How to Protect Native Bees in Montana: Tips from a Local Expert

The importance of pollinators for our planet can't be overstated. Without pollinators we wouldn't have a majority of our food. Not just the fruits and vegetables, but meat as well. Without the plants these animals eat, we wouldn't have beef, bison, venison, chicken, etc.

There have been reports about bee colonies being wiped out in a lot of locations, including Montana.

Related: Montana Beekeepers Among Those Experience Devastating Losses

How will the loss of colonies affect Montana and what can we do locally to help bee populations? Those are questions that I posed to Marirose Kuhlman from the Missoula County Department of Ecology and Extension.

Kuhlman reports that the "colony losses are surprising because they are much, much higher than usual."

When talking about colony loss, the hardest hit are commercial colonies that are rented out to help pollinate fields for "almond orchards and other vegetable crops". The colony losses will affect those "businesses that use pollinators to mass produce crops and can't support native bees".

Small farms and gardens in Montana don't rely on commercial bee colonies like other states. Normally we rely on wild and native bees for pollination. Montana has over 600 wild bee species. One of the best ways to help bee colonies is to cut down on the use of pesticides and to avoid over watering your lawn.

Planting more native plants in Montana will also help to boost the bee populations.

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Kuhlman also cautions people looking at starting a backyard honeybee colony. They are tricky to manage. If not properly cared for they can succumb to parasites and diseases which can then spread to other colonies and our native bees. Honeybees can actually negatively compete with our local native bees.

Related: Here's How to Make Your Montana Garden Welcome for Wildlife

For those that want to help Montana's wild bee population thrive, Kuhlman's advice is to stop using pesticides and go "natural and wild".