Native Bees vs. Honey Bees: Meet Fremont's Other Pollinators

We love our honey bees, but here's a fact that surprises a lot of people: honey bees aren't native to North America. European settlers brought them over in the 1600s, and they reached California in the 1850s. Long before that, and still today, the real pollination workhorses of our region were native bees. California alone is home to well over a thousand native bee species. (It was one of the things that surprised me most, too. See What We Wish Everyone Knew About Honey Bees.)

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How native bees are different

• Most live alone. The majority of native bees are solitary. Each female builds and stocks her own small nest with no queen or workers.
• Most nest in the ground. Roughly 70 percent of native bees dig tunnels in bare soil. Others nest in hollow stems or old beetle holes in wood.
• They don't make honey. Native bees store pollen and nectar for their young but don't produce honey in quantities we could harvest.
• They rarely sting. Solitary bees have no hive to defend and are generally very gentle. Many males can't sting at all.

Some native bees you might see in Fremont

• Bumble bees: Big, fuzzy, and loud. Unlike most natives, they live in small colonies. They can "buzz pollinate," vibrating flowers to shake loose pollen, which is great for tomatoes and blueberries.
• Carpenter bees: Large, shiny, and often black or, in the case of males of one local species, fuzzy golden-tan. They chew nesting tunnels in wood.
• Mason bees: Small, often metallic blue, and among the earliest spring pollinators. They seal their nests with mud.
• Leafcutter bees: They cut neat circles out of leaves to line their nests. If you see perfect half-moons in your rose leaves, that's them.
• Sweat bees: Tiny, sometimes brilliant metallic green, and attracted to the salt in human sweat. They're harmless.

Want to tell them apart? The Bees in Your Backyard is a wonderful field guide with lots of photos.

Why native bees matter

Native bees evolved alongside our local plants, and many are specialists, visiting only certain flowers. Some crops and wildflowers are pollinated more effectively by native bees than by honey bees. A healthy landscape needs both.

How to help native bees

• Leave some bare ground. A sunny patch of undisturbed soil without mulch gives ground-nesting bees a place to live.
• Plant California natives like ceanothus, California poppy, manzanita, salvias, and buckwheat. California poppy seeds are an easy start. (Fall is the best time. See What to Plant in October for Happy Bees Next Spring.)
• Leave hollow stems standing over winter instead of cutting everything back. A mason bee house offers extra nesting tubes.
• Skip pesticides, especially on plants in bloom. (Pesticides and habitat loss are a big part of why bees are in trouble.)
• Put out shallow water with stones for landing. Here's how to build a simple bee bath.

Honey bees and native bees together

Responsible beekeeping means thinking about all pollinators, not just the ones in our boxes. Planting diverse flowers, avoiding chemicals, and not overcrowding an area with too many hives helps native bees and honey bees share the neighborhood.

Want the bigger picture? Read What Are Pollinators & Why They Matter More Than You Think.