Sue Funk, Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Douglas County Conservation District, is the right person to give “The Buzz About Native Bees.”
Funk explains that there are many types of bees. Some bees are generalists and visit all types of plants; others, such as the blue sage bee, are specialists. Some are solitary; others live in colonies. Some are mellow; others anger easily. Only honey bees can be “managed.”
Did you know?
♦ There are over 3,000 species of bees in Kansas.
♦ Native bees do the most efficient job of pollinating native plants in Kansas.
♦ Honey bees are not native to the state.
Although there are other pollinators—monarch butterflies, birds, and bats, for example—bees do 75% of all the pollination to keep crops and gardens productive. Pollinators of all types are decreasing in numbers. Planting a pollinator garden is one way to help ensure that bees and other pollinators flourish.
