Native bees have become scarce in the U.S.A., as well as in Europe.
In the U.S.A., even the non-native honeybee (Apis melifera) has become rare.
In an attempt to ease the plight of our beloved
Apidae,
we have assembled
some information regarding the conservation of native bees. Individuals
can help by doing something as easy as planting flowers and providing a
simple nesting site for a few bees. For those farmers interested in
the pollinating services of bees, explore the benefits of setting
up a colony of bees to use for pollinating your crops. Bees have
historically been relied upon to pollinate the crops that humans grow
since agriculture was first established, thousands of years ago. Nowadays,
many growers have reported an absence of bees in the wild. This is due in
part to habitat loss and the continuous application of pesticides. Use these
links to learn more about how you can bring back the native bees of your area.
Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory at Utah State University
This is our favorite website for information on pollination management using native bees
in the U.S.A. Their goal is the development of a diversified and stable pollinator
base for agriculture and the environment. Here you will find an exhaustive guide
for building top-quality Bee Houses. The site also has a list of known suppliers
of live bees and bee-housing products.
Rearing Bumblebees
An extensively researched report on starting a colony of bumblebees.
Rearing Blue Orchard Bees
A great website for the popular blue orchard bee.
Rearing Honeybees
Honey has been a much sought after delicacy since ancient times; 9,000-year-old cave
paintings near Valencia, Spain depict humans gathering honey.
It is not known
when honeybees were first "domesticated" but the first instance of the craft
recorded was in 2400 BC, in Egypt. For thousands of years humans have reaped
the benefits of Apis mellifera, the honeybee. Due to the wealth of information
that exists about keeping honeybees, we have provided just one link for this species.
This website has much information about beekeeping as well as links to other
sites about bees and beekeeping.
