Homeowners can help weak honeybee populations thrive

by Ellen Daniels

Rapid storms, arctic blasts and heavy snow characterized winter this year. Fluctuations in temperatures were challenging enough for humans, but for our local pollinators, winter was deadly.

Local beekeeper Robert Najjar, who is president of the Summit County Beekeepers Association, estimates he lost 53% of his hives over the winter and fears the remaining bees may be too weak to survive into spring. 

Beekeepers throughout the U.S., in fact, report significant colony losses, jeopardizing crops that depend upon bees for production. Najjar stated that over 300,000 honeybee colonies have perished in the past year, which may drive up prices of blueberries and almonds, in particular, but other crops as well.

He noted, however, the weather is only partly to blame for the steady decline in honeybee population. Use of pesticides, herbicides and over-mowing contribute to the death of millions of bees and other pollinators each year. Habitat loss and climate change also adversely affect insect populations. Then there’s mites and viruses that attack already weakened colonies.

The collapse of bee populations has dire consequences. Honeybees and native bees pollinate over $15 billion worth of crops in the U.S. annually, according to the USDA. Approximately 90 types of crops depend upon bees to produce fruits and vegetables. And many more have a higher yield when visited by bees and other pollinators.  

So, what can we do to protect these critical insects?

Don’t rake. Leave leaves and twigs on the lawn until the overnight temperatures rise to 50 degrees for several nights. This allows the native bees and butterflies time to emerge from their overwintering sites. Native bees hibernate in hollow twigs, beneath leaves and under rocks.

Don’t spray. Try to refrain from using chemicals on lawns, gardens and around houses. Most pesticides do not discriminate and will kill all insects that come in contact, even the beneficial ones.

Welcome weeds. Avoid over-mowing and using herbicides on the lawn. Clover, dandelions and other flowering “weeds” are among the first flowers to appear in the spring and are necessary for pollinators to survive.  

Add food. Plant nectar-producing flowers like zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos, coneflowers, bee balm, catmint and black-eyed Susan and/or native flowers like goldenrod, asters, Joe-Pye weed and milkweed.