 8,000 pesos (US $350). In #Yucatán, the government and communities are collaborating on a bee conservation project after significant bee populations have died, thought to be a result of crop dusting. A similar campaign is underway in #Campeche."
Source:
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/mexico-has-1900-species-of-bees-and-theyre-all-at-risk-biologist/#WorldBeeDay #SaveTheBees #NativeBees #YucatanBees #BeeConservation
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From 2020: #Mexico has 1,900 species of #bees and they’re all at risk: biologist
by Susy Buchanan
May 21, 2020"All of Mexico’s 1,900 different species of native bees are at risk of extinction, says Ricardo Ayala Barajas, a National Autonomous University researcher based at the Chamela Biology Station in Jalisco.
"Most of Mexico’s bees do not sting and only 47 species produce honey, but all native species are endangered, explained the researcher on the United Nations World Bee Day, May 20.
"In an interview with the newspaper Milenio, Ayala said that around the world there are approximately 20,000 different named species of bees, and like in Mexico, every one is threatened by the use of #insecticides and #deforestation.
" 'A great effort is required to try to reduce the use of insecticides and make more careful use of natural resources, for the future of humanity and to care for the bees that help plants reproduce and generate fruits and seeds,' Ayala said. 'We must appreciate and understand them more in order to prevent them from disappearing.'
"Bee conservation is on the rise in Mexico, just as it is globally.
"In #Guanajuato, people who kill #bees or harm their #habitat can be fined up to 8,000 pesos (US $350). In #Yucatán, the government and communities are collaborating on a bee conservation project after significant bee populations have died, thought to be a result of crop dusting. A similar campaign is underway in #Campeche."
Source:
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/mexico-has-1900-species-of-bees-and-theyre-all-at-risk-biologist/#WorldBeeDay #SaveTheBees #NativeBees #YucatanBees #BeeConservation
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From 2020: #Mexico has 1,900 species of #bees and they’re all at risk: biologist
by Susy Buchanan
May 21, 2020"All of Mexico’s 1,900 different species of native bees are at risk of extinction, says Ricardo Ayala Barajas, a National Autonomous University researcher based at the Chamela Biology Station in Jalisco.
"Most of Mexico’s bees do not sting and only 47 species produce honey, but all native species are endangered, explained the researcher on the United Nations World Bee Day, May 20.
"In an interview with the newspaper Milenio, Ayala said that around the world there are approximately 20,000 different named species of bees, and like in Mexico, every one is threatened by the use of #insecticides and #deforestation.
" 'A great effort is required to try to reduce the use of insecticides and make more careful use of natural resources, for the future of humanity and to care for the bees that help plants reproduce and generate fruits and seeds,' Ayala said. 'We must appreciate and understand them more in order to prevent them from disappearing.'
"Bee conservation is on the rise in Mexico, just as it is globally.
"In #Guanajuato, people who kill #bees or harm their #habitat can be fined up to 8,000 pesos (US $350). In #Yucatán, the government and communities are collaborating on a bee conservation project after significant bee populations have died, thought to be a result of crop dusting. A similar campaign is underway in #Campeche."
Source:
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/mexico-has-1900-species-of-bees-and-theyre-all-at-risk-biologist/#WorldBeeDay #SaveTheBees #NativeBees #YucatanBees #BeeConservation
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From 2018... So, it looks like a relative of the #EuropeanHoneyBee did once exist in #NorthAmerica -- but they went extinct many years ago!
"In 2009, paleontologists uncovered a single fossilized worker bee in the Stewart Valley Basin of west-central Nevada. This was no European honey bee. It was Apis nearctica, an extinct species of honey bee that lived during the middle Miocene epoch—14 million years ago. Preserved in a delicate paper shale deposit alongside other ancient insects, the fossil offers the first definitive evidence of #HoneyBees native to North America."
However, #NativeBees (#MeliponaBeecheii) produce honey as well!
"Ancient Honey, Without Honey Bees?
If honey bees didn’t return to North America until the 1600s, how did the Maya harvest honey long before that?
The answer lies in a different lineage of bees entirely: stingless bees of the tribe #Meliponini. These bees, especially those in the genus Melipona, are native to the tropics and subtropics. Revered by the ancient Maya, stingless bees were more than pollinators—they were spiritual symbols. The Mayan bee god, #AhMuzenCab, was honored for the gift of honey.
The Maya’s favorite stingless bee was Melipona beecheii, or kolil kab in Yucatec Maya, meaning 'royal lady.' Unlike the vast colonies of honey bees, Melipona beecheii lives in smaller colonies and produces just two liters of honey per year—a fraction of the five gallons a typical honey bee hive can yield.
Families traditionally kept hives in hollow logs near their homes. But the spread of aggressive Africanized honey bees has threatened this ancient practice, as stingless bees are unable to compete for resources."
https://nativebeeology.com/2018/01/26/native-honey-bees/
#WorldBeeDay #YucatanBees #MayanBees #NativeBees #BeeHistory
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From 2018... So, it looks like a relative of the #EuropeanHoneyBee did once exist in #NorthAmerica -- but they went extinct many years ago!
"In 2009, paleontologists uncovered a single fossilized worker bee in the Stewart Valley Basin of west-central Nevada. This was no European honey bee. It was Apis nearctica, an extinct species of honey bee that lived during the middle Miocene epoch—14 million years ago. Preserved in a delicate paper shale deposit alongside other ancient insects, the fossil offers the first definitive evidence of #HoneyBees native to North America."
However, #NativeBees (#MeliponaBeecheii) produce honey as well!
"Ancient Honey, Without Honey Bees?
If honey bees didn’t return to North America until the 1600s, how did the Maya harvest honey long before that?
The answer lies in a different lineage of bees entirely: stingless bees of the tribe #Meliponini. These bees, especially those in the genus Melipona, are native to the tropics and subtropics. Revered by the ancient Maya, stingless bees were more than pollinators—they were spiritual symbols. The Mayan bee god, #AhMuzenCab, was honored for the gift of honey.
The Maya’s favorite stingless bee was Melipona beecheii, or kolil kab in Yucatec Maya, meaning 'royal lady.' Unlike the vast colonies of honey bees, Melipona beecheii lives in smaller colonies and produces just two liters of honey per year—a fraction of the five gallons a typical honey bee hive can yield.
Families traditionally kept hives in hollow logs near their homes. But the spread of aggressive Africanized honey bees has threatened this ancient practice, as stingless bees are unable to compete for resources."
https://nativebeeology.com/2018/01/26/native-honey-bees/
#WorldBeeDay #YucatanBees #MayanBees #NativeBees #BeeHistory
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From 2018... So, it looks like a relative of the #EuropeanHoneyBee did once exist in #NorthAmerica -- but they went extinct many years ago!
"In 2009, paleontologists uncovered a single fossilized worker bee in the Stewart Valley Basin of west-central Nevada. This was no European honey bee. It was Apis nearctica, an extinct species of honey bee that lived during the middle Miocene epoch—14 million years ago. Preserved in a delicate paper shale deposit alongside other ancient insects, the fossil offers the first definitive evidence of #HoneyBees native to North America."
However, #NativeBees (#MeliponaBeecheii) produce honey as well!
"Ancient Honey, Without Honey Bees?
If honey bees didn’t return to North America until the 1600s, how did the Maya harvest honey long before that?
The answer lies in a different lineage of bees entirely: stingless bees of the tribe #Meliponini. These bees, especially those in the genus Melipona, are native to the tropics and subtropics. Revered by the ancient Maya, stingless bees were more than pollinators—they were spiritual symbols. The Mayan bee god, #AhMuzenCab, was honored for the gift of honey.
The Maya’s favorite stingless bee was Melipona beecheii, or kolil kab in Yucatec Maya, meaning 'royal lady.' Unlike the vast colonies of honey bees, Melipona beecheii lives in smaller colonies and produces just two liters of honey per year—a fraction of the five gallons a typical honey bee hive can yield.
Families traditionally kept hives in hollow logs near their homes. But the spread of aggressive Africanized honey bees has threatened this ancient practice, as stingless bees are unable to compete for resources."
https://nativebeeology.com/2018/01/26/native-honey-bees/
#WorldBeeDay #YucatanBees #MayanBees #NativeBees #BeeHistory
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From 2018... So, it looks like a relative of the #EuropeanHoneyBee did once exist in #NorthAmerica -- but they went extinct many years ago!
"In 2009, paleontologists uncovered a single fossilized worker bee in the Stewart Valley Basin of west-central Nevada. This was no European honey bee. It was Apis nearctica, an extinct species of honey bee that lived during the middle Miocene epoch—14 million years ago. Preserved in a delicate paper shale deposit alongside other ancient insects, the fossil offers the first definitive evidence of #HoneyBees native to North America."
However, #NativeBees (#MeliponaBeecheii) produce honey as well!
"Ancient Honey, Without Honey Bees?
If honey bees didn’t return to North America until the 1600s, how did the Maya harvest honey long before that?
The answer lies in a different lineage of bees entirely: stingless bees of the tribe #Meliponini. These bees, especially those in the genus Melipona, are native to the tropics and subtropics. Revered by the ancient Maya, stingless bees were more than pollinators—they were spiritual symbols. The Mayan bee god, #AhMuzenCab, was honored for the gift of honey.
The Maya’s favorite stingless bee was Melipona beecheii, or kolil kab in Yucatec Maya, meaning 'royal lady.' Unlike the vast colonies of honey bees, Melipona beecheii lives in smaller colonies and produces just two liters of honey per year—a fraction of the five gallons a typical honey bee hive can yield.
Families traditionally kept hives in hollow logs near their homes. But the spread of aggressive Africanized honey bees has threatened this ancient practice, as stingless bees are unable to compete for resources."
https://nativebeeology.com/2018/01/26/native-honey-bees/
#WorldBeeDay #YucatanBees #MayanBees #NativeBees #BeeHistory
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From 2018... So, it looks like a relative of the #EuropeanHoneyBee did once exist in #NorthAmerica -- but they went extinct many years ago!
"In 2009, paleontologists uncovered a single fossilized worker bee in the Stewart Valley Basin of west-central Nevada. This was no European honey bee. It was Apis nearctica, an extinct species of honey bee that lived during the middle Miocene epoch—14 million years ago. Preserved in a delicate paper shale deposit alongside other ancient insects, the fossil offers the first definitive evidence of #HoneyBees native to North America."
However, #NativeBees (#MeliponaBeecheii) produce honey as well!
"Ancient Honey, Without Honey Bees?
If honey bees didn’t return to North America until the 1600s, how did the Maya harvest honey long before that?
The answer lies in a different lineage of bees entirely: stingless bees of the tribe #Meliponini. These bees, especially those in the genus Melipona, are native to the tropics and subtropics. Revered by the ancient Maya, stingless bees were more than pollinators—they were spiritual symbols. The Mayan bee god, #AhMuzenCab, was honored for the gift of honey.
The Maya’s favorite stingless bee was Melipona beecheii, or kolil kab in Yucatec Maya, meaning 'royal lady.' Unlike the vast colonies of honey bees, Melipona beecheii lives in smaller colonies and produces just two liters of honey per year—a fraction of the five gallons a typical honey bee hive can yield.
Families traditionally kept hives in hollow logs near their homes. But the spread of aggressive Africanized honey bees has threatened this ancient practice, as stingless bees are unable to compete for resources."
https://nativebeeology.com/2018/01/26/native-honey-bees/
#WorldBeeDay #YucatanBees #MayanBees #NativeBees #BeeHistory
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Women Work to Save #NativeBees of #Mexico
A happy story about #bees, #BeeConservation, and empowering women in Mexico.
Mar 5, 2014
Excerpt: "Spaniards introduced European #honeybees to Central America around 1620, and they are now well established. European honey bees (and their Africanized form) do compete with gentle #NativeBee species for pollen and nectar on flowers. #MeliponaBeecheii is a #ForestBee, so if they could find flowering trees and shrubs, competition with honey bees might not be a problem. Alas, #Yucatan is heavily logged.
"The Yucatan peninsula sits right in the path of a lot of big storms; quite a few hurricanes, floods, and droughts have caused beekeepers to lose all or most of their hives. Native stingless bees are quite sensitive to #pesticides, so that isn't helping either."
Learn more:
https://www.wired.com/2014/03/women-work-save-native-bees-mexico/Archived version:
https://archive.ph/C5qzcLink to video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c4v1E2mRhw#WorldBeeDay #SaveTheBees #EmpoweringWomen #YucatanBees #IndigenousWomen
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Women Work to Save #NativeBees of #Mexico
A happy story about #bees, #BeeConservation, and empowering women in Mexico.
Mar 5, 2014
Excerpt: "Spaniards introduced European #honeybees to Central America around 1620, and they are now well established. European honey bees (and their Africanized form) do compete with gentle #NativeBee species for pollen and nectar on flowers. #MeliponaBeecheii is a #ForestBee, so if they could find flowering trees and shrubs, competition with honey bees might not be a problem. Alas, #Yucatan is heavily logged.
"The Yucatan peninsula sits right in the path of a lot of big storms; quite a few hurricanes, floods, and droughts have caused beekeepers to lose all or most of their hives. Native stingless bees are quite sensitive to #pesticides, so that isn't helping either."
Learn more:
https://www.wired.com/2014/03/women-work-save-native-bees-mexico/Archived version:
https://archive.ph/C5qzcLink to video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c4v1E2mRhw#WorldBeeDay #SaveTheBees #EmpoweringWomen #YucatanBees #IndigenousWomen
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Women Work to Save #NativeBees of #Mexico
A happy story about #bees, #BeeConservation, and empowering women in Mexico.
Mar 5, 2014
Excerpt: "Spaniards introduced European #honeybees to Central America around 1620, and they are now well established. European honey bees (and their Africanized form) do compete with gentle #NativeBee species for pollen and nectar on flowers. #MeliponaBeecheii is a #ForestBee, so if they could find flowering trees and shrubs, competition with honey bees might not be a problem. Alas, #Yucatan is heavily logged.
"The Yucatan peninsula sits right in the path of a lot of big storms; quite a few hurricanes, floods, and droughts have caused beekeepers to lose all or most of their hives. Native stingless bees are quite sensitive to #pesticides, so that isn't helping either."
Learn more:
https://www.wired.com/2014/03/women-work-save-native-bees-mexico/Archived version:
https://archive.ph/C5qzcLink to video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c4v1E2mRhw#WorldBeeDay #SaveTheBees #EmpoweringWomen #YucatanBees #IndigenousWomen
-
Women Work to Save #NativeBees of #Mexico
A happy story about #bees, #BeeConservation, and empowering women in Mexico.
Mar 5, 2014
Excerpt: "Spaniards introduced European #honeybees to Central America around 1620, and they are now well established. European honey bees (and their Africanized form) do compete with gentle #NativeBee species for pollen and nectar on flowers. #MeliponaBeecheii is a #ForestBee, so if they could find flowering trees and shrubs, competition with honey bees might not be a problem. Alas, #Yucatan is heavily logged.
"The Yucatan peninsula sits right in the path of a lot of big storms; quite a few hurricanes, floods, and droughts have caused beekeepers to lose all or most of their hives. Native stingless bees are quite sensitive to #pesticides, so that isn't helping either."
Learn more:
https://www.wired.com/2014/03/women-work-save-native-bees-mexico/Archived version:
https://archive.ph/C5qzcLink to video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c4v1E2mRhw#WorldBeeDay #SaveTheBees #EmpoweringWomen #YucatanBees #IndigenousWomen
-
Women Work to Save #NativeBees of #Mexico
A happy story about #bees, #BeeConservation, and empowering women in Mexico.
Mar 5, 2014
Excerpt: "Spaniards introduced European #honeybees to Central America around 1620, and they are now well established. European honey bees (and their Africanized form) do compete with gentle #NativeBee species for pollen and nectar on flowers. #MeliponaBeecheii is a #ForestBee, so if they could find flowering trees and shrubs, competition with honey bees might not be a problem. Alas, #Yucatan is heavily logged.
"The Yucatan peninsula sits right in the path of a lot of big storms; quite a few hurricanes, floods, and droughts have caused beekeepers to lose all or most of their hives. Native stingless bees are quite sensitive to #pesticides, so that isn't helping either."
Learn more:
https://www.wired.com/2014/03/women-work-save-native-bees-mexico/Archived version:
https://archive.ph/C5qzcLink to video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c4v1E2mRhw#WorldBeeDay #SaveTheBees #EmpoweringWomen #YucatanBees #IndigenousWomen
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“Bees Beyond Honey” with #SamDroege
Posted on Feb 23rd, 2025 | Our Education
"In the February 2025 Wild Ones webinar on 'Bees Beyond Honey, Understanding Native and Managed Pollinators' hosted by Sara Ressing, Wild Ones Education and Program Coordinator, we were introduced to three pollinator experts: USGS Wildlife biologist Sam Droege, Crown Bees founder Dave Hunter, and Associate Director of the Pollinator Partnership Lora Morandin. Sam, Dave, and Lora explored the critical roles that wild native bees, solitary managed bees, and honeybees play in our ecosystem and discussed how we can support all pollinators in a balanced and evidence-based way. Each speaker provided a 10-minute educational presentation, followed by an informative panel discussion. In this multipart series, #WildOnesChesapeakeBay will take a look at each of the panelists and additional resources they have to offer on their work with bees.
First up, Sam Droege, the leading voice in native bee conservation. Sam started off by explaining that there are an estimated 4000 native bees in North America, many of which do not have names. Hence, 4000 is an estimate. In the eastern forests, we have roughly 400 species. Each bee species has a very specialized association with flowers, which he would address, but first we much realize that “whatever you know about honeybees, that does not occur and work as a natural history element in our native species. So you may have to forget everything you know about bees.” And while honeybees are magical in their own way, what we know about honeybees does not apply to native bees.
To support native bees, you need to recognize that native bees have tight relationships with the native plants they evolved with, so the objective is to provide native plants to support species level of bee/plant interactions. And to do that is easy. Sam advises:
- Select flowering plants native to your ecoregion.
- Select a diversity of plants. 'The more diverse those plants, the more bees are brought in because many of those bees have a very short list of plants that are appropriate. And each plant has a relatively short list of bees that are doing the pollination on that plant.'
- Select different colors to attract different species of bees.
- Select different floral shapes. 'All the shapes of flowers that you see, those are designed not by people in florist shops, but they’re designed by nature and they’re really being designed by a dance between bees and plants.'
- Select plants with differing bloom times, as many bees species are out for a only limited time during the growing season when their specific plant is blooming. The rest of the year, their young are in nests waiting for the subsequent year.Bees are picky. Sam introduces us to a website put together by Jared Fowler with three regions – eastern, central, and western – that illustrates bees that are the most specialized, meaning they are only gathering pollen from a particular family, genus, or species of plant. “And by planting those as your first cut, you’re lifting a lot of the conservation species, the species that are the least common because many, if not most, of the least common bees are the highly specialized bees.”
Learn more:
https://chesapeakebay.wildones.org/bees-beyond-honey-with-sam-droege/ -
“Bees Beyond Honey” with #SamDroege
Posted on Feb 23rd, 2025 | Our Education
"In the February 2025 Wild Ones webinar on 'Bees Beyond Honey, Understanding Native and Managed Pollinators' hosted by Sara Ressing, Wild Ones Education and Program Coordinator, we were introduced to three pollinator experts: USGS Wildlife biologist Sam Droege, Crown Bees founder Dave Hunter, and Associate Director of the Pollinator Partnership Lora Morandin. Sam, Dave, and Lora explored the critical roles that wild native bees, solitary managed bees, and honeybees play in our ecosystem and discussed how we can support all pollinators in a balanced and evidence-based way. Each speaker provided a 10-minute educational presentation, followed by an informative panel discussion. In this multipart series, #WildOnesChesapeakeBay will take a look at each of the panelists and additional resources they have to offer on their work with bees.
First up, Sam Droege, the leading voice in native bee conservation. Sam started off by explaining that there are an estimated 4000 native bees in North America, many of which do not have names. Hence, 4000 is an estimate. In the eastern forests, we have roughly 400 species. Each bee species has a very specialized association with flowers, which he would address, but first we much realize that “whatever you know about honeybees, that does not occur and work as a natural history element in our native species. So you may have to forget everything you know about bees.” And while honeybees are magical in their own way, what we know about honeybees does not apply to native bees.
To support native bees, you need to recognize that native bees have tight relationships with the native plants they evolved with, so the objective is to provide native plants to support species level of bee/plant interactions. And to do that is easy. Sam advises:
- Select flowering plants native to your ecoregion.
- Select a diversity of plants. 'The more diverse those plants, the more bees are brought in because many of those bees have a very short list of plants that are appropriate. And each plant has a relatively short list of bees that are doing the pollination on that plant.'
- Select different colors to attract different species of bees.
- Select different floral shapes. 'All the shapes of flowers that you see, those are designed not by people in florist shops, but they’re designed by nature and they’re really being designed by a dance between bees and plants.'
- Select plants with differing bloom times, as many bees species are out for a only limited time during the growing season when their specific plant is blooming. The rest of the year, their young are in nests waiting for the subsequent year.Bees are picky. Sam introduces us to a website put together by Jared Fowler with three regions – eastern, central, and western – that illustrates bees that are the most specialized, meaning they are only gathering pollen from a particular family, genus, or species of plant. “And by planting those as your first cut, you’re lifting a lot of the conservation species, the species that are the least common because many, if not most, of the least common bees are the highly specialized bees.”
Learn more:
https://chesapeakebay.wildones.org/bees-beyond-honey-with-sam-droege/ -
“Bees Beyond Honey” with #SamDroege
Posted on Feb 23rd, 2025 | Our Education
"In the February 2025 Wild Ones webinar on 'Bees Beyond Honey, Understanding Native and Managed Pollinators' hosted by Sara Ressing, Wild Ones Education and Program Coordinator, we were introduced to three pollinator experts: USGS Wildlife biologist Sam Droege, Crown Bees founder Dave Hunter, and Associate Director of the Pollinator Partnership Lora Morandin. Sam, Dave, and Lora explored the critical roles that wild native bees, solitary managed bees, and honeybees play in our ecosystem and discussed how we can support all pollinators in a balanced and evidence-based way. Each speaker provided a 10-minute educational presentation, followed by an informative panel discussion. In this multipart series, #WildOnesChesapeakeBay will take a look at each of the panelists and additional resources they have to offer on their work with bees.
First up, Sam Droege, the leading voice in native bee conservation. Sam started off by explaining that there are an estimated 4000 native bees in North America, many of which do not have names. Hence, 4000 is an estimate. In the eastern forests, we have roughly 400 species. Each bee species has a very specialized association with flowers, which he would address, but first we much realize that “whatever you know about honeybees, that does not occur and work as a natural history element in our native species. So you may have to forget everything you know about bees.” And while honeybees are magical in their own way, what we know about honeybees does not apply to native bees.
To support native bees, you need to recognize that native bees have tight relationships with the native plants they evolved with, so the objective is to provide native plants to support species level of bee/plant interactions. And to do that is easy. Sam advises:
- Select flowering plants native to your ecoregion.
- Select a diversity of plants. 'The more diverse those plants, the more bees are brought in because many of those bees have a very short list of plants that are appropriate. And each plant has a relatively short list of bees that are doing the pollination on that plant.'
- Select different colors to attract different species of bees.
- Select different floral shapes. 'All the shapes of flowers that you see, those are designed not by people in florist shops, but they’re designed by nature and they’re really being designed by a dance between bees and plants.'
- Select plants with differing bloom times, as many bees species are out for a only limited time during the growing season when their specific plant is blooming. The rest of the year, their young are in nests waiting for the subsequent year.Bees are picky. Sam introduces us to a website put together by Jared Fowler with three regions – eastern, central, and western – that illustrates bees that are the most specialized, meaning they are only gathering pollen from a particular family, genus, or species of plant. “And by planting those as your first cut, you’re lifting a lot of the conservation species, the species that are the least common because many, if not most, of the least common bees are the highly specialized bees.”
Learn more:
https://chesapeakebay.wildones.org/bees-beyond-honey-with-sam-droege/ -
“Bees Beyond Honey” with #SamDroege
Posted on Feb 23rd, 2025 | Our Education
"In the February 2025 Wild Ones webinar on 'Bees Beyond Honey, Understanding Native and Managed Pollinators' hosted by Sara Ressing, Wild Ones Education and Program Coordinator, we were introduced to three pollinator experts: USGS Wildlife biologist Sam Droege, Crown Bees founder Dave Hunter, and Associate Director of the Pollinator Partnership Lora Morandin. Sam, Dave, and Lora explored the critical roles that wild native bees, solitary managed bees, and honeybees play in our ecosystem and discussed how we can support all pollinators in a balanced and evidence-based way. Each speaker provided a 10-minute educational presentation, followed by an informative panel discussion. In this multipart series, #WildOnesChesapeakeBay will take a look at each of the panelists and additional resources they have to offer on their work with bees.
First up, Sam Droege, the leading voice in native bee conservation. Sam started off by explaining that there are an estimated 4000 native bees in North America, many of which do not have names. Hence, 4000 is an estimate. In the eastern forests, we have roughly 400 species. Each bee species has a very specialized association with flowers, which he would address, but first we much realize that “whatever you know about honeybees, that does not occur and work as a natural history element in our native species. So you may have to forget everything you know about bees.” And while honeybees are magical in their own way, what we know about honeybees does not apply to native bees.
To support native bees, you need to recognize that native bees have tight relationships with the native plants they evolved with, so the objective is to provide native plants to support species level of bee/plant interactions. And to do that is easy. Sam advises:
- Select flowering plants native to your ecoregion.
- Select a diversity of plants. 'The more diverse those plants, the more bees are brought in because many of those bees have a very short list of plants that are appropriate. And each plant has a relatively short list of bees that are doing the pollination on that plant.'
- Select different colors to attract different species of bees.
- Select different floral shapes. 'All the shapes of flowers that you see, those are designed not by people in florist shops, but they’re designed by nature and they’re really being designed by a dance between bees and plants.'
- Select plants with differing bloom times, as many bees species are out for a only limited time during the growing season when their specific plant is blooming. The rest of the year, their young are in nests waiting for the subsequent year.Bees are picky. Sam introduces us to a website put together by Jared Fowler with three regions – eastern, central, and western – that illustrates bees that are the most specialized, meaning they are only gathering pollen from a particular family, genus, or species of plant. “And by planting those as your first cut, you’re lifting a lot of the conservation species, the species that are the least common because many, if not most, of the least common bees are the highly specialized bees.”
Learn more:
https://chesapeakebay.wildones.org/bees-beyond-honey-with-sam-droege/ -
“Bees Beyond Honey” with #SamDroege
Posted on Feb 23rd, 2025 | Our Education
"In the February 2025 Wild Ones webinar on 'Bees Beyond Honey, Understanding Native and Managed Pollinators' hosted by Sara Ressing, Wild Ones Education and Program Coordinator, we were introduced to three pollinator experts: USGS Wildlife biologist Sam Droege, Crown Bees founder Dave Hunter, and Associate Director of the Pollinator Partnership Lora Morandin. Sam, Dave, and Lora explored the critical roles that wild native bees, solitary managed bees, and honeybees play in our ecosystem and discussed how we can support all pollinators in a balanced and evidence-based way. Each speaker provided a 10-minute educational presentation, followed by an informative panel discussion. In this multipart series, #WildOnesChesapeakeBay will take a look at each of the panelists and additional resources they have to offer on their work with bees.
First up, Sam Droege, the leading voice in native bee conservation. Sam started off by explaining that there are an estimated 4000 native bees in North America, many of which do not have names. Hence, 4000 is an estimate. In the eastern forests, we have roughly 400 species. Each bee species has a very specialized association with flowers, which he would address, but first we much realize that “whatever you know about honeybees, that does not occur and work as a natural history element in our native species. So you may have to forget everything you know about bees.” And while honeybees are magical in their own way, what we know about honeybees does not apply to native bees.
To support native bees, you need to recognize that native bees have tight relationships with the native plants they evolved with, so the objective is to provide native plants to support species level of bee/plant interactions. And to do that is easy. Sam advises:
- Select flowering plants native to your ecoregion.
- Select a diversity of plants. 'The more diverse those plants, the more bees are brought in because many of those bees have a very short list of plants that are appropriate. And each plant has a relatively short list of bees that are doing the pollination on that plant.'
- Select different colors to attract different species of bees.
- Select different floral shapes. 'All the shapes of flowers that you see, those are designed not by people in florist shops, but they’re designed by nature and they’re really being designed by a dance between bees and plants.'
- Select plants with differing bloom times, as many bees species are out for a only limited time during the growing season when their specific plant is blooming. The rest of the year, their young are in nests waiting for the subsequent year.Bees are picky. Sam introduces us to a website put together by Jared Fowler with three regions – eastern, central, and western – that illustrates bees that are the most specialized, meaning they are only gathering pollen from a particular family, genus, or species of plant. “And by planting those as your first cut, you’re lifting a lot of the conservation species, the species that are the least common because many, if not most, of the least common bees are the highly specialized bees.”
Learn more:
https://chesapeakebay.wildones.org/bees-beyond-honey-with-sam-droege/ -
#SRCTV - All About Bees - #SamDroege, USGS Bee Lab
Uploaded on Dec 30, 2024
"Honeybees are using all the native plants or a lot of them too, and they're big competitors with the native bees. So if you are the reason that you're a beekeeper and the reason that you have hives on your property is because you think you're saving bees, you're actually doing the opposite. You're bringing in competitors with the native bees and you're not doing anything really to uplift the total population safely for honeybees. You simply have a bunch of pet insects."
Learn more:
https://vimeo.com/1042995986#WorldBeeDay #NativeBees #Pollinators #SacoRiverCommunityTelevision
-
#SRCTV - All About Bees - #SamDroege, USGS Bee Lab
Uploaded on Dec 30, 2024
"Honeybees are using all the native plants or a lot of them too, and they're big competitors with the native bees. So if you are the reason that you're a beekeeper and the reason that you have hives on your property is because you think you're saving bees, you're actually doing the opposite. You're bringing in competitors with the native bees and you're not doing anything really to uplift the total population safely for honeybees. You simply have a bunch of pet insects."
Learn more:
https://vimeo.com/1042995986#WorldBeeDay #NativeBees #Pollinators #SacoRiverCommunityTelevision
-
#SRCTV - All About Bees - #SamDroege, USGS Bee Lab
Uploaded on Dec 30, 2024
"Honeybees are using all the native plants or a lot of them too, and they're big competitors with the native bees. So if you are the reason that you're a beekeeper and the reason that you have hives on your property is because you think you're saving bees, you're actually doing the opposite. You're bringing in competitors with the native bees and you're not doing anything really to uplift the total population safely for honeybees. You simply have a bunch of pet insects."
Learn more:
https://vimeo.com/1042995986#WorldBeeDay #NativeBees #Pollinators #SacoRiverCommunityTelevision
-
#SRCTV - All About Bees - #SamDroege, USGS Bee Lab
Uploaded on Dec 30, 2024
"Honeybees are using all the native plants or a lot of them too, and they're big competitors with the native bees. So if you are the reason that you're a beekeeper and the reason that you have hives on your property is because you think you're saving bees, you're actually doing the opposite. You're bringing in competitors with the native bees and you're not doing anything really to uplift the total population safely for honeybees. You simply have a bunch of pet insects."
Learn more:
https://vimeo.com/1042995986#WorldBeeDay #NativeBees #Pollinators #SacoRiverCommunityTelevision
-
#SRCTV - All About Bees - #SamDroege, USGS Bee Lab
Uploaded on Dec 30, 2024
"Honeybees are using all the native plants or a lot of them too, and they're big competitors with the native bees. So if you are the reason that you're a beekeeper and the reason that you have hives on your property is because you think you're saving bees, you're actually doing the opposite. You're bringing in competitors with the native bees and you're not doing anything really to uplift the total population safely for honeybees. You simply have a bunch of pet insects."
Learn more:
https://vimeo.com/1042995986#WorldBeeDay #NativeBees #Pollinators #SacoRiverCommunityTelevision
-
It's World #Bee Day!
And no...this is not about farmed honeybees. Today is for awareness of the threats to native #bees around the world. The REAL #pollinators in #nature. -
It's World #Bee Day!
And no...this is not about farmed honeybees. Today is for awareness of the threats to native #bees around the world. The REAL #pollinators in #nature. -
It's World #Bee Day!
And no...this is not about farmed honeybees. Today is for awareness of the threats to native #bees around the world. The REAL #pollinators in #nature. -
It's World #Bee Day!
And no...this is not about farmed honeybees. Today is for awareness of the threats to native #bees around the world. The REAL #pollinators in #nature. -
It's World #Bee Day!
And no...this is not about farmed honeybees. Today is for awareness of the threats to native #bees around the world. The REAL #pollinators in #nature. -
May 20 is World Bee Day. There are ~20,000 different bee species in the world. Here in Ontario we have at least 400 native bees (none of which are the honeybees, which are from Europe). Bees are key to pollination. According to the UN nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend, entirely, or in part, on animal pollination, along with more than 75% of the world’s food crops. Further, worldwide ~35% of 🧵
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May 20 is World Bee Day. There are ~20,000 different bee species in the world. Here in Ontario we have at least 400 native bees (none of which are the honeybees, which are from Europe). Bees are key to pollination. According to the UN nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend, entirely, or in part, on animal pollination, along with more than 75% of the world’s food crops. Further, worldwide ~35% of 🧵
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May 20 is World Bee Day. There are ~20,000 different bee species in the world. Here in Ontario we have at least 400 native bees (none of which are the honeybees, which are from Europe). Bees are key to pollination. According to the UN nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend, entirely, or in part, on animal pollination, along with more than 75% of the world’s food crops. Further, worldwide ~35% of 🧵
-
May 20 is World Bee Day. There are ~20,000 different bee species in the world. Here in Ontario we have at least 400 native bees (none of which are the honeybees, which are from Europe). Bees are key to pollination. According to the UN nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend, entirely, or in part, on animal pollination, along with more than 75% of the world’s food crops. Further, worldwide ~35% of 🧵
-
May 20 is World Bee Day. There are ~20,000 different bee species in the world. Here in Ontario we have at least 400 native bees (none of which are the honeybees, which are from Europe). Bees are key to pollination. According to the UN nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend, entirely, or in part, on animal pollination, along with more than 75% of the world’s food crops. Further, worldwide ~35% of 🧵
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Wildlife Wednesday
🦋Research from University of Plymouth shows that appropriately designed soil-based living wall systems can deliver meaningful urban biodiversity benefits when integrated with strategic plant selection.
🐦⬛ In the study locations, 32 bird species were recorded, with three species observed nesting within the living walls.
🐝 Among the hundreds of other creatures observed were 12 different types of bees, hoverflies and other pollinators, as well as 19 types of soil invertebrates and 12 species of spiders.
https://phys.org/news/2026-01-walls-boost-biodiversity-safe-spaces.html
#WildlifeWednesday #NatureRestoration #Pollinators #Environment #Conservation #Biodiversity #WildlifeConservation #Urbanism #UrbanPlanning #NativeBees #UrbanBiodiversity
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Wildlife Wednesday
🦋Research from University of Plymouth shows that appropriately designed soil-based living wall systems can deliver meaningful urban biodiversity benefits when integrated with strategic plant selection.
🐦⬛ In the study locations, 32 bird species were recorded, with three species observed nesting within the living walls.
🐝 Among the hundreds of other creatures observed were 12 different types of bees, hoverflies and other pollinators, as well as 19 types of soil invertebrates and 12 species of spiders.
https://phys.org/news/2026-01-walls-boost-biodiversity-safe-spaces.html
#WildlifeWednesday #NatureRestoration #Pollinators #Environment #Conservation #Biodiversity #WildlifeConservation #Urbanism #UrbanPlanning #NativeBees #UrbanBiodiversity
-
Wildlife Wednesday
🦋Research from University of Plymouth shows that appropriately designed soil-based living wall systems can deliver meaningful urban biodiversity benefits when integrated with strategic plant selection.
🐦⬛ In the study locations, 32 bird species were recorded, with three species observed nesting within the living walls.
🐝 Among the hundreds of other creatures observed were 12 different types of bees, hoverflies and other pollinators, as well as 19 types of soil invertebrates and 12 species of spiders.
https://phys.org/news/2026-01-walls-boost-biodiversity-safe-spaces.html
#WildlifeWednesday #NatureRestoration #Pollinators #Environment #Conservation #Biodiversity #WildlifeConservation #Urbanism #UrbanPlanning #NativeBees #UrbanBiodiversity
-
Wildlife Wednesday
🦋Research from University of Plymouth shows that appropriately designed soil-based living wall systems can deliver meaningful urban biodiversity benefits when integrated with strategic plant selection.
🐦⬛ In the study locations, 32 bird species were recorded, with three species observed nesting within the living walls.
🐝 Among the hundreds of other creatures observed were 12 different types of bees, hoverflies and other pollinators, as well as 19 types of soil invertebrates and 12 species of spiders.
https://phys.org/news/2026-01-walls-boost-biodiversity-safe-spaces.html
#WildlifeWednesday #NatureRestoration #Pollinators #Environment #Conservation #Biodiversity #WildlifeConservation #Urbanism #UrbanPlanning #NativeBees #UrbanBiodiversity
-
Wildlife Wednesday
🦋Research from University of Plymouth shows that appropriately designed soil-based living wall systems can deliver meaningful urban biodiversity benefits when integrated with strategic plant selection.
🐦⬛ In the study locations, 32 bird species were recorded, with three species observed nesting within the living walls.
🐝 Among the hundreds of other creatures observed were 12 different types of bees, hoverflies and other pollinators, as well as 19 types of soil invertebrates and 12 species of spiders.
https://phys.org/news/2026-01-walls-boost-biodiversity-safe-spaces.html
#WildlifeWednesday #NatureRestoration #Pollinators #Environment #Conservation #Biodiversity #WildlifeConservation #Urbanism #UrbanPlanning #NativeBees #UrbanBiodiversity
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Attend "All About Native Bees"
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 6 PM ET / 3 PM PT🐝Celebrate World Bee Day (May 20) with Garden for Wildlife! Bees are our most important pollinators, but they are often misunderstood. While the agriculturally important honeybee gets the spotlight, our native bees are actually the ecological powerhouses of the ecosystem.
🐝 Surprising facts about native bee behavior in your backyard.
🐝 How to plant a garden that supports them and get it recognized as a Certified Wildlife Habitat® by the National Wildlife Federation.#WorldBeeDay #NativeBees #NationalPollinatorMonth #Pollinators #Biodiversity #HabitatGardening
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Attend "All About Native Bees"
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 6 PM ET / 3 PM PT🐝Celebrate World Bee Day (May 20) with Garden for Wildlife! Bees are our most important pollinators, but they are often misunderstood. While the agriculturally important honeybee gets the spotlight, our native bees are actually the ecological powerhouses of the ecosystem.
🐝 Surprising facts about native bee behavior in your backyard.
🐝 How to plant a garden that supports them and get it recognized as a Certified Wildlife Habitat® by the National Wildlife Federation.#WorldBeeDay #NativeBees #NationalPollinatorMonth #Pollinators #Biodiversity #HabitatGardening
-
Attend "All About Native Bees"
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 6 PM ET / 3 PM PT🐝Celebrate World Bee Day (May 20) with Garden for Wildlife! Bees are our most important pollinators, but they are often misunderstood. While the agriculturally important honeybee gets the spotlight, our native bees are actually the ecological powerhouses of the ecosystem.
🐝 Surprising facts about native bee behavior in your backyard.
🐝 How to plant a garden that supports them and get it recognized as a Certified Wildlife Habitat® by the National Wildlife Federation.#WorldBeeDay #NativeBees #NationalPollinatorMonth #Pollinators #Biodiversity #HabitatGardening
-
Attend "All About Native Bees"
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 6 PM ET / 3 PM PT🐝Celebrate World Bee Day (May 20) with Garden for Wildlife! Bees are our most important pollinators, but they are often misunderstood. While the agriculturally important honeybee gets the spotlight, our native bees are actually the ecological powerhouses of the ecosystem.
🐝 Surprising facts about native bee behavior in your backyard.
🐝 How to plant a garden that supports them and get it recognized as a Certified Wildlife Habitat® by the National Wildlife Federation.#WorldBeeDay #NativeBees #NationalPollinatorMonth #Pollinators #Biodiversity #HabitatGardening
-
Attend "All About Native Bees"
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 6 PM ET / 3 PM PT🐝Celebrate World Bee Day (May 20) with Garden for Wildlife! Bees are our most important pollinators, but they are often misunderstood. While the agriculturally important honeybee gets the spotlight, our native bees are actually the ecological powerhouses of the ecosystem.
🐝 Surprising facts about native bee behavior in your backyard.
🐝 How to plant a garden that supports them and get it recognized as a Certified Wildlife Habitat® by the National Wildlife Federation.#WorldBeeDay #NativeBees #NationalPollinatorMonth #Pollinators #Biodiversity #HabitatGardening
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Or not two bees
(sorry 😁)
#Photography #SeattleWashington #NativeBees -
Or not two bees
(sorry 😁)
#Photography #SeattleWashington #NativeBees -
Or not two bees
(sorry 😁)
#Photography #SeattleWashington #NativeBees -
Or not two bees
(sorry 😁)
#Photography #SeattleWashington #NativeBees