Honeybees

We need to learn more about honeybees and other pollinators so we can contribute intelligently to the conversation about their health and well-being.

September 16, 2015 | | Notes from the Wild

Honeybee on Boston ivy

Honeybee on Boston ivy

“Honeybees are endangered,” announced a radio commentator on her gardening show recently. On the CBC another garden show host stated that he hadn’t seen a honeybee in two years, implying the familiar pollinators were in trouble.

I don’t share this perception. Without fail, for decades, honeybees have appeared in my yard in earliest spring to seek out flowering bulbs. They continue to visit my garden through the summer and my asters beckon them in the fall.

On my meadow rambles in the Headwaters I encounter them often. And last year I found two wild honeybee hives, one in a grand old walnut tree on Main Street in Alton.

The concern of the garden show commentators shouldn’t come as a surprise. Reports of colony collapse disorder and of parasitic mites have been media staples for years. This, understandably, has led many to believe that honeybees are headed for oblivion.

We need to remember though that most honeybees live in apiaries. They are domesticated animals that arrived here on European sailing vessels. And like all domesticated animals kept in close quarters, they are prone to the easy transmission of disease. Regrettably honeybees will likely continue to suffer from disease outbreaks. But they are not about to disappear.

However, I must offer one important caveat. There is growing evidence that neonicotinoids, pesticides used to treat the seed of corn and soy, can, if not kill the bees outright, weaken them to the point where existing honeybee viruses and pathogens become deadly.

And if these pesticides are bad for honeybees, they will almost certainly affect the health of the hundreds of species of our wild wasps, flies, beetles and bumblebees that pollinated North American plants long before the arrival of the honeybee, and are, in aggregate, far more important pollinators than honeybees.

We need to learn more about honeybees and other pollinators so we can contribute intelligently to the conversation about their health and well-being. Observing and identifying pollinators among the asters and goldenrod at this time of year would be a good starting point.

honeybee and crocus one honeybee and crocus two honeybee on Boston ivy honeybee on chinodoxa honeybee on coneflower honeybee two
<
>
Honeybee on Boston ivy

More Info

Learn how to attract honeybees to your yard

Plant recommendations can be found at:

Identify pollinators with help from this website:

About the Author More by Don Scallen

Don Scallen enjoys sharing his love of nature through his writing and presentations. Check out his blog "Notes from the Wild".

Related Stories

All Abuzz about Honey: Hockley Valley Honey Farm

Mar 23, 2008 | Nicola Ross | Homegrown in the Hills

Dan Garyfalakis surprised his wife Nina with their first pair of beehives as a gift.

butterfly

Attracting Butterflies to your Garden

Jan 15, 2015 | Katie Dawson | The Flower Farm

It is especially important to have flowers in mid to late summer when most butterflies are active.

Bald faced hornet on bloodflower

Pollinator Friendly Gardens

Aug 28, 2013 | Don Scallen | Notes from the Wild

When I walk into my yard I am greeted by a gloriously diverse menagerie of tiny winged creatures.

Beekeepers

Valley of the Bees

May 14, 2011 | Monica Duncan | Back Issues

Hockley honey comes from happy hives.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

By posting a comment you agree that IN THE HILLS magazine has the legal right to publish, edit or delete all comments for use both online or in print. You also agree that you bear sole legal responsibility for your comments, and that you will hold IN THE HILLS harmless from the legal consequences of your comment, including libel, copyright infringement and any other legal claims. Any comments posted on this site are NOT the opinion of IN THE HILLS magazine. Personal attacks, offensive language and unsubstantiated allegations are not allowed. Please report inappropriate comments to vjones@inthehills.ca.