Honeybees


Nearly a year ago, Jane and I set out a small dresser that we had no use for anymore.  The plan was to fit it into the back of my car and take it to a secondhand store as a donation, but it didn't quite turn out the way we planned.  The dresser was soon colonized by honeybees and that's where things stand today.  I am a beekeeper with no knowledge of beekeeping.

Although honeybees are not native, I welcomed them anyhow. My thought was that they would assist in the pollination of our landscape plants. Species like my scaleleaf aster (Symphyotrichum adnatum) have never been adequately pollinated by the native bees in our landscape - largely because it blooms so late in the year that the native bees and butterflies have largely gone to rest for the winter.  Honeybees remain active year-round as long as temperatures are above freezing.  

There is a lot of controversy surrounding the impact that honeybees have on native species.  I do not believe that the data is in on that at this time, but as my honeybee population has grown, it seems like the diversity of other bees has dwindled.  This could be from a multitude of factos unrelated to the honeybees, but I have noticed something else that seems real; the honeybees have not been effective pollinators for several of my native plants that I was counting on them to pollinate.  The best example is my native wisteria (Wisteria frutescens).  This has been the best year ever for blooms on this plant and I was looking forward to getting plenty of seed for propagation. As I look at the plant today, I cannot find a single ripening "bean".  It would seem that the flowers were not propagated properly and the fruit has aborted.  I've had fruit in past years, but the flowers may be too "heavy" for the honeybees.  Bumblebees would have done the job, but I have not seen them in my landscape this summer.

As I have argued now for decades, diversity is the key to creating a living landscape - one that best mimics nature.  One cannot do it relying on a single bee species to do the job that a vast suite of species would do in nature.  I've enjoyed watching the honeybees, but it may be time to have them removed - donated to a real beekeeper, and see what changes may occur in their absence.


American wisteria. These beans did not develop


 

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