Native pollinators as important as honeybees
“When people see a bee in their garden, many assume it is a honeybee when, odds are, it is actually a native bee,” said Molly Keck, AgriLife Extension integrated pest management specialist and entomologist, San Antonio.
A native bee is usually any bee except a honeybee since honeybees are not native to the Americas.
And while bees can look very similar or very different from each other, most bees have a “fuzzy” looking body, unlike wasps who are shiny and “smoother” looking. Giving credit where credit is due
There are over 200,000 species of pollinators, and about 199,000 of them are insects.
There are over 4,000 species of bees in the U.S., making them the MVP of pollinators. And a bee’s work is never done, considering that 90% of flowering plants require a pollinator.
Honeybees play a key role in agriculture, but native bees are just as important, Keck said.
Natives thrive on variety
Whereas honeybees prefer blanketed areas of the same food source, such as a field of a single crop, native bees are all about variety.
The more types of flowers, fruits and vegetables that grow in a garden, the more native bees you can expect to see.
Bees are drawn to flowers because of their scent as well as the shape of their flower. They also are attracted to bright colors, especially blues and violets. Red they see as dark, like brown and black, and isn’t as appealing.
“Native bees feed in ‘pockets,’ so you don’t need as much space to attract them as honeybees,” Keck said. “You’ll just need a variety of food sources for them.”
Texans with yards may consider not having turf everywhere, leaving some land uncultivated and allowing some ground to stay bare. Some native bees, like the mason bee,
use mud as mortar to build their homes and having mud on the ground when the weather allows is also attractive.
That might (not) sting
Although all female bees can sting, most native females won’t sting unless trapped, hurt or directly threatened.
“Native bees are unlikely to sting you,” Keck said. “Honeybees are more territorial and likely to defend with a sting.”
In other words, don’t try to catch a native bee and you won’t have too much to worry about.
However, if you are allergic to bees, it is smart to avoid all types, as well as wasps and other flyinginsect venoms, Keck warned.
A native bee retains its stinger after a strike, whereas a honeybee sting is fatal for the bee.
And male bees? Neither honey nor native has any sting at all. However, there are far more female than male bees, so it is safe to assume a bee you see does have a stinger.
Extinction concern?
Keck said it’s important for every Texan to be aware of the need to protect bee habitats,
although there is no threat of extinction in our state quite yet.
“I think the amount of undeveloped land we have in Texas is part of the reason our numbers are still good,” she said. “But as urban areas expand and the sprawl increases, we could start to see the same bee population problems some other areas face.”