Everyone Can Make a Difference

All bees are important for a healthy planet. You don't have to be a scientist to appreciate bumble bees and help them thrive. By sharing information and ideas, we hope to foster a greater appreciation for bumble bees so that anyone can create a healthy, natural, bee-friendly enviroment in their own backyard.

What About Bumble Bees?

We all hear a lot about the plight of honeybees and their serious decline, but what most people don't know is that for many of the same reasons, bumble bees are in serious trouble too. While honey bees are very important for agriculural crops, they are not native to North America. Forty-six species of bumble bee are native to North America, however, and they are critically important pollinators for indigenous plants and trees.

Four species of bumble bees that were once common in North America have vanished from large areas where they once thrived, and a fifth may already be extinct. Europe, South America and Asia are reporting similar losses. Many factors are contributing to the loss of our bumble bees, but there are many small steps ordinary people can take that can make a really big difference for bumble bees.