By Sue Schneider

April 29, 2013

Bright green leaves, flowers, birds, sunshine, rain… but spring wouldn’t truly be spring without the soft humming of bees.

When people speak of bees, they are thinking of honey bees, according to Brent Hanson, but there are many more important species in our Northwoods, and they deserve our attention and respect.

“Native bees and wasps, bumblebees and other ground-nesting species–they are all important pollinators,” he says. “Besides vegetable gardens and fruit trees, there is a vast array of native plants that rely on these insects for pollination.
“We are losing our biodiversity,” he adds. “In the lower 48 states, 95 percent of our land is no longer natural. Roads, agriculture, urban and suburban growth…all this has changed or destroyed most of the natural areas.”

After 30 years as a practicing horticulturist, Brent has developed a passion for native plants. He has devoted much of his volunteer time, as well as time at his own business, Hanson’s Garden Village, to convincing property owners of the importance of restoring natural ecosystems, for which native bees perform a vital function.

Bees have been in the news recently because they seem to be in big trouble. Beekeepers report increasing deaths of whole hives of honey bees, which has alarmed many ecologists and food industry experts.

“There are theories about it,” says Brent. “Some people have even blamed cell phones and cell towers. A likely culprit is a pesticide called imidocloprid. It’s found in 40 percent of retail products, popular because it’s safe for humans and pets. It gets right into the plant and is highly effective on pests.”

Unfortunately, such poisons don’t discriminate when it comes to beneficial insects like bees. “Domesticated bees seem especially susceptible to problems,” says Brent.

“They are living in unnatural conditions, kind of like chickens in factories, overcrowded and even force-fed sugar at certain times of the year. They seem to be more vulnerable to mites (spider-like parasites) and viruses. With all of these problems, anything could be just that one last brick that’s too much.”

Wild bees are less prone to some of these stresses, but they have their own problems. “When we introduce plants that are not native, the native bees don’t always recognize them as a food source,” says Brent. “It’s better to have wild cherry and plum trees and native wild flowers that they can use.”

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