Threats to the Honeybee Community

Zipper the bee resting in bed with a thermometer

Why Pollinators Need Our Help

Honey bees and native pollinators face several pressures at the same time. Habitat loss, limited forage, pesticides, parasites, disease, and changing weather can all make survival more difficult. Here are practical ways we can help.

Habitat and Forage Loss

Bees need a steady supply of nectar and pollen throughout the growing season. Large areas dominated by one crop or plant may provide food only during a short bloom, leaving gaps that can create nutrition stress. A yard with different flowers blooming from spring through fall can help fill those gaps.

Let clover, dandelions, and native wildflowers bloom where practical.
Turn part of the yard into a no mow area or pollinator garden.
Choose a variety of plants that bloom at different times.

Did You Know?

Monarch butterflies depend on milkweed to reproduce. Native milkweed also provides nectar for honey bees and other pollinators. Consider giving native milkweed a place in a garden or no mow area.

Milkweed Seed Guide Coming Soon

Create Vertical Forage

Small yards can still provide more flowers. Fences, trellises, and other supports can hold flowering vines and help turn unused vertical space into pollinator forage.

Plant Flowering Trees

Flowering trees and shrubs can provide a large amount of nectar and pollen without taking up the same ground space as a wide flower bed. Choose varieties suited to your area and site.

Michigan DNR Pollinator Friendly Flowering Trees

Pesticides and Herbicides

When treatment is necessary, follow the product label and take steps to reduce pollinator exposure. Some pesticides can remain on plant surfaces, while systemic products can be taken up by the plant. Avoid treating blooming plants, mow or remove flowering weeds before treatment when the label permits, use targeted applications, and apply during evening or night hours only when the label allows it.

Bees do not recognize property lines.

What happens in one yard can affect pollinators that live somewhere else. Reducing unnecessary pesticide and herbicide use helps protect shared habitat.

EPA Pollinator Protection

Parasites and Disease

Varroa mites can injure honey bees and spread damaging viruses. Responsible beekeepers monitor their colonies and work to control mites and disease. Buying honey from local beekeepers helps provide the resources they need to continue caring for their colonies.

Learn About Varroa Mites

Changing Weather Patterns

Late frost, long periods of cold rain, drought, and other changing weather conditions can interrupt bloom cycles and reduce food availability for pollinators. Planting a diverse mix of forage that blooms at different times can make local habitats more resilient. If one important bloom is damaged by frost or poor weather, other flowers, shrubs, and trees may still provide food.

Changes in bloom times and available flowers can also make honey from the same area taste different from year to year.

Help Build a More Resilient Food Supply

Plant a variety of pollinator friendly plants that bloom at different times throughout the growing season.

Learn More, Michigan DNR Recommended Plants for Michigan Pollinators

Friends of the Honey Bees

Honey bees are not alone. Thousands of native bee species also help pollinate our flowers, fruits, and vegetables. They may not be quite as impressive as our beloved honey bees, but we might be a little biased.

You can help by planting native flowers, providing undisturbed nesting areas, leaving hollow stems until spring, and reducing pesticide use.

Learn More About Native Bees