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Summer is for the bees, so be kind. Here’s how you can help these pollinators, which are so critical to our food system and the environment.
Bees are fascinating. They communicate. They pollinate. They make sweet, delicious honey. They dance. And they work—hard. Throughout the world, there are about 20,000 species of bees, and honeybees alone contribute about $20 billion to the U.S. crop growing economy annually.
In the spring, staff from the University of Minnesota’s Bee Lab bottle honey and render wax from honeybee colonies for candles. They also prepare for upcoming summer classes on bees and beekeeping, like free beekeeping education for Minnesota Veterans through Bee Veterans Workshops and Pollinator Parties for others. See the full calendar of bee-vents at beelab.umn.edu/calendar
The Bee Lab’s mission is to promote the conservation, health, and diversity of bee pollinators through research, education, and hands-on mentorship. But they need our help.
Here are six ways you can help these pollinators survive and thrive:
Get to know them. Did you know Minnesota is home to more than 500 species of bees, including 23 species of bumble bees, five of which are considered endangered or vulnerable? “Some are really small,” says Jessica Helgen, program director for the University of Minnesota’s Bee Squad, which educates the public and beekeepers and manages about 250 bee colonies on campus and around the Twin Cities. “There are green metallic sweat bees, bumble bees. Some people just think of honeybees, but once you know more about them, you will start seeing them everywhere.”
Always have something blooming. Helgen says one honeybee colony forages in a two-mile radius. Bumble bees and native bees have a smaller range. That’s why you want to plant flowers and shrubs that bloom during the early, mid-, and late seasons. Helgen says she has a purple aster plant in her yard that’s a magnet for different types of bees. The plant is a late bloomer and attracts honeybees, bumble bees, sweat bees, and other solitary bees. “It’s so fun and happy. It helps you see the diversity of pollinators, even in one urban yard,” she says.
What we’re learning about bees
A number of bee-related research projects are happening at the U of M.
Perhaps best known is McKnight Distinguished Professor Marla Spivak’s queen breeding program. The goal: to control disease and parasitic mites in honeybees. Spivak retired at the end of 2024, but the Bee Squad, which she founded, continues her work.
The Bee Squad also collects bee samples from 250 colonies around the Twin Cities for University of Minnesota virologist Declan Schroeder, who is studying the genome of honeybee viruses and their role in colony health.
Associate Professor of Entomology Dan Cariveau is studying the habitat of native bees. His recent work has focused on restoration ecology as a way to conserve biodiversity.
Embrace the mess. Bees love a wild yard. “People want to do something like ‘No Mow May,’” Helgen says, “but think about the idea behind it: We want to allow plants to bloom in May, which is a really important time for many types of bees, as they’re just coming out and need the food to raise their offspring.” But bees need fuel all season, which is why she recommends that you avoid cutting anything that’s blooming. “When they’re finished blooming, cut off the tops and leave the stems. Solitary bees like to hollow them out and nest in them.”
Avoid pesticides. Read the labels and make sure you understand if the pesticide contains an insecticide, and, if it does, which insect it’s targeting. Also look to see if it contains fungicides, which destroy beneficial yeasts and microorganisms in bees’ guts, and if it contains herbicides that kill weedy flowers that provide nectar and pollen.
Buy honey from a local beekeeper. Beekeepers in the United States need to abide by strict standards: honey has to be honey and can’t be adulterated. “Knowing where your honey comes from is a great way to make sure you get quality honey,” Helgen says. And if you buy from local beekeepers, you can try local flavors and provide beekeepers with the resources they need to raise new queens and split colonies when bee populations drop after winter.
Source: University of Minnesota