>    "Everybody thinks about honeybees, but there are 5,000 species of
native
> bees," Dr. Buchmann said. And they pollinate many crops far more
efficiently
> than the honeybee, which is an import from Europe.
>    "Blueberries, cranberries, eggplants, chilies, kiwis and tomatoes are
all
> buzz-pollinated," he said.

How many of the above mentioned plants are native to North America?  I know
that kiwis (Chinese gooseberries) are not.  Why is it OK for a native bee to
pollinate an imported plant?  Is not it producing competition for native
plants?  If one species of native bee does better on an imported plant than
another won't that species have an unfair advantage over the other species?

Seems to me that if you want the 5,000 species of natives to live in
pristine conditions then you had better get rid of those imported plants and
only plant native species that those native bees are synonymous with.  You
might not get any food to eat but, hey, you will get a nice warm feeling in
your belly that will overcome the hunger pangs, won't it?

Trevor Weatherhead
AUSTRALIA