Lesson 82: Helping All Pollinators

Honey bees are just one of many pollinators. How beekeepers and gardeners can help them all

Honey bees get most of the attention, but they're one of thousands of pollinators. A single state can have hundreds of native bee species (Pennsylvania, for example, has more than 400), plus flies, beetles, butterflies, moths, wasps, hummingbirds and bats. Pollinators are responsible for about one-third of what we eat, and many populations are declining. As a beekeeper, you're in a great position to help, and what helps native pollinators also helps your honey bees.

Meet the other pollinators

• Bumble bees: big, fuzzy, social bees in small colonies; great pollinators of many crops and wildflowers (lesson 69).
• Solitary bees: most native bee species live alone. Each female builds her own nest:
• ground-nesting bees dig tunnels in bare or lightly covered soil;
• stem- and wood-nesting bees (like mason bees, leafcutter bees and small carpenter bees) nest in hollow or pithy plant stems, beetle holes, or wood.
• Mason bees are excellent orchard pollinators, and they're used commercially for tree fruit.
• Solitary bees don't defend their nests aggressively; most rarely sting.
• Carpenter bees: large pollinators, often mistaken for bumble bees (lesson 69).
• Flies: flower flies (Syrphidae) pollinate, and their larvae eat aphids.
• Wasps: some visit flowers, though they're less efficient pollinators because pollen doesn't stick to them as well.
• Butterflies, moths, beetles, hummingbirds and bats also pollinate many plants.

Why pollinators are declining

No single cause. It's a combination of: - loss of natural habitat (fewer flowers and nest sites); - pesticide exposure (lesson 68); - diseases and parasites (for honey bees, varroa mites above all); - poor nutrition and less diversity of food plants; - climate and land-use change.

What you can do

1. Plant flowers, all season long

• Pollinators need food from early spring to late fall. Plant a variety of flowering plants so something is always blooming.
• Native plants are often the best food and habitat for native pollinators. Long-blooming perennials help.
• Plant in groups or patches rather than single plants; many pollinators forage more efficiently that way.
• Flowering cover crops on farms and large properties are a very effective way to feed bees.
• Your Seasonal Guide and local Extension office can suggest plants that do well in your region.

2. Provide nesting places

• Leave some bare, sunny, undisturbed soil for ground-nesting bees.
• "Save the stems": many small bees nest in dead plant stems. A study by NC State Extension found:
• dead stems aren't used in their first winter (they're still intact), so winter is a good time to trim them;
• trimming stems to leave 12–24 inches of stubble creates cut ends bees can nest in the next spring and summer;
• bees then use those stems for about a year, so leave the stubble standing through the following season;
• if you cut or deadhead a stem during the growing season, don't cut it again in winter; bees may have moved in.
• "Leave the leaves" where you can: leaf litter shelters many overwintering insects.
• Bee houses (drilled wood blocks or tubes) can host mason and leafcutter bees; keep them clean and replaced to avoid disease buildup.

3. Provide water

A shallow water source with landing spots (stones, twigs) helps bees and other pollinators (lesson 51).

4. Reduce pesticide use

• Use an integrated pest management approach: only treat real problems, choose less toxic products, and never spray open flowers or when pollinators are active (lesson 68).
• Systemic insecticides used in yards and gardens can reach pollen and nectar for a long time.

5. Share and take part

• Teach neighbors why "weeds" like clover and dandelions feed bees, and why a tidy-but-not-too-tidy yard helps.
• Many states run pollinator garden certification programs and citizen-science counts that anyone can join. Your Seasonal Guide lists programs in your area.

Do honey bees compete with native bees?

Researchers are still studying this. Where flowers are scarce and many honey bee colonies are kept, honey bees may compete with native bees for food, and diseases can spread between bee species at shared flowers. Planting more flowers and keeping your colonies healthy (low mites and disease) helps both.

What to remember

• Honey bees are one of thousands of pollinators; most native bees are solitary and nest in the ground or in stems.
• Declines come from many causes together: habitat loss, pesticides, parasites and disease, poor nutrition.
• Help: plant diverse flowers for every season, leave bare soil and stems (trim stems in their first winter, leave 12–24-inch stubble), provide water, and cut pesticide use.
• What helps native pollinators helps your honey bees too.

Quick check

1. Where do most native bees nest?
2. When is a good time to trim dead perennial stems, and how much should you leave?
3. Name three causes of pollinator decline.

Adapted from: Penn State Extension, Pollinator Gardens: Habitat and Landscaping, Native Pollinators: Identification and Biology, Pesticides and Pollinators and Viruses in Honey Bees (2026); NC State Extension, Garden Cleanup for Pollinators: Trim Perennial Stems in Their First Winter; UGA Cooperative Extension, Protecting Pollinators; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Pollinator Health Concerns.

Adapted from university Extension sources. Experienced Georgia beekeepers are reviewing these lessons. See something that doesn't match your experience? Tell us.