Bees & Wasps

Bees are the most important group of pollinators. When bees collect pollen and nectar for their offspring, pollen sticks to their hairy bodies or is collected in “pollen baskets” and is then transferred from flower to flower. Some bees “buzz pollinate” by vibrating their muscles to release pollen from a flower’s anther. There are 20,000 bee species throughout the world and approximately 4,000 that are native to the United States. Most native bees are solitary and live underground or in wood. Some native bees have become extinct and others are in decline. Contrary to popular belief, honey bees are not U.S. natives, however, they are an important pollinator to the agricultural industry. They are the only bees that live in hives and produce honey. Honey bees are in decline as well, due to the unexplained phenomenon of Colony Collapse Disorder.

Wasps also transfer pollen, however not as much as bees due to usually having smoother bodies or body hairs that are less branched. They have shorter tongues than bees so they prefer plants with shallow flowers, such as members of the Carrot family, including parsnip and fennel to name a few.