Recently I shared how bees have worked their way into a meditation practice for me. I realized this in the last month or so as I noticed myself diving into more bee “research”. I had started wondering about bees in Alaska and found myself turning to the internet to learn more once again. Boy, did I find a lot! Turns out wild bees are really important to the Alaskan identity, whether Alaskans know it or not.
First things first, the honey bee vs. the bumble bee:
What is the difference between the bumble bee and the honey bee? And why is this important? The bumble bee is probably the iconic bee that pops into your head every time you read the word “bee” in this post ;) It’s fat, fuzzy and usually a mix of yellow black or orange. The honey bee is smaller, has a thinner body, and isn’t nearly as fuzzy. Their yellow and black stripes appear more uniformly. And as it turns out, honey bees aren’t even native to North America. They were brought over from Europe with cows, horses, and other domesticated animals. However, there are around 4,000 species of wild bumble bees that are native to North American. These natives bees can do some special things that honey bees can’t.
Just waiting for a buzzing bumble bee to show up in Yakutat, Alaska
During some online searches I learned about buzz pollination. Bees have muscles they use to fly called flight muscles and they’re really powerful. Bumble bees can vibrate these muscles even when they’re not flying. This is why sometimes you might notice a fuzzy bee sitting on a flower, but still making a buzzing sound as though it were flying around. They’re actually shaking those flight muscles. Their vibrations end up rattling the flower and shaking pollen loose from the anthers.
Anthers are part of a flower’s reproductive system. The male part to be exact. It holds the pollen and can come in different forms depending on the plant. Anthers that enclose pollen make it difficult for pollinators who can’t use buzz pollination to reach any pollen! For example, pollinators like, honey bees. This makes sense when you consider native bees have been co-evolving along side native plants for a long time and introduced species just have not. Wild blueberries are one example of a plant that has been evolving alongside the native bumble bee. They have the kind of poricidal anthers that hide pollen away.
Wild Alaskan blueberries might as well be a state mascot. I’m actually picturing Violet from Willy Wonka now, so maybe not. Point being, berry picking is definitely a part of the Alaskan identity. Some people even have their own special, secret locations for collecting berries and will be discrete when telling you about their weekend foraging adventures! If it weren’t for our fuzzy and wild bumble bee friends, there wouldn’t be nearly as many berries to pick and enjoy. How exactly can we thank them for all they do?
A big way to show your thanks to bees is to stop using insecticides or pesticides around your home. I know this can be hard when you have pests around, but think of all the other “useful” bugs that spend time near your home and could be affected too. Another way is to provide foraging opportunities to pollinators. Think, a lush garden full of flowers, ones that will support bees through out their life cycle and different seasons. You can research what plants would be good in your area at this link. Lastly, show your appreciation for bees by learning more! I really enjoyed this guide from the USDA, this page from the University of Maine, and this short documentary about the Rusty-patched bumble bee from Day’s Edge Productions. Let’s give thanks to the wild pollinators by conserving the habitats they rely on!
An example of pollinator habitat from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Botanical Gardens:
