When most people hear “save the bees,” they think of fuzzy honeybees buzzing about the garden. But honeybees, who aren’t native to North America, comprise only a tiny fraction of the bees who live among us. There’s a bustling world of native bees, each with their own unique contributions, characteristics and challenges.
June is a good time to deepen our understanding of all these buzzing beauties — and take action to protect them. Of the world’s 20,000 bee species, some 4,000 are native to the U.S.
These unsung heroes of pollination play a pivotal role in maintaining the delicate balance of nature. Evolving alongside native flora, they have developed specialized skills in pollinating particular plant species, making invaluable contributions to the richness of local ecosystems. Bees are responsible for pollinating 80% of the world’s flowering plants.
Numerous crops, including tomatoes, potatoes and blueberries, rely on a process called “buzz pollination,” in which bees vibrate their tiny bodies to release the plant’s pollen — a behavior honeybees don’t exhibit. Although humans benefit from pollination, bees exist for their own purposes. They are sentient beings with individual needs, desires and dreams.
(Yes, really! Research suggests that bees may dream.) Every animal is someone, including insects. Bees — from the diminutive Perdita minima, the world’s smallest bee at less than 2 millimeters long, to the oil-collecting Macropis ciliata, who looks m.
