It's no secret that Honey Bees have only been on this Continent for 500 years or so. Technically, they are or were, an invasive species. They were brought over by the first European settlers. Before they came, all we had here were the solitary bees you speak of. They got the job done very well by themselves.
They are not weeds. They are simply plants. I agree with you about the native pollinators. You can call me a heretic too. Unfortunately, we are killing off the natve pollinators and would put almost no effort into studying them.
You are probably familiar with the Xerces society. They are doing a lot of independent studies of pollinators. There is also some very good work coming from various universities. Sadly the money invested in the natives pales in comparison to that spent investigating honey bees.
It's no secret that Honey Bees have only been on this Continent for 500 years or so. Technically, they are or were, an invasive species. They were brought over by the first European settlers. Before they came, all we had here were the solitary bees you speak of. They got the job done very well by themselves.
I agree as well
They are not weeds. They are simply plants. I agree with you about the native pollinators. You can call me a heretic too. Unfortunately, we are killing off the natve pollinators and would put almost no effort into studying them.
You are probably familiar with the Xerces society. They are doing a lot of independent studies of pollinators. There is also some very good work coming from various universities. Sadly the money invested in the natives pales in comparison to that spent investigating honey bees.