You can spend a lot of time learning about bees without really learning about bees. As a beekeeper, I’ve studied honeybees quite a bit, but I’ve only studied the honeybees that have been imported as livestock to the United States. (We haven’t had a native honeybee here since about 10 million years ago¹!) It turns out, the honeybees I’ve seen are only a tiny subset of the great diversity of honeybees that exist. And of course, honeybees are only one of many kinds of the important bees and pollinators that work together to keep planet Earth healthy and beautiful.

Meeting A New Bee

I recently traveled to Ireland to play fiddle in a major festival of traditional Irish music². I explored and conversed and learned much while I was there. Did you know there’s an Irish Black Honeybee? I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw these tiny Guinness-colored beauties pollinating flowers in the park! The Irish Black Honeybee (Apis mellifera mellifera) is native to Ireland. They are well adapted to the cool and wet climate there, and they have a very nice temperament too. Conservation efforts are underway to preserve this very important honeybee subspecies. They are threatened by hybridization (cross-breeding with other kinds of honeybees from other places), climate change, pesticides, and diseases.³

Honeybees of the United States

Honeybees in the United States come from European bees that were imported as livestock. Beekeepers in the U.S. commonly keep European / Western Honeybees (Apis mellifera). Our choices typically come from two subspecies: Italian (Apis mellifera ligustica, from Italy), and Carniolan (Apis mellifera carnica, from the Carpathian Plain in or around Hungary). I know it may be tempting to try to import more kinds of bees as you read this article about all the beautiful and amazing bee species that exist throughout the world, but please do not do that. It’s one thing to care for those that are already here, but you will not be doing anyone any favors by smuggling in new species of plants, animals, or insects.

Honeybees of the World

Honeybees are native to Europe, Asia, and Africa. There are many different kinds, individually native to smaller ranges within that very large geographical area. In Asia, there are Black Dwarf Honeybees (Apis andreniformis), Red Dwarf Honeybees (Apis florea), Rock Bees (Apis dorsata), Himalayan Giant Honeybees (Apis laboriosa), Eastern Honeybees (Apis cerana), Koschevnikov’s Honeybee (Apis koschevnikovi), and two species of the Western Honeybee (Apis mellifera). In Europe, there are 10 subspecies of Western Honeybee (Apis mellifera) including the Irish Black Honeybee as well as the Italian and Carniolan bees we tend in the United States. In the Middle East, there are six subspecies of the Western Honeybee (Apis mellifera). In Africa, there are 12 subspecies of Western Honeybee (Apis mellifera). In Indonesia and the Phillipines, there is a species called Apis nigrocincta, for which I could find no common English name.⁴ All of these bees are precious natural gifts with great responsibilities, unique abilities, and an inherent right to existence. Wherever you live, I encourage you to learn as much as you can about your native pollinators. Find out what struggles they’re facing, and try to help them however you can.

Helping Our Amazing Pollinators

The category of “honeybees” does not contain all the amazing and necessary pollinators that exist. In the United States, we have many native bees and other pollinators that do not make honey. Humans have a more distant relationship with these other bees, since we don’t keep them as livestock. Yet, these native pollinators are just as vital to preserving our existence as honeybees; in fact they are much more vital in their own native range than imported pollinators are.

If you want to help the pollinators, think wide. Think about things that will help all pollinators: planting more wildflowers, ditching the sprays, and waiting longer between mowings to let your yard bloom. Planting native trees is a wonderful thing for pollinators. A tree blooms vertically as well as horizontally, so you get many more blooms for the space. You can also plant native shade-tolerant wildflowers underneath the tree to maximize the bloom density. Flowers that bloom mid-summer and in the fall are also especially needed, since most flowers bloom in the spring. Think Basswood (Linden) trees, goldenrod, ironweed, and clover. Also important: maple trees produce the first pollen of the year, as early as February.

Should You Keep Honeybees?

Only if you want to keep honeybees! I keep two hives myself. If you choose to become a beekeeper, be responsible about it. Learn as much as you can before you get started. Stick to honeybee species that already thrive in your area, and be careful not to keep more hives than you can comfortably support. We need to leave enough food sources (flowers) for the wild bees and other pollinators too. When done mindfully, I think beekeeping has great power to help to personalize our relationship with pollinators in general, which can lead more people to make more positive changes. Regardless of whether or not you choose to keep bees, you can help our struggling pollinators. Plant native trees and wildflowers, go organic and pesticide-free, and ask your friends and neighbors to do the same. With your help, we can all thrive on this beautiful planet together.

More About Bees

The Thriving Queendom
Long Live The Queen : Lessons in Beekeeping
Clumsily Buzzing Forward
The Joy of Beeing
Bee-ginning Again