Bumblebee Bounty

Our gardens runneth over with bumblebees this summer. Reporter Lynda Mapes wrote a great article in the Seattle Times on Wednesday August 26, explaining that bumblees are actually native pollinators. The honeybees we've relied on for pollination are imported from Europe..and these are the bees that have been in decline the last few years. Despite various theories, honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder remain a mystery. But native bumblebees are buzzing in to fill the gap (along with other pollinators like moths, flies, birds, bats, butterflies, wasps and beetles). Mapes point out that in some ways (besides their appealingly furry chubbiness) bumblebees are superior to honeybees; they work when it's cloudy, while honeybees wait for a sunny day. Gardeners play a big role in nurturing pollinators -  plant a wide diversity of flowering perennials and shrubs including natives, provide water, don't keep your garden too neat and tidy, and most importantly, avoid using pesticides and herbicides which kill the creatures you want to attract as surely as those you don't.

Comments

[Mike Juhl]

I came across the story on Bumblebee Bounty. With this article is a picture of the western bumblebee (B. Occidentallis).
This species has not been seen for a numnber of years. Was this photo a recent one or from the past? Was it local? I would be very interested to know! I hope that it was taken this summer and that this species is still around. If you could let me know I would greatly appreciate it. Mike Juhl