Why are native bees struggling?
Bee decline is mostly due to three factors—poor nutrition, pests and diseases, and pesticide use.
Poor nutrition: bees are animals. They need carbs, proteins, vitamins, and minerals to survive and thrive. Bees can only get nutrition from flowers. Nectar produces their carbs, and pollen produces their protein, vitamins, and minerals. If there are no flowers, there is no food for bees. When suburban sprawl takes over, much of that land becomes flowerless and turns into a food desert for pollinators.
The focus on monoculture—meaning cultivating just one crop or species in a given area—such as pure grass lawns, mowed roadsides, or vast farmland, creates an area that is not part of the ecosystem. Ecosystems rely on biodiversity to thrive, and while humans manage these areas and may cultivate them for private use, they are only available to humans. By focusing on these landscape uses, we have reduced the number of flowers in a given habitat, therefore reducing the number of species that rely on them in that area.
We have lost millions of acres of flowering habitat by focusing on these monocultures. We are constantly developing more landscapes that remove vital plants from the local environment, further displacing species that evolved to coexist with those plants.
The introduction of non-native and invasive plants and insects is also a large factor in the decline of proper nutrition for bees. Planting species that native bees did not evolve with precludes them from getting nutrients from those plants, and invasive species can choke out native plants, thereby reducing biodiversity.
Pests and diseases: Bees can get sick! They can fall ill to fungal infections, viruses and bacteria, and microsporidia, a group of parasites related to fungi. Bees can also fall prey to pests, which can enter hives or cells to eat stored food or feed off the bees. This makes it more difficult for bees to go about their daily lives, and can increase spread of diseases. There are also emerging diseases that bees have no natural defense to, such as the Varroa mite in honeybees. Commercial bee rearing can also introduce pests and diseases into ecosystems.
Pesticide use: Pesticides target pests, but sometimes harm pollinators. Pollinators are most likely to encounter pesticides while foraging. They can be exposed to flowers or leaves that have been sprayed, or consume pollen or nectar gathered from treated plants.
They can also be exposed via pesticide drift, contaminated surface water, or pesticide spills.
Pesticide exposure can be:
Lethal: killing bees immediately upon contact
Sub-lethal: impairing bees’ normal behavior or reproduction. This can result in change in memory, change in learning ability, change in foraging ability, loss of fertility in queens, and increased susceptibility to diseases.
Neutral: having little to no effect on bee health
The interaction between these three factors can amplify negative effects on pollinators. For example, pesticides can weaken bees, causing increased rates of infection from disease, while poor nutrition affects immune strength to fight off pests and pathogens. All of these factors combined can affect the strength of future generations, creating a decrease in biodiversity. Disrupting pollinator networks can disrupt the balance of food systems.
What can you do to help?
All this may sound pretty dire. And if we continue down this path without changing our habits, practices, and view of the world, it will be. But there is still hope. Here are a few things you can do:
Minimize pesticide use. Use prevention measures instead of reactive ones. If you must use pesticides, ensure every application is 100% necessary, only apply the recommended dose, and choose a pesticide that is effective for the target pest and least toxic for non-targets. Spray in the evening when bees are least active, and do not spray wildflowers.
Establish pollinator-supportive habitat. You can create a pollinator haven using a remarkably small area. Make sure to choose native plants, as those are the ones native pollinators have evolved with. In the fall, don’t cut back pithy plants, as many species over-winter in hollow stems.
Promote pollinator policy and research. Get involved with organizations that are focused on this work, such as the Xerces Society and the Bee Conservancy. Contact lawmakers to voice support for policy changes that benefit pollinators and a more balanced world. Become an advocate for nature.
