Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Put Up Honeybee Hives

Worries about declining pollinators have sparked a beekeeping boom, with folks setting up honeybee hives in gardens and on rooftops. But while honeybees are charismatic and fun to watch, they are not always a conservation win. In some cases, honey bees can actually cause more harm than good by exerting additional pressure on native bee species.

That’s because, in North America, honeybees are basically domesticated livestock. So, setting up a honeybee hive doesn’t tackle the real reasons wild pollinators are struggling—things like pesticides, habitat loss, climate change, and disease.

Still, the pop culture craze to “save the bees” often kicked off with a focus on honeybees, likely because of news about colony collapse disorder, a problem specific to that species. As more individuals embraced this trend, the movement began to take a misleading turn.

“Everyone has seen a honeybee hive, and I would guess that most people, including celebrities, influencers, and corporations, don’t even know there are different species of bees or that honeybees are not native,” says Rich Hatfield, senior conservation biologist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. “I believe that commercial buildings can still get LEED credits for having a honeybee hive on their property. This is truly amazing to me, as it is definitely not sustainable, nor is it practicing sustainability.”

Here’s why putting up a honeybee hive isn’t the best plan for conservation, plus what to know if you still want one.

Honeybees Can Disrupt Native Plant Diversity

Honeybees are vital for pollinating many of our crops, but they’re not actually native to North America. European colonists brought them here in the 1620s. Native bees, on the other hand, co-evolved alongside America’s native plants.

Because many native flowers depend on pollination services that only native bee species can provide, plant diversity decreases in areas dominated by honeybee hives, and invasive and non-native plants increase. Less plant diversity alters pollination networks, diminishing the diversity of other pollinators, like butterflies and moths.

Keeping Bees Is Agriculture, Not Conservation.

If your goal is to produce your own honey and learn about a fascinating social insect, then beekeeping is a wonderful hobby.

“But if your goal is conservation, hosting a hive of honeybees in your backyard to save the bees is akin to hosting a chicken coop in your backyard to save songbirds,” says Hatfield.  It might even be worse, as Hatfield also notes that “chickens don’t take resources from native birds, nor are they likely to pass diseases to them as they don’t interact much.”

Honeybees Take Resources From Native Bees

Honeybees consume pollen and nectar, leaving less for native bees. That’s especially harmful in places where natural resources are not plentiful. One study calculated that over three months, a honeybee hive can collect enough pollen to support the development of 100,000 native solitary bees.

Honeybees Can Spread Disease to Native Bees

Concentrated populations of honeybee hives are more likely to amplify diseases that can spread to wild bee populations. Diseases like Deformed Wing Virus are significant factors in the decline of some bumblebees and other native bee species.

Honeybees Are Not Endangered

Honeybee hives are facing challenges, but they’re not threatened by extinction the way some native bees are. However, a confused conservation message is taking money, attention, and other resources and actions away from the true problem.

How to Help Native Bees

The biggest threats to native bees are pesticides, diseases, and a lack of diverse plants to forage. So the best way to help native bees (which also helps honeybees) includes

• Plant native plants and flowers with diverse sizes, shapes, and colors, which bloom at various times throughout the growing season.
• Create nesting and overwintering habitat for bees that includes access to bare ground, hollow stems, dead tree branches, and leaf litter.
• Ditch pesticides. Instead, create a diverse, ecologically balanced habitat that supports other beneficial insects that prey on parasites and other pests.

When Is Beekeeping okay?

If you want to produce your own honey and learn from a social insect, having a honeybee hive won’t lead to the demise of native bees.

“Because honeybees are so accessible to the public and make people more aware of these issues and the needs of pollinators, they work as a gateway to protecting and advocating for native bees and other pollinators,” says Lorna McCallister, an instructor for the Beekeeping Bootcamp at the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster, Colorado.

Hatfield agrees. “There are plenty of reasons to keep honeybees,” he says. “Conservation is just not one of them.”

“Those of us singing from the rafters about this issue don’t have any ill feelings towards honeybees or honey beekeepers. We’re simply advocating that the agricultural sector do a better job of protecting the animals they depend on for pollination by having more sustainable agricultural practices and healthier landscapes.”

If you want a hive, study up on best beekeeping practices for the success of your honeybees and the native bees in your neighborhood.

FAQs

How many bees are in a honeybee hive?

In the summer, a honeybee hive typically has 35,000 to 40,000 bees. Large colonies may include up to 60,000 bees. During the winter, the colony shrinks to approximately 5,000 bees.

What do bees require to thrive?

Bees require three things to function properly: water, nectar, and pollen. Nectar feeds them sugar for energy, which they use to fly, warm their bodies, and make wax. Pollen is their primary source of protein, and it is required for the development of young bees. Getting pollen from various sorts of flowers allows them to receive all of the sustenance they need.

ABOUT THE EXPERT

• Rich Hatfield is a senior conservation biologist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, where he manages bumble bee conservation efforts. He also serves as the Red List Authority for the IUCN Bumble Bee Specialist Group. Rich holds a master’s degree in conservation biology from San Francisco State University and has authored several publications on bumblebees.
• Lorna McCallister, a recognized bee expert, instructs at the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster, Colorado’s Beekeeping Bootcamp. She emphasizes the importance of managing hives responsibly for sustainable beekeeping.