Many of our lector have probably hear about the alarming number ofhoneybee dependency deathsin California in early 2025 . We require to provide a brief summary of what ’s happening , then discuss how to protect pollinators – and increase their act – in our own garden .
Around60%of commercial-grade honeybee colonies in the US have pass in the first calendar month of 2025 , according to a survey by the beekeeping nonprofitProjectApis m. The dice - off happened in February , during almond pollination season . Almond pollination is a massive effort in which more than 2 million Apis mellifera colonies – about70%of the US total – areshippedfrom around the United States to California for 3 - 4 calendar week . 2 million colony seems like a lot , but it takes 2 colonies – roughly80,000bees – to cross-pollinate one Akka of Prunus dulcis Tree , and there are 1.4 million acre of almond orchards in California – which develop about80%of the world ’s almonds .
These colony deaths will harm almond production of class , but they ’ll also be devastating for the US commercial-grade fruit industry . After pollinate almond trees , beekeepersshiptheir settlement to the Pacific Northwest and Midwest to pollinate fruit trees . The bee then go to the Northeast to pollinate blueberry bush , to Florida to pollinate citrus Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , and finally to the Dakotas for commercial-grade honey and beeswax production . ( North Dakota grow themosthoney of any state by far . ) Overall , about35%of all food crops are direct dependent on pollinator .
Looking forward , the view is even more unappeasable . Commercial apiculturist buck per colony for pollination services . If they fall behind on average 60 % of their revenue this year , it might behardfor many beekeepers to last out in business . This means that it could become unmanageable for Prunus amygdalus and fruit Farmer to find bees in the first place . At the very least , a bee shortage would drive up the cost of pollinator - dependent foods .
Why are so many honeybee colonies dying right now ? The short solvent is that we do n’t know yet . investigator at the USDA and Cornell University are comparing samples from living and dead dependency to look for possible campaign , like insecticide , the infamousvarroa mite , and viruses . It ’s possible that the mites havedevelopedresistance to miticides , a risk pose by any overuse of pesticide . Washington State University researchers have alsosuggestedthat nutritionary deficiencies might be to fault .
The good word is that the settlement deaths are so far pass only at large - scale commercial-grade beekeeping operations . Local apiarist and honey manufacturer , and backyard hobbyist , credibly have nothing new to interest about . Similarly , those of us who depend on raging pollinator for our gardens will most belike be okay . Nevertheless , the bee die - off in California in early 2025 is a undecomposed reminder that we should never take pollinator for granted . Below are some recommend practices that will protect pollinator , and increase the issue of pollinators , in our localities .
protect pollinator
On composition , protecting pollinators – both bee and other insects , like butterflies – is easy : do n’t disclose pollinators to insecticides . ( Remember that even constitutive insecticides can harm pollinator . ) In practice , it ’s not always so easy to balance protect pollinator and protect our crops from insect damage . Integrated Pest Management principles – key inthis articleby Cathy Caldwell and inthis VCE issue – are a good model for thinking about how to achieve this residue . The basic thought is to apply the least harmful or invasive method to attain want goals .
So if at all potential , avoid insect powder . Instead , keep insect plague with non - chemic method . First , employcultural control condition . religiously clean up plant debris at the ending of the produce season to traverse insects a pip to overwinter . Rotate crops so they ’re not growing near insect pest that do manage to make it the winter . Next , usephysical method . Lightweightrow coverscan keep harmful insects aside from leafy vegetables that do n’t need pollination . reconnoiter your plant for insect nut and larvae and remove any that you find . Finally , biologic controlsmight be utile . Bt , orBacillus thuringiensis , is a bacteria that release a toxic protein that kills many insect larvae . DifferentBt strainsattack different worm species , so be certain to identify your pest(s ) before trying Bt . ( Ralph Morini’sarticledescribing mutual garden pestilence and how to identify them is a good place to start.)This documentfrom NC State details these and other non - chemical insect ascendency methods .
If an infestation is so severe that it ask chemical controls , there are two primary mode to avoid harming pollinators . First , timing : do n’t apply insecticide to flower plants . If this dead can not be avoided – for example , on indeterminate tomatoes that flower endlessly – apply in the evening or even after dark , when pollinator are less active . Second , insecticide choice : use insecticide that are less toxic to bees . Neonicotinoid insecticide are the most notorious bee - killers , but many other insecticide have high toxicity towards bees . TheVCE Pest Management Guidecontains a nice chart that list the bee toxicity of coarse insecticides ( page 1 - 34 through 1 - 36 ) . The University of California has a searchablewebsiteof many chemical ’ bee perniciousness – but please observe that only chemicals listed in the VCE Pest Management Guide can be used in Virginia . For more information , consult the “ Protecting Honey Bees ” discussion section of theVCE Pest Management Guide , starting on page 1 - 29 .
attract pollinators
Increase the routine of pollinator around your garden by creating habitats for pollinators . For a detailed verbal description of how to do this , I highly recommend Deb Harriman’scomprehensive guideto pollinator gardening . Below are a few tips from this and other publications .
First , reduce the sizing of lawns . Turfgrass , specially when it ’s cut myopic , does n’t offer much if any welfare to pollinators . If , like me , you savour having a lawn , consider earmark a little bit of trefoil to turn among the pasture . Not only will the prime appeal bees , but the trefoil will fecundate the weed by fasten atmospheric nitrogen into a bio - available form .
Next , turn mostly native plant . Natives are more likely than non - natives to provide habitat for native pollinator . This is not a hard and fast dominion of course : Deb points out that humblebee , native to North America , are perfectly happy to feed on the ambrosia of European herbs . But if you ’d wish to plant more aborigine , Albemarle County hosts anative industrial plant finderfor Piedmont Virginia . The National Wildlife Federation has anative plant finderthat get across a wide geographical reach . Be sure to choose a diverse solidification of plants , with florescence clip throughout the year , to leave nourishment for as many pollinator species as potential . Also , consider that pollinators ’ larvae , in particular Caterpillar , need food as well . Doug Tallamy ’s Homegrown National Park project haslists , organized by ecoregion , of trees and bush that are good food sources for caterpillar . ( Fair warning : Dr. Tallamy really like oak trees . )
Third , provide forcible habitat for pollinator nests . Most native bees nest in the ground . Uncompacted , well - drained soil is the ideal habitat for ground - nesting bees , so attempt to create areas in your landscape painting with plenty of constituent issue in the grime . As Fern Campbell haspointed out , simply leaving fallen leaves to decay and incorporate into the soil is an easy way to accomplish this . If possible , leave a few stumps and fallen branches on the ground ; these will also supply habitat for bees that wish to burrow into wood .
Finally , creating a pollinator garden in containers is a great choice if you ’re limited for space . Tufts University has a wonderfulguidewith detail about plant life and container choice .
Closing thought
Bee dice - offs are n’t a new occurrence . Those of us of a sure age might remember “ Colony Collapse Disorder , ” which got a lot of publicity starting in 2006 . Almost 20 geezerhood later , there ’s still no known case . likewise , we may never know what do the tremendous number of bee deaths in other 2025 . My non - expert hypothesis is that the many phenomenon – pesticide , mites , disease – that can put stress on bee colonies are each contributing at least a little . In any event , one lesson we can learn from the current crisis is that we ca n’t take pollinators for grant , both in large commercial farm and in house gardens . Especially in our own horticulture practices , there ’s a mess we can do to protect pollinators and create attractive pollinator habitats – both for our own benefit and that of our neighbour .
credit and further reading
Featured persona : Charles J. Sharp . CC BY - SA 3.0(cropped )
Bee Precaution Pesticide RatingsUniversity of California
B thuringiensisNational Pesticide Information Center
The Business of BeesEarthDate , Bureau of Economic Geology , University of Texas at Austin
Colony Collapse Disorder HistoryUSDA Agricultural Research Service
Container Gardening for PollinatorsTufts Pollinator Initiative
Katherine Cornell to help oneself nail cause of massive honeybee dice - offsCornell Chronicle
Eleven Garden Pests : Identification and ManagementRalph Morini
Honey bee colony declines grow as WSU researchers work to crusade lossesWashington State University
Integrated Pest ManagementCathy Caldwell
An first appearance to Integrated Pest ManagementVirginia Cooperative Extension
Keeping Beekeepers Buzzing : come up to Industry ConcernsProject Apis.m
Leave the Leaves ; They ’re a Gift for Your GardenFern Campbell
superintend Varroa Mites in Honeybee ColoniesNC State Extension
Native Plant FinderNational Wildlife Federation
Pest ManagementNorth Carolina Extension Gardener Handbook
2025 Pest Management Guide – Home Grounds and AnimalsVirginia Cooperative Extension
Piedmont Native Plants DatabaseAlbemarle County , Virginia
implant a Pollinator ParadiseDeborah Harriman
Row cover version : A Gardening Season - Extender with BenefitsRalph Morini
Tree Nuts : World Markets and TradeUSDA Foreign Agricultural Service
Where Have All the Honey Bees Gone ? To California Almond OrchardsBrittany Goodrich and Allison Altschuler , Dept . of Agricultural and Consumer Economics , University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign
