Beyond Honeybees: How to Protect our Underrated Pollinators
Updated: Sep 13
Where are the bees?
We may associate bees with the classic honeybee-style hive, but our native bee species are actually more likely to be nesting below your feet! Bumble bees and solitary bees are ground nesters requiring exposed soil for their homes. Bridget Kelsh, Integrated Pest Management and Wildlife Coordinator for the Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) Ecology Team, recently joined Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Bee Atlas volunteers and Beacon Food Forest board members Tony Dickey, Will Peterman, and Ben Lee to identify ground nesting sites along Jefferson Park. The group searched for the telltale sign of a ground nest—small holes in exposed ground with small patches of displaced soil nearby.
How can I protect ground bee habitat?
Next time you mulch, check for areas of ground-nesting bee activity ahead of time. Observe midday insect activity or look for visible nests. Avoid placing mulch where it could block ground nests and consider leaving areas of exposed soil for future bees. Remember that insects require more than just food—habitat is also critical for pollinator conservation!
To bee or not to bee?
As we appreciate an overlooked category of bees—belonging to the order Hymenoptera, which also contains wasps, sawflies, and ants—let us also consider a bee lookalike, the hoverfly!
Belonging to the order Diptera, as other flies do, the pollinator potential of hoverflies should not be overlooked. They are also aptly called flower flies or syrphid flies; a Washington State University study found that about 35% of over 2,400 observed pollinator visits to flowers at farms were made by flies, and hoverflies visited several plant types not visited by bees. A pollinator survey by Dr. Jessica Rykken documented 57 taxa of hoverflies in some of our nearest national parks. Not only are hoverflies harmless to humans, but many species of hoverfly larvae prey on aphids and other plant-eating insects! The next time you see insects abuzz in a field of aster, buttercup, rose, or mustard relatives, look closely at the eyes and body shape—you may find this often-overlooked pollinator among the bunch!
What can I do to help pollinators?
For more information about helping pollinators:
Check out these resources recommended by Dr. Amy Lambert of UW Bothell, founder of the CCUWBee Research Initiative for pollinator conservation:
A PNWBBA Guide to Habitat Management for Bumble Bees in the Pacific Northwest – outlines bumble bee resource needs and best practices for managing bumble bee habitat, includes additional links to pnwBumbleBeeAtlas.org for bumblebee identification and monitoring methods.
Pollinator-Friendly Parks by Xerces Society – curious about the life history of pollinators? Great introduction to the pollinator basics, threats to pollinators and strategies for conservation.
Bees of the Puget Sound Lowlands by The Common Acre – the go-to weatherproof pocket guide to native bee identification, designed to inspire curiosity and conservation action!
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