By Susan Pesznecker
Most of us have a rather complicated relationship with bees. As small children, we begin with an innocent fascination, delighting in watching the insects fly from flower to flower, watching the dip and sway of their movements and maybe even hearing their low hum. We’re delighted, that is, until we receive our first sting and with it, our loss of innocence. Or perhaps, if we avoid being stung, we become aware of others’ fear of bees as they shriek and swat and run. However it happens, we come to feel that we can’t trust these well-meaning little creatures. A lifetime of fear and skepticism is born.
Perhaps this is what makes people today treat bees as if they are not only objects of fear but also unworthy of respect. In either case, we’ve got it wrong. Not only are bees friendly, civilized, and absolutely fascinating, but as our chief pollinators they are integral to our lives on Earth. And this is critical because bees today are under siege from colony collapse disorder. Bees are in trouble, and if we don’t help them find safe ground, we’ll be in trouble, too.
All about Bees
Let’s start by talking about what we mean by the word “bee,” which gets loosely tossed around to describe both bees and wasps. What’s the difference? Both bees and wasps belong to the order Hymenoptera, from a Greek root meaning “membraned wings.” If you’ve ever really looked closely at a bee, you’ll know exactly what this means, for their wings are transparent and gossamer in appearance. Bees (genus Apidae) are small flying insects that produce honey and beeswax and play a critical role in pollinating flowering plants. Honeybees and bumblebees are examples of the bee family. Wasps (family Vespidae) are also small flying insects, but they do not assist with pollination (other than inadvertently), they’re carnivorous, and they either prey on or parasitize other insects, arachnids, and even small animals. Well-known wasps include yellow jackets and hornets. For the purposes of this article, we’ll focus on bees and particularly on the honeybee.
Like all insects, bees have a three-segmented body (head, abdomen, thorax) and six legs, in addition to their paired wings. Bees also have long, coiled tongues, allowing them to extract nectar from flowers. Bumblebees—the fuzzy, teddy-bear bees that buzz and bumble around flowers—also have specialized corbiculae on their hind legs, modifications allowing them to gather “bushels” (on a bee scale) of pollen as they move from flower to flower. If you’ve watched bumblebees working and have seen yellow “lumps” on their hind legs, you’ve seen those little corbiculae bushels, full of collected pollen.
Different species of honeybees and bumblebees can be found all over the world, with the exception of the cold polar regions. For the most part, if you look around you and see plants growing, you’ll find bees close by. While there are as many as twenty thousand species of bees, the European honeybee is what we think of as the “classic” honeybee—the little fuzzy golden guy we watch happily working over a bed of flowers.
Should We Be Afraid?
Of honeybees? Absolutely not. The only way these little guys will sting you is if they have no other choice, and that usually means you’ve accidentally grabbed or stepped on one. The result for you is a painful sting, but the result is even worse for the honeybee: his stinger is attached to his innards, and once he buries his stinger in something or someone, his guts are pulled out along with it. Poor bee …
But fear? Nope. Honeybees are incredibly docile, which is why beekeepers are so easily able to collect and work with hives, moving bees from place to place and taking honey from the hives without too much trouble. I have a bank of lavender in my yard, and at summer’s peak, the bushes will literally be humming with happy bee action. Those little honeybees are so completely lost in the lavender haze that I can pet them very gently with my fingertips and they don’t even seem to notice me.
Now, wasps? That’s another story. Wasps are carnivorous and aggressive, and if a wasp is angered or irritated, it may give chase and attack. Wasps also may attack spontaneously if there is potential food nearby and they sense a threat or a challenge. We’ve all had the experience of enjoying an outdoor picnic and suddenly having yellow jackets appear and begin dive-bombing our food. Many people just abandon their plates, while others start jumping around and swatting at the wasps. Swatting is never a good idea, and it’s probably the quickest way to be stung. However, I’ve also heard others say, “If you hold still, you won’t be stung,” only to have wasps spontaneously dive-bomb and sting them seconds later. The best advice I can give you? Humans and wasps don’t go well together. If you’re eating outdoors in a yellow-jackety area, keep your food covered. One successful approach is to make the wasps their own plate, with a piece of meat or fish and a nice bit of ripe fruit. Set the plate a distance away from the humans; it won’t take long at all before they’ll find this “easy” food, and with any luck they’ll leave the rest of your party alone.
What if you’re stung? Honeybees leave a stinger behind. Don’t squeeze it, for that pushes more venom into the skin. Instead, flick it off with the edge of a pocketknife or credit card. Wasps don’t leave a stinger—in fact, one wasp can sting repeatedly. Applying cold packs will relieve pain, and some folks swear by a paste made of mud, baking soda, or meat tenderizer and applied to the sting. Topical cortisone and anti-itch creams will help, too, as will an oral dose of antihistamine (diphenhydramine hydrochloride is ideal). And, of course, you can turn to herbal preparations as remedies: plantain compresses, calendula infusions, and lavender essential oil work quite well.
A small subset of people are violently allergic to bee stings, even to the point that the stings cause a life-threatening condition known as “anaphylactic shock.” The greatest danger comes from wasps, but even honeybees can cause serious problems for some people. If you know someone with a dangerous bee allergy, be sure she always has an EpiPen nearby. These devices auto-inject a life-saving dose of epinephrine (adrenaline) that can help stop the allergic reaction. Of course, anyone can become allergic to bees at any time, so if you’re with someone who has been stung and suddenly has trouble breathing, develops hives or facial swelling, or is on the verge of collapse, call 9-1-1 and prepare to perform rescue breathing and CPR if indicated.
Bees under Siege
In recent years, beehives and colonies have shown sudden, unexplained episodes of collapse, with tens of thousands of bees suddenly dropping dead. This syndrome has come to be known as colony collapse disorder (CCD) and is the focus of investigation worldwide. Although the cause isn’t fully understood, it’s believed that neonicotinoid pesticides may be largely to blame. In 2013, near my hometown of Portland, Oregon, fifty thousand honeybees suddenly dropped dead from a grove of trees over the space of an hour, victims of these pesticides. People were so upset and so moved by this, an on-site memorial was held days later for the dead bees.
Most countries are now passing legislation limiting use of these chemicals, and investigation into CCD continues. The world is increasingly aware of the disaster that will result if our bee pollinators continue to be decimated.
How Can We Help the Bees?
First and foremost, educate yourself and others about bees. Too often, people see a bee and haul out the bug spray. This is misguided, because not only does this kill the bee, but the chemicals also damage other plants and animals and often do so in ways we can’t always anticipate. As a rule, bees should be welcomed into the yard and respected for their importance to our food chain. Wasps may not be as welcome but should be removed by one’s local bee experts. Never knock down a wasp’s nest with a rake or a jet of water, and never spray it with one of those cans of wasp killer, because seconds later, you’ll be under siege by dozens of wasps, who respond to a self-generated chemical DANGER signal and attack en masse.
Second, organic gardening is the bee’s best friend, and helping bees means discontinuing the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides. Many of these are toxic to bees themselves, while others affect the plants that bees use for shelter or food. Even those that do not outright kill the bees can affect them neurologically, making it impossible for the bees to work efficiently or to navigate back to their hives. And, of course, the chemical-affected bee will carry the chemical back to its nest with potentially catastrophic results. Most of these chemicals are also organotoxic, and remain active in the soil with damaging actions for long periods of time before breaking down.
Third, grow plants that attract bees. The plants that bees love most tend to be relatively hardy, gorgeous, and easy to manage. Fruit trees are a wonderful choice for a bee-friendly yard and will yield a crop of fruit to boot. Ditto for berry bushes. Flowers are always an excellent choice, whether as shrubs, plants, or flowering trees. Some bee favorites include lilac, manzanita, calendula (pot marigold), lobelia, columbine, snapdragon, fuchsia, sunflowers, penstemon, and Russian sage. The honey bees and bumblebees in my yard absolutely adore my flowering herbs, particularly favoring lavender, Echinacea (coneflower), oregano, thyme, and any of the mints. For best results, do some research on bee-favored plants in your region, then have some fun making your bee garden happen.
Fourth, think about bee-friendly landscaping. Bees value shade as well as sun, and they appreciate trees and shrubbery as places to rest and to escape rain, wind, and cold. They may like the convenience, too. In my own yard, I’ve observed bumblebees tucking themselves into nearby fir boughs and overnighting there so as to remain close to a bank of flowering lavender. Apparently they wanted to wake up early and be first in line for pollen!
Fifth, bees need water, too. This is especially true in hot climates and in situations where bees must cross large expanses of concrete or asphalt en route back to their nests. These humanmade surfaces retain heat, and bees can easily become overwhelmed by the radiated heat, particularly in hot weather. Provide a water source in your garden: even a terracotta saucer of water, lined with pebbles so the bees don’t drown, will be welcomed and might be lifesaving.
Sixth, buy responsibly. Purchase organic honey from ethical beekeepers, and purchase produce that is organic or raised using bee-friendly practices. Doing this helps keeps bee-harming
chemicals out of the ecosystem and ensures that your produce and honey have been raised and gathered responsibly and respectfully.
And, of course, if you’re able, contribute financially to bee-supporting causes. The Nature Conservancy and the American Beekeeping Federation are doing active work to investigate colony collapse disorder, as are various local, state, and national agencies. A number of companies have also adopted production practices to support the bees, if you’ll indulge me, well-bee-ing. Working together, we can help the little guys buzz along indefinitely.
Resources
The New Sunset Western Garden Book. Des Moines, IA: Oxmoor, 2012.
Ransome, Hilda M. The Sacred Bee in Ancient Times and Folklore. Mineola, NY: Dover, 2004.
Susan Pesznecker is a writer, college English teacher, nurse, and hearth Pagan/Druid living in northwestern Oregon. She holds a master’s degree in nonfiction writing and loves to read, watch the stars, camp with her wonder poodle, and work in her own biodynamic garden. She is Dean of Students—teaching nature studies and herbology—in the online Grey School of Wizardry (greyschool.com). Sue has authored The Magickal Retreat (Llewellyn 2012), Crafting Magick with Pen and Ink (Llewellyn, 2009), and Gargoyles (New Page, 2007). Visit her on her web page (www.susanpesznecker.com) and her Facebook author page (www.facebook.com/SusanMoonwriterPesznecker).