News

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...

First and foremost, we hope you are staying well. Despite the challenging circumstances of 2020, it was a big year for Crown Bees - not only for our team but for our community of bee raisers who helped provide bee houses and spread awareness of the importance of our solitary bee species. Thank you for making this year possible and for being part of this incredible community. A glance at what you had helped us accomplish in 2020: This year, you installed 4,000 new houses and supplied over 1.2 million unique nesting holes for hardworking bee mothers across the U.S. You raised over 1.2 million...