06/10/2026
When people talk about saving the bees, they usually mean the honeybee. That's one species out of 4,000 in the US alone. 🐝 Native bees that most gardens depend on: → Mason Bee — solitary, no significant sting risk, up to 120 times more efficient as a pollinator than the honeybee → Bumblebee — the only bee that can buzz-pollinate tomatoes. It vibrates at a specific frequency that releases pollen. Honeybees physically cannot do this. → Sweat Bee — tiny, often metallic green, 20,000+ species worldwide. Easily mistaken for a metallic fly. Critically important. → Carpenter Bee — tunnels in wood, but pollinates large flowers that honeybees can't reach with their shorter tongues → Leafcutter Bee — the circular cuts in your rose leaves are its nest material. This is a native pollinator at work. Leave the damage. → Mining Bee — nests in bare soil. Don't disturb bare ground near your planting beds in spring.
