General Bee Knowledge

  • 5 EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS HIGHLIGHTING THE IMPORTANCE OF BEES

    Title Graphic Credit Alex Taylor, Everyday Conversation  Each month our Bee Informed Blog highlights current news, science, and research related to solitary bee conservation, food insecurity, and sustainability. This month, we've decided to do something a little different and highlight five short...
  • 5 Ways to Create Nesting Habitat for Solitary Bees

    5 Ways to Create Nesting Habitat for Solitary Bees
  • 8 Simple Ways to Prevent Carpenter Bees from Moving In

     8Simple Ways to Prevent Carpenter Bees from Moving In The sun is out; the flowers are blooming; the bees are buzzing — spring is finally here! However, sometimes the buzz of bees is not always a welcome sound, especially when you start to notice nickel-sized holes in your house or outdoor furn...
  • A blue-green bee from the boreal forest could help food production in northern Quebec

    A blue-green bee from the boreal forest could help food production in northern Quebec A small native bee could help make Quebec's north less dependent on fruit and vegetables flown in at high cost. Researchers at the Boreal Forest Experimentation and Development Center in Baie-Comeau, Que. are ...
  • Bee Diversity Decline

     We haven't seen a quarter of known bee species since the 1990s This article published by National Geographic highlights the findings of a study published in the journal One Earth which reveals that in recent decades, the number of bee species reported in the wild has declined globally - roughly...
  • Bee ID, ID, identification

    What Kind of Bee Is That Bee? Many of our bee raisers want to learn how to identify the bees that visit their gardens and tell the difference between native and exotic bee species. But, with over 4,000 species of native bees in North America, plus the nonnative species that have been introduced,...
  • Bees Exposed to Pesticide Could Take Multiple Generations to Recover - Modern Farmer

    Bees Exposed to Pesticide Could Take Multiple Generations to Recover - Modern Farmer Calculating exactly what sort of damage certain pesticides pose to pollinators might be trickier than previously thought. New research from scientists at the University of California, Davis finds that repeated e...
  • Bees, sheep, crops: Solar developers tout multiple benefits

     Bees, sheep, crops: Solar developers tout multiple benefits Silflower was among native plants that blanketed the vast North American prairie until settlers developed farms and cities. Nowadays confined largely to roadsides and ditches, the long-stemmed cousin of the sunflower may be poised for ...
  • Biodiversity protects bee communities from disease

    Biodiversity protects bee communities from disease The University of Michigan - A new analysis of thousands of native and nonnative Michigan bees shows that the most diverse bee communities have the lowest levels of three common viral pathogens. "This result is exciting because it suggests that ...
  • Do I Need to Add More Nesting Tubes? (Video)

    When about 25% of your bee tubes are filled, you will want to provide fresh ones to encourage your bees to stay at your house and not move to the neighbors.
  • In a New Study, Spring Forest Bees Get Their Due

    In a New Study, Spring Forest Bees Get Their Due Temperate forests in the eastern United States come to life in April and May with colorful blankets of wildflowers, birds singing from newly leafing tree branches, and plenty of insect activity. That includes one greatly understudied group of nati...
  • Influx of Imported Honey Bees Harms Native Populations

    Video: Good intentions aren't enough - Attempts to protect wild bees have gone awry, and an influx of imported honeybees is doing more harm than good to native populations. Ron Miksha, a bee ecologist and former commercial beekeeper, is doing research at the University of Calgary about competiti...
  • New OSU volunteer program tackles statewide native bee inventory

    New OSU volunteer program tackles statewide native bee inventory Oregon State University - Oregon is the first state in the nation to form a Master Melittologists program of trained community scientists dedicated to preserving and cataloging bees that are native to the state. Like OSU Extension...
  • New research finds introduced honey bees may pose a threat to native bees.

    New research finds introduced honey bees may pose a threat to native bees. A Curtin University study has found the introduced European honeybee could lead to native bee population decline or extinction when colonies compete for the same nectar and pollen sources in urban gardens and native veget...
  • Pollinator Conservation: Time to Focus on Native Bees

    Pollinator Conservation: Time to Focus on Native Bees Imagine a scenario in which a terrible avian virus sweeps through North America, decimating the poultry industry. Ranchers lose tens of thousands of chickens, and many leading poultry operations go out of business. Chicken and egg prices sky...
  • Read This Before You Buy Bees

    The solitary bee industry is taking off, which attracts companies with the sole purpose of making money. We helped start the industry back in 2008 and see both good and bad practices abound! Your success is honestly important to us, and we want to give you the tools to make informed decisions. A ...
  • Save the bees, but which bees?

    Save the bees, but which bees? Did you know the number of honey bee colonies in the US increases by about 1% each year. “Save the bees” isn’t only about honey bees, it’s also about wild, native bees. Bumble bees, carpenter bees, and sweat bees are all important pollinators. That may not seem lik...
  • Solitary Bees in Greenhouses — Pitfalls and Advice

    If you have a greenhouse, pollination can be a struggle. After all, 1/3 of the food we eat is dependent on pollinators, and without them, you'll be pollinating your greenhouse plants by hand with a paintbrush. So, it's no wonder that many of our bee raisers ask us if they can raise mason and le...
  • The loss of insects is an apocalypse worth worrying about

    The loss of insects is an apocalypse worth worrying about (Vox) Perhaps you don’t think much about the value of dung beetles. But without them crawling around farms, stables, and wild savannas today, the world would be pretty, er, shitty. What about the importance of small, mosquito-like flies c...
  • When do my bees ship?

    Hi, {{ integrations.bigcommerce.customer.first_name }} We get this question all the time, and I know the process can be confusing. We always ship bees separately. First, we will only ship them FedEx 2-Day (on our dime) regardless of what shipping method you have chosen for your products. This en...
  • Why bees are critical for achieving sustainable development. 

    Why bees are critical for achieving sustainable development.  Ambio: A Journal of the Human Environment - This article explores bees' contributions towards achieving the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are the blueprint for achieving a better, more sustainable futu...
  • Why it is Important to Harvest Bee Cocoons - With Video

    Relying on Mother Nature isn't always the best course of action these days. Our bees are assaulted on all sides by changing weather patterns, fertilizers, disease, insecticides . . .. Click on Why harvest? to see more information.
  • Wild bees add about $1.5 billion to yields for just six U.S. crops

    As most of us know, many farms in the United States use managed honeybees to pollinate crops and increase yields, sometimes trucking beehives all across the country. This article published by Science News summarizes a study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, which shows ...
  • Will Putting Honey Bees on Public Lands Threaten Native Bees?

    Will Putting Honey Bees on Public Lands Threaten Native Bees? In this article, published at the Yale School of the Environment, scientists warn that the introduction of honey bees on public lands pose a threat to native bee species, outcompeting them for pollen and altering the landscape.
  •  Alternative Pollinators: Native Bees

     Alternative Pollinators: Native Bees National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service - This publicationprovides information and resources on planning for, protecting, and creating habitat for native bees in agricultural settings. Creating and preserving native bee habitat benefits farmers ...
  •  Pesticides and Food Scarcity Dramatically Reduce Wild Bee Populations

    Pesticides and Food Scarcity Dramatically Reduce Wild Bee Populations A new UC Davis study found that the combination of pesticide exposure and limited pollen resources reduced blue orchard bee reproduction by 57% and resulted in fewer female offspring.
  •  What effect will the 2020 fires have on bees?

     What effect will the 2020 fires have on bees? This article, published by Oregon State University Extension Service, discusses the effect of forest fires on bees, how bees respond to the land destroyed by fire, and how individuals can help bees while also protecting their property from future fi...