More than 700 native bee species are in decline in North America — and half of those are at risk of extinction.
One major reason why: Habitat loss. Bee habitat is vanishing across our country as we carve up more land for sprawling suburbs or plow it under for agriculture.
Fortunately, one solution is simple: Plant more bee-friendly flowers.
Some of the best bee habitat around
Prairies provide some of the best bee habitat around, with grasses to shelter in and a wide variety of wildflowers to dine on. They used to cover a third of North America, from the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi River. Today, they’re quickly disappearing, with one type — tallgrass prairie — only covering 4% of its original area today.
As the prairie is replaced by roads, homes, farms and lawns, bees lose their own homes — the nesting sites they rely on — as well as sources of food. The patches of habitat that remain are few and far between, making it harder for bees to travel the distances needed to find better habitat.
But there’s one great thing about habitat: Small spaces can make a big difference. Roadsides, public parks and government lawns are the perfect places to grow wildflowers and reconnect bee habitat.
Even cities can bee-friendly
Even cities can do their part to boost bee habitat. Road medians, rooftop meadows and “living walls” can provide safe havens dense with native flowers, grasses, shrubs and more.
When it comes to bees, we must do everything we can to save them. They’re our most important pollinators, and entire ecosystems rest on their shoulders — not to mention a good amount of our food supply. Let’s give bees a helping hand.
Tell your governor: Cultivate more bee-friendly habitat on public lands.