Know Your Bees

• Sting: Non-aggressive. Can sting multiple times
• Food: Nectar and pollen with little honey
• Pollinator: Yes
• Body: Fuzzy, yellow and black. Thick legs for carrying pollen. 
• Makes Honey: Extremely small amount

• Sting: Non-aggressive. Can only sting once, then dies
• Food:  Honey and nectar with a little pollen 
• Pollinator: Yes
• Body: Fuzzy and golden. Thick legs for carrying pollen.
• Makes Honey: Yes

Even though bees sting, they serve a purpose. so, please be kind to all bees. If you encounter the aggressive ones move away slowly and don't flail about. The sizes in these drawings are very close to, if not, actual size.

• Sting: Passive/Aggressive. Can sting multiple times
• Food: Omnivore and carnivore
• Pollinator: No
• Body: Yellow and black. Sleek body with thin legs.
• Makes Honey: No

• Sting: Passive/More aggressive than a Yellow Jacket. Can sting multiple times
• Food: Omnivore and carnivore
• Pollinator: No
• Body: Sleek body with thin legs. Bit larger than a yellow jacket.
• Makes Honey: No

• Sting: More aggressive than Yellow Jackets and Wasps. Can sting multiple times. Has most painful sting
• Food: Omnivore and carnivore
• Pollinator: No
• Body: White and black, yellow and black or yellow, black and red. Sleek body with thin legs. Larger than wasps.
• Makes Honey: No

Bees are dying off at alarming rates all over the world. The main reasons: climate change, exposure to agricultural/yard chemicals, lower tolerance to parasites and stresses along with diminishing nutritional options. All of which lead to suppressed immune systems and death.

Glyphosate, the active herbicide ingredient in Roundup is advertised as being innocuous to wildlife.  But when pollinators come in contact with it, the chemical reduces gut bacteria, leaving bees vulnerable to pathogens and premature death. 

Neonicotinoids, an insecticide kill bees over an extended period and threaten bee queens lowering reproductive rates in the colony.  Neonicotinoids also get into waterways and flowers miles away from their use take up the chemical and pass it again to the bees.

Chlorothalonil is the most common of many fungicides targeted at molds and mildews – not insects. It is now believed fungicides are making the bees more susceptible to the deadly Nosema parasite or exacerbating the toxicity of other pesticides.  

The stress tolerance of bees is not without limits. One stress bees experience is being transported to multiple locations across the country, one season to the next for their pollination use. This wears down their immune systems and causes erratic behavior.

Habitat loss and intensified agriculture lead to diminishing food resources for bees who need a variety of plants to keep the colony healthy.  A recent study likened bees feeding on monoculture crops to humans eating only sardines, chocolate, or parsnips for a month!