Understanding Native Bees: Insights from Paige Embry’s Exploration
Dive into the fascinating and overlooked world of North America's native bees—and why saving them saves us.
Native bees are among the most crucial yet misunderstood players in North America’s natural ecosystems. In her eye-opening book, Our Native Bees: North America’s Endangered Pollinators and the Fight to Save Them, author and lifelong gardener Paige Embry embarks on a journey to uncover the rarely told stories of these vital pollinators. This article delves deeply into the fascinating world of native bees, summarizing Embry’s core findings, highlighting the key differences between native bees and honeybees, examining the extraordinary diversity of bee species, the threats they face, and practical steps everyone can take to ensure their survival.
Why Native Bees Matter
Most people associate bees with the honeybee—Europe’s Apis mellifera—yet honeybees are not native to North America. For thousands of years before settlers introduced honeybees, native bees busily pollinated the continent’s crops and wildflowers. Their role remains critical today, and, in many cases, they’re far more efficient pollinators than the famed honeybee.
- Native bees are responsible for pollinating a wide array of fruits, vegetables, and nuts—essential to ecosystems and agriculture.
- Many native bees are crop specialists, indispensable for crops like tomatoes, blueberries, cranberries, and squash, which honeybees either can’t pollinate or pollinate inefficiently.
- According to Embry, the notion that ‘bee’ equals ‘stinging honey bee’ is as misleading as assuming all dogs are Chihuahuas.
The Tomato Pollination Revelation
The origin of Embry’s journey began in her own garden. She learned—startlingly late as an avid gardener—that honeybees cannot pollinate tomato flowers. Unlike tomatoes, which require ‘buzz pollination,’ honeybees lack the ability to vibrate at the frequency needed to liberate pollen. This process, known as sonication or buzz pollination, is performed expertly by specific native bees such as bumblebees.
- Bumblebees grip the tomato flower and ‘shiver’ their wing muscles, shaking pollen from the flower’s anther pores much like a salt shaker.
- Without bumblebees, or similar native species, tomato crops face significant challenges in setting fruit.
- This surprising fact underlines how native bees deliver ecological services that honeybees cannot replace.
The Starring Cast: Not Just Honeybees
Beyond honeybees, Embry uncovers a cast of native pollinators previously unknown to most people—each adapted to unique habitats, behaviors, and plant preferences. North America boasts around 4,000 native bee species wide-ranging in form, color, and function.
- Some bees, like Hylaeus (yellow-faced bees), secrete silk to line their nests.
- Leafcutter bees (Megachile) cut and roll leaves to build their brood cells.
- Wool carder bees (Anthidium) shave plant fuzz to create plush nests for their young.
- Many solitary bees nest in stems, abandoned burrows, cow patties, and even snail shells.
- Certain species like the blue orchard mason bee (Osmia lignaria) are so effective that several hundred can pollinate an acre of apples—a job that would require thousands of honeybees.
Table: Comparison of Native Bees and Honeybees
| Feature | Honeybees (Apis mellifera) | Native Bees (multiple genera/species) |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Europe, Asia | North America |
| Social Structure | Highly social, live in hives | Mostly solitary; some social (e.g., bumblebees) |
| Pollination Ability | Generalists, some crop limitations (can’t buzz-pollinate) | Generalists and crop specialists; some can buzz pollinate |
| Commercial Use | Widely used in agriculture for many crops | Increasingly used for specialty crops; mostly not managed |
| Nest Locations | Hive boxes or wild hollow trees | Ground, stems, cavities, unique sites (cow patties, shells) |
| Threat Awareness | Colonies monitored, public concern over losses | Poor baseline data; decline often unrecognized until severe |
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The Invisible Decline: Problems Facing Bees
The plight of honeybees—particularly colony collapse disorder—has captured headlines and inspired waves of research. But as Embry points out, native bees often face even greater risks. Their populations are frequently less monitored, their nesting and foraging needs under-researched or unknown, and their declines can go unnoticed until it’s too late.
- Threats to native bees include:
- Parasites and pathogens
- Poor nutrition (due to habitat loss and monoculture agriculture)
- Pesticide exposure
- Loss of nesting habitat
- Climate change and invasive species
- Cases like the vanishing Franklin’s bumblebee, which once lived in southern Oregon, highlight how species can slip away before they’re adequately studied.
The Franklin’s Bumblebee: An Emblem of Loss
Among the most striking stories highlighted in Embry’s research is the disappearance of Franklin’s bumblebee (Bombus franklini). Once common in parts of the Pacific Northwest, this bee was last observed in 2006. Scientists suspect that diseases introduced by commercial bumblebee colonies may have played a pivotal role, illustrating the dangers of moving managed bees across regions.
- This disappearance is a stark reminder of how quickly native species can be lost—sometimes before they’ve even been properly described or studied.
- Native bees’ reproductive speed and adaptability provide hope for recovery if actions are taken promptly.
What Makes a Bee ‘Native’?
A native bee is one that evolved alongside native flora and fauna, often developing an intricate relationship with its environment. Unlike honeybees, native bees span a huge spectrum of sizes, colors, and lifestyles—from the metallic green sweat bees (Agapostemon) to the gentle leafcutter and mason bees. Paige Embry’s storytelling personalizes these creatures and emphasizes that every bee species is an important thread in the ecological fabric.
- Many solitary bees are so non-aggressive that they rarely sting—some are even incapable of doing so.
- Their lifecycle and foraging behavior is often tightly synchronized with local plant bloom times.
Bees in Our Backyards: The Role of Urban and Suburban Gardens
Paige Embry underscores that making your yard, garden, or even window box more bee-friendly can make a significant difference. Research shows that less-manicured lawns and diverse plantings encourage native bee populations.
- Reduce frequent lawn mowing: Allowing clover and wildflowers to bloom provides essential forage for bees.
- Plant native flowering plants: These support native bee species and align with their life cycles.
- Provide nesting habitat: Bare patches of soil, piles of twigs, or drilled wooden blocks can offer crucial nesting sites for ground- and cavity-nesting bees.
- Avoid pesticides: Even those labeled ‘bee-safe’ can have subtle but harmful effects.
The Four Ps: Why Bees Are Struggling
Modern bee declines stem from a combination of interconnected factors, referred by scientists as the Four Ps:
- Parasites: Increasingly common and hard to manage, especially with unmanaged bee populations.
- Poor Nutrition: Monoculture farming and loss of floral variety diminish the food supply diversity bees need.
- Pesticides: Widely used in agriculture and gardening, these chemicals have both lethal and sublethal effects on bees.
- Pathogens: New diseases, often introduced through movement of commercial pollinators, are devastating to native species.
Added threats include habitat loss, invasive species, and climate change.
Resilience and Hope: Lessons from Bee Diversity
While some species stand at the brink of extinction, bee populations as a whole are resilient and able to rebound when given the right conditions. The loss of certain pollinators in China’s Maoxian Valley unexpectedly led farmers to plant more diverse crops, which ultimately supported healthier populations of pollinators. Embry’s work highlights that increased awareness and research into native bees are beginning to yield actionable solutions.
- Surging interest in bee research now provides scientists and conservationists with greater knowledge and tools to drive positive change.
- Together, small acts collectively support wider ecosystem resilience—and ultimately, human food security.
How You Can Help Native Bees
- Plant a native pollinator garden: Choose plants native to your region that bloom at different times of year.
- Let parts of your yard grow wild: Allowing a corner to naturalize can provide vital nesting sites and forage.
- Limit or eliminate pesticide use: Opt for organic gardening practices.
- Support local conservation efforts: Participate in community science or local projects for bee monitoring and habitat creation.
- Spread awareness: Teach friends and neighbors about the importance—and fascinating diversity—of native bees.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why are native bees more important than honeybees?
Native bees are critical for the pollination of many wild and cultivated plants, particularly crops that honeybees cannot efficiently pollinate such as tomatoes, blueberries, and squash. They are often specialized, more effective, and adapted to local ecosystems.
Can native bees make honey?
Very few native bees produce honey, and those that do typically do not create it in harvestable quantities. The honeybee is unique in making large stores of honey for overwintering, which is part of why it was imported to North America.
Why don’t I see many native bees in my garden?
Native bees are often smaller, less colorful, and more solitary than honeybees. Many are active for only a short period each year or forage on specific plants, making them less conspicuous unless you’re looking closely and offering suitable habitat and food sources.
Are native bees aggressive?
Most native bees are solitary and non-aggressive. Females rarely sting and commonly only do so if trapped or threatened. Many lack the ability or inclination to sting people at all.
What is the main threat to native bees?
The main threats include habitat loss, pesticide exposure, disease, loss of floral diversity, and competition or disease transmission from managed bees. Small changes in local gardening and land management can help mitigate these risks.
Key Takeaways
- North America is home to around 4,000 native bee species, each with unique ecological roles and behaviors.
- Native bees outperform honeybees for the pollination of many crops and wild plants.
- The greatest dangers facing native bees are often invisible: unmonitored declines driven by habitat loss, disease, pesticide use, and climate change.
- Simple individual and community actions provide hope for rebuilding native bee populations and securing future pollination services essential to agriculture and wild ecosystems.
Understanding and valuing the role of native bees is a vital step—perhaps the first of many—towards preserving the vibrant biodiversity and resilient food systems our future depends on.
References
- https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/beyond-the-hive-the-wonderful-world-of-native-bees/
- https://davidsonlands.org/wow-native-bees/
- https://www.hannahnordhaus.com/give-bees-a-chance/
- https://stjohnunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Preface-Ch-1-from-Our-Native-Bees-Paige-Embry.pdf
- https://www.paigeembry.com
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b29xN6FhkHc
- https://www.humanegardener.com/how-to-really-save-the-bees/
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