This blog post was written by author Justine H. of Pima County Public Library's Seed Library team.
Happy National Honey Bee Day! This special day has been set aside for the citizens of the United States to acknowledge and celebrate the vital role Honey Bees have on our food system and to bring greater awareness to the vulnerability that Honey Bees and other bee species face in our world today so that we can take action to protect them—and I am here for it!
While they are the most talked about bees in the bee world, Honey Bees represent only about 8 species of bees in a world of around 40,000 species—or types—of bees that exist worldwide. All bees, however, have an incredibly vital role in pollinating the flowering plants which bear the fruits that humans and a multitude of other critters need to survive (not to mention, they’re incredibly enjoyable to eat).
One of the most mind-blowing and beautiful aspects of the bee/plant relationship is that flowers have evolved over the millennia to make use of the bees’ anatomy, unique habits, and their predilections to help them achieve pollination. An example of that unique relationship is “buzz pollination” or “sonication” which is when a flower’s pollination is triggered by the buzzing of bees on the flower and her reproductive parts. Some of my favorite food crops, such as peppers (aka chiles), tomatoes, and eggplants have evolved to respond to bee sonication to pollinate. I am sure to thank bees every time I enjoy a meal of Ratatouille!
Bees’ role in the health of our ecosystems extends beyond their essential role as pollinators; many bee species are solitary and don’t make their homes in the communal hives many of us picture in our minds when we think of bees. Many solitary bees make their homes in in-ground burrows (bioturbation) which in turn help contribute biomass to the soil in the form of pollen and larval poop. In the Sonoran Desert, this biomass is a much-welcome nutritional boost to our nutrient-poor soils. The burrows also help aerate the soil, allowing rain to permeate our parched soils more readily.
Unlike our native burrowing bees, I’ve only just scratched the surface of how exceptional and necessary bees are to the health and beauty of our planet. These incredible insects are in decline, and we bear the responsibility of helping them survive. I invite you to dig deeper to learn more and become enchanted with bees, then find ways you can help them continue their wonderous existence for millennia to come.
Check out our Seed Library to find out how you can grow plants to support bees and other pollinators with seeds.
Recommended reading:
Buzz by Thor Hansen
A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert curated by The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
The Lives of Bees by Thomas Seeley
Our Native Bees by Paige Embry
The following pictures come from author Justine H.'s home garden
