Promote Pollinators by Focusing on Habitat

A blog post from the Xerces Society suggests that the best way to help pollinators might not be getting a beehive. Authors Rich Hatfield and Matthew Shepherd suggest that increasing the number of honeybees could actually do more harm than good, as they compete with native bees, yet are not as effective at pollination, particularly for native plants. Furthermore, honey bees can spread disease to native bee populations, and urban populations of honey bees may already be too high. Instead of getting a beehive, the authors suggest that creating pollinator habitat is an action people can take to benefit both honey bees and native bees.