In cases of CCD, beekeepers find hives nearly abandoned, but not in a normal fashion, as when a hive swarms to find a larger home.  The adult bees have left the queen and brood behind, as well as a store of honey, and the few bees that remain are very sick bees, suffering from so many diseases at once that the disorder is sometimes referred to as “bee AIDS.”  Ominously, other bees will not go into the abandoned hive after the unguarded honey, which is strange behavior indeed.  Adult bees cannot go off without a queen and thrive elsewhere.  The adult bees are either dying away from the hive or unable to find their way home, but the result is the same.

             Honeybees (genus Apis) are efficient pollinators, and if crops are not pollinated, they do not produce food.  Because CCD will be very hard on some crops, and because the U.S. And Europe are blessed with many institutions that study agriculture, some of our best and brightest are working diligently on this problem.  This is a very fast-developing situation, and as of the date of this writing the scientists are still considering many possible causes.  The list is extensive, but includes fungal infestations, viruses, and a new variety of pesticide derived from Nicotania plants. Some proposed causes have been deemed unlikely: GM crops and mite infestations.  The Internet rumor that cell phones are killing bees has been discredited.

             Home gardeners also require pollinators, but those do not have to be honey bees.  There are thousands of bees that are native to North America, but Apis mellifera, the most common honey bee, is not one of them.  While the honey bee is an exceptionally good pollinator under ideal conditions, the native bees are often more efficient than honey bees under normal regional conditions.  For example, the bumblebee is able to work in cold, fairly wet conditions which keep honey bees at home.  Other insects, and some animals, also contribute to pollination.  These include wasps, flies, butterflies and moths, beetles, mosquitoes, hummingbirds, bats, perching birds, possums, and some rodents.

             We are all dependent on the services of these pollinator species, but most of these populations are also declining.  Habitat loss and pesticide use are the main culprits.  Gardeners can all play a part in supporting pollinator species.  The most important change you can make is to learn about pollinators, and teach other people.  Bees, wasps and flies are insects that we cannot do without.  Bees rarely sting- when they are visiting flowers they have far more important things to do than worry about you, unless you force them to pay attention to you by swatting, stamping, or spraying.  Most wasps do not sting, either, but the ones that do, like yellow jackets (who wear the same colors as bees, but have hard, shiny bodies, not fuzzy ones) are predictable.  Yellow jackets are most aggressive in late summer and early fall, and are territorial- they are guarding their nests.  And so forth.

             Next, we need to support them.  Insects need food, access to water, and safe places to live.  Native bees have a shorter range than honey bees, so bee food and habitat should be near, say, the vegetable garden.  A faucet with a slow drip, a birdbath, or soaker hoses that are used daily will provide water for insects, if no natural water source is near.  Bees require both carbohydrates (nectar) and proteins and fats (pollen) for the whole growing season, so choose some bee food plants for spring, summer and fall.  Make a bee garden or tuck them in with the vegetables.  Also, choose a dry, sunny area to leave alone.  Do not till or dig there, and let some weeds grow.  Many of the bees live in the ground or in holes in wood.   Avoid pesticides, even organic or botanical ones- they can harm more than the targeted pest.  If you must use them, apply them in the evening when the bees have settled for the night. Rototillers are also a no-no in areas meant to support pollinators- there are nurseries in that soil!  Let the insects be there- they will repay you with homegrown food, as well as wildflowers, their soothing work sounds, and their fascinating behavior.

Selected common bees in Michigan Bumblebees (genus Bombus)-

            The bumblebee is unmistakable with her fat, furry, lumbering body and her characteristic buzz.  Although the bumblebee is capable of stinging more than once, she rarely stings at all.  When she is busy visiting flowers she is so intent on her work that, if you are very calm and still, you may be able to touch her gently.  Only the fertilized queen lives through the winter, and she is able to work in weather just above freezing.  She can do this because she is uniquely able to “disconnect” her wings, and use the same muscles to warm her own thorax before flight.  Bumblebee buzzing is not a threat- the vibration shakes the pollen off of the plant and onto the bee.  Some plants require, or benefit greatly from, this “buzz pollination.”  Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and blueberries are specialties of the bumblebee.  Bumblebees are also being used inside greenhouses and hoop houses to increase yields.  Bumblebees usually live in small colonies in the ground.  They will look for a small brush pile, or an old bird or rodent nest to start their nests- they are not picky.  Their favorite foods are red clover, monkshood, borage, and in my garden they go bonkers for the heirloom culinary sage from my grandfather's garden.

Mason bees, or Orchard bees (genus Osmia)-

            These bees nest in existing holes in wood, and are so easily managed that fruit growers use them for pollination services around the world.  They do not produce surplus honey, but are exceptionally efficient pollinators.  In order to maintain large numbers, the growers store the bees at a controlled low temperature, so they go dormant, but do not die out over winter.  There are many orchard suppliers who provide pre-fabricated mason bee nest blocks, with or without the bees.  There are also several excellent books and pamphlets with details of caring for mason bees, available from public libraries and booksellers.  To attract mason bees, bind old, hollow bamboo stakes in a bundle or drill holes in untreated pine blocks and place them in a protected area that receives morning sun.  Plant nectar and pollen plants, tree fruits and berries.

Sweat bees (family Halactidae)

            These are solitary bees that live in the ground.  They are called sweat bees because they will land on you to lick the salt from your skin, but if you hold still and don't swat them, they will not sting.  They can be brown, black, or a shiny, metallic green or blue.  They are general pollinators, visiting many plants.  Like bumblebees, they mate in fall and only fertilized females survive the winter.  Only females are raised until males are needed in the fall.

Squash bees (genus Peponapis), and other specialist bees

            These bees are active in the mornings, and only when squash, pumpkins, and gourds are blooming.  They are dormant the rest of the year.  Many other native bees are like this, dormant for much of the year and becoming active only when their preferred food is available.  A few types of bees forage on only one kind of plant.  These bees can be encouraged simply by having suitable nesting spots and water.  If you plant their special plant, they will come.

     Some plants to begin with (“*” indicates a non-native plant).  Some of these are already growing around you, others may be available from dealers in native seeds, such as Michigan Wildflower Farm, or from your local nursery.  If you purchase plants, select old-fashioned varieties- many of the new “improved” plants with double flowers or unusual colors are sterile- they have little or no food for the bees.

Spring bloomers:            Willow (Salix), golden alexander (Zizia aurea), *sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima), fruit trees: apple, cherry plum; red maple (Acer rubrum), dogwood (Cornus); raspberries and blackberries (Rubus), dandelion

Early summer bloomers:            Late figwort (Scrophularia marilandica), swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), Culver's root (Veronicastrum virginicum) prairie coneflower (Ratibida pinnata), nodding wild onion (Allium cernuum), *buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), penstemon (Penstemon hursutus), *alfalfa (Medicago sativa),  *borage (Borago officinalis), *hollyhock (Alcea rosea), red clover (Trifolium pratense)

Late summer bloomers:            Meadowsweet (Spirea alba), yellow giant hyssop (Agastache nepetoides), horsemint (Monarda punctata), ironweed (Veronia missurica), cup plant (Silphium perfolatum), boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), paleleaf sunflower (Helianthus strumosis), wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), sunflower (Helianthus)

Autumn bloomers:            Riddell's goldenrod (Oligoneuron ridellii), New England aster (Symphotrichumnovae-angelae, AKA Aster novae-angelae), smooth aster ( Symphotrichumnovae laeve AKA Aster laevis), *coriander (Coriandrum satvium), rough blazing star (Liatris aspera), showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa), sumac (Rhus)

Resources:

1.   Abstract: “Alternative Pollinators- Native Bees” by Lynn Greer.  1999.  ATTRA Publication #IP126; National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service website: http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/nativebee.html

2.   “Enhancing Beneficial Insects with Native Plants” Dept of Entomology, Michigan State University, ongoing project.  Website: www.ipm.msu.edu/plants/home.htm

3.   “Our Forgotten Pollinators: Protecting the Birds and the Bees” by Mrill Ingram, Gary Nabhan, and Stephen Buchmann.  www.pmac.net/birdbee.htm

4.   http://pollinator.com.  This is an excellent resource for beginners and children, with many photos and compassionate articles on fear of stings, etc.  I particularly enjoyed the “What's Buzzin' in My Garden” page, which shows photos of bees and wasps common to our area.

5.   A special thanks to Dr. Zachary Huang of MSU, who took a few minutes out of his intense schedule to provide a few up-to-the-minute answers about CCD.  Dr. Huang has not reviewed this article- any inaccurate statements are my own.  - RF