The Bees Will be Hungry This Spring

An Eastern Bumble Bee

Kimberly J. Epp

Although it's blizzarding away, Spring will soon be here to stay. And with Spring comes our first bees. Did you know that there are over 3,000 species of bees? Pollen Bees such as this Eastern Bumble Bee are completely harmless. They have no nest to protect, so they do not sting. They also pollinate 15 times faster than honey bees do. We all know we need our bees!

These bees will be hungry this Spring, so remember that the dandelions are their very first flower. And if you find a hungry one, offer it some sugar water. This one drank it up after I rescued it from inside my home. It then rested and flew off 15 minutes later. Yep, even with those tiny bumblebutt wings!

Editor's Note:

As many as one-third Bumble Bee species are in decline. Bumble Bees are crucial pollinators, capable of pollinating wildflowers, fruits and vegetables. You can help monitor bees in western Canada by submitting photos and observations to http://foecanada.org/en/issues/bumble-bee-count/census-form/