News — Native Bees

Each month our Bee Informed Blog highlights current news, science, and research related to solitary bee conservation, food insecurity, and sustainability. 1. Common pesticide, Imidacloprid, found to be highly toxic to bees New research funded by the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program and conducted at the University of Georgia shows that Imidacloprid, a common pesticide applied directly to the soil, has lethal and non-lethal effects on bee populations. This study represents the first attempt to explore soil-based exposure in wild solitary bees. The majority of wild bees either nest in the soil or use it as a material to build their...

1. Biodiversity protects bee communities from disease The University of Michigan - A new analysis of thousands of native and nonnative Michigan bees shows that the most diverse bee communities have the lowest levels of three common viral pathogens.  "This result is exciting because it suggests that promoting diverse bee communities may be a win-win strategy to simultaneously reduce viral infections in managed honeybee colonies while helping to maintain native bee biodiversity," said study lead author Michelle Fearon. Click here to read the full news release or read the abstract in the journal Ecology.   2. New OSU volunteer program tackles statewide native bee...

We often think of urban areas as concrete jungles devoid of nature. Still, appropriately managed urban regions can enhance the conservation of bees and act as  hotspots for the pollination services that bees provide to flowers and urban gardens. Incorporating native flowers and plants in urban areas is a super-easy way to make cities feel alive and vibrant and provide the critical habitat necessary to support a diversity of pollinators. Once there is a sufficient supply of pollen and nectar, add a solitary bee house or hotel and watch the plants benefit from the pollinator services of the bees. In return, the...

Each month our Bee Informed Blog highlights current news, science, and research related to solitary bee conservation, food insecurity, and sustainability. 1. We haven't seen a quarter of known bee species since the 1990s This article published by National Geographic highlights the findings of a study published in the journal One Earth which reveals that in recent decades, the number of bee species reported in the wild has declined globally - roughly a 25% reduction of spotted species between 2006 - 2015 on all continents except Australia. The article also discusses the causes of the decline in bee diversity, as well as the importance...