In most areas where large scale agriculture is practiced, there is very little natural habitat left. Native wild bees do not fly very far, usually less than a mile, so if they are to be beneficial they have to be close.

Sorry  Pete,  but with the exception of the Sacramento Valley,  that’s just simply not true.

Native bees are stronger than ever in most places,  due to a lot of factors.  Sure some species are on ebbs and flows,  but here in the Midwest mason bees and red wasp are the same or growing,  Carpenter bumbles are doing more damage than ever before.

Unfortunately when we write papers and stories,  these details are never checked. It doesn’t make for good sesnatlionizm.

Populations of everything keep changing and are dynamic, but the theory of no natural habitat left is just utter nonsense.  There is a whole dept who maps the country with GIS data EVERY ACRE. Litteraly EVERY SINGLE ACRE!   Check the data  its rated for use and habitat types.

Many places have changed,  talked this last month with a big guy in the Dakotas,  hes ticked because the guys switched from hay to row crops,  lost his free honey crop.  But if you check,  you will find the natives didn’t change much.  Just the ability to feed 8000 hives in that county.


Charles

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