Bees, bees, wonderful bees! Pollinators

By DENISE ELLSWORTH

OSU Extension pollinator specialist

CANFIELD

Many species act as pollinators in North America, including bats, hummingbirds and various insects.

Bees are, however, by far the most important pollinators, including the approximately 500 native bee species that call Ohio home.

Most people think of honey bees when they think of pollinators, but these introduced insects aren’t the only bees important in fruit-and-seed production.

Mason bees, bumble bees and leaf-cutter bees are just a few of the species of bees native to the Buckeye State.

When populations of honey bees fluctuate due to weather or disease, the importance of these native bees becomes even more pronounced.

Unfortunately, bees face many threats, such as lack of forage (flowers for food), pests, pathogens, pesticides, invasive plants, climate change and lack of suitable nesting sites.

Many Ohioans are worried about the plight of bees, including honey bees, bumble bees and the other species of native bees that call our state home.

With the addition of the rusty-patched bumble bee to the endangered species list, more attention than ever is focused on bees.

Observing and identifying bees used to be reserved for the select few scientists with access to powerful microscopes and detailed identification guides.

Thanks to close-up photography, powerful binoculars and user-friendly field guides, however, anyone can learn to identify common bees.

Most people have no idea how interesting and diverse our native bees are. The first step in bee conservation is recognizing and understanding the bees in our backyards.

If you hope to help Ohio’s threatened bees this summer, we’d love to have you at the extension service’s upcoming bee biology and identification workshop in Canfield that can get you started.

The featured presenter for the daylong workshop is author Olivia Carril. The author of “Bees in Your Backyard” has a passion for native bees.

She talks about their beautiful coloring – ranging from brilliant red to emerald green. She describes their sizes as, “small as a mosquito to as large as a man’s thumb.”

Carril’s book features detailed photography, lively natural history tales, and enough diagrams and details to make bee identification accessible to the interested naturalist or gardener.

The workshop is entitled “Bees in Your Backyard ... and the Plants They Visit.” Each participant will go through hands-on bee identification using microscopes as well as field experiences with plant and bee experts.

The workshop is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 5. The cost is $65 per person and includes lunch and handouts.

The workshop will be hosted at Mill Creek MetroParks Farm, 7574 Columbiana-Canfield Road, Canfield. Join us by registering at: http://go.osu.edu/gobees.