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Everyone wants to protect the bees. Celebrities like Angelina Jolie and an international football star have shown support for beekeeping initiatives. Yet, this trend could be causing unintended damage to native bee species.

The Issue with Honeybee Hives

While farming Apis mellifera produces tasty natural sweetener, it offers little to support native pollinators. In fact, successful campaigns to “protect pollinators” have raised awareness, but domestic honeybees are not disappearing – installing apiaries is comparable to raising poultry to save native bird species.

At the same time, an enormous variety of pollinators – including approximately 270 species of non-colonial bees and 25 kinds of bumble bees – are facing a real crisis. A lot of these species are becoming rarer annually.

Rivalry for Food

Honeybees are essential for fertilizing agricultural plants, but research indicates that where honeybee numbers boom, they negatively impact native bees – especially in regions where they are non-native, such as the Australian continent and North America.

Large populations of Apis mellifera can directly hurt native bee populations because they dominate them for food resources. They can forage further than other bees, and a single hive can contain as many as 50,000 individuals – far more than the nests of native bees. This isn't a concern when flowers are plentiful, but in environments where resources are scarce, native pollinators may struggle to locate sustenance.

Scientific Evidence

Research from locations such as San Diego show that wild-living honeybees can remove as much as eighty percent of pollen on the first day a blossom blooms. That results in very little pollen for the more than 700 species of native bees in the area, some of which haven't been spotted for decades.

“Context is king,” stated a leading expert. “Under certain conditions, honeybees are exploiting nourishment sources to the detriment of local bees.”

What Can Be Done

For people who wish to support every pollinator, the most effective method is to plant a diverse range of blooming plants that flower from early spring through to the end of fall. Many so-called “weedy” plants are excellent providers of pollen and nectar, so avoid herbicides. Keep spots undisturbed where solitary bees and bumble bees can nest. Additionally, cut grass less frequently – that may boost bee abundance by up to 30%.

Main Points

• Honeybees are not endangered, but numerous wild bees truly are.
• High densities of Apis mellifera can compete with local bees for nourishment.
• Planting diverse flowers and limiting lawn mowing can help every bee species.

Overall, greater understanding of local pollinators is encouraging, and a growing number now recognize that European honeybees are not native to many parts of the globe. With better education and focused protection actions, it's possible to support all domestic and native pollinator communities.