Bee Kind MN

Solitary Bees and Bumblebees are facing devastating habitat loss all around the world. In the USA, there are about 4,000 species of bees with less than 2% of them being the honeybee. Honey bees are actually not native to the USA, and are widely distributed as a domesticated species around the world. Whether you are in the USA, Europe, or another country, the bees that need our help the most are the solitary bees and bumble bees.

 

As stated above, approximately only 1 of 4,000 bee species in the USA are honeybees. The other 3,999 are the native bumblebees and solitary bees. These native bees need our help and are often overlooked. When most people think “Save the Bees,” honeybees are the first that come to mind, so honeybees are getting all of the attention while the native bees get very little. Four species of bumblebees have suffered about a 90% decrease in their populations, in the past 20 years. We need our native bees because they are specially adapted to pollinate our native plants. Without native bees, our native plants have little to no chance at surviving.

 

These bees are suffering a rapid decline in their populations due to pesticide use, urban food deserts, and the lack of safe housing. This decline is leading to a decline in plant pollination. Without bees we cannot have the following food items, and more:

 

• Almonds

• Strawberries

• Apples

• Allspice

• Onions

• Avocados

• Celery

• Lemon

• Cucumber

• Much More

 

We have identified this as a problem, and have made it our mission to help save the bee population of not just Minnesota, or even the United States, but the whole World. Together, we can save the bees by not using pesticides, planting pollinator gardens, and putting up bee houses. Please visit our Build Your Own page to learn how to build a bee house and join in the effort to save the solitary bees!