Hear that? Bees! Did you notice more bees this Summer? Recent data collections released by the U. S. Department of Agriculture show that many states are experiencing growths in bee colonies of 70% or more.
Not only was there a 14% increase in the number of honey bee colonies from the period of January 2019 to January 2020, but the states experiencing the broadest increase in colony growth — Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Maine added tens of thousands of colonies.
Maine, the number one State for thriving bees, grew colony numbers by 73% since 2018, while Michigan also saw a 50% increase over the same period. Between January and June 2020, Texas saw its bee population grow by 38%; Kansas came in at 33%. In the first half of 2020, the United States as a whole added roughly 420,000 more colonies to its bee populations than were lost.
One of the most important plant for bees for nectar and pollen? Dandelions! Bees need more small flowers like this for a source of pollen and nectar. Shoot, I think I’ll start a bee sanctuary next year in my backyard and let those dandelions go wild. Not that I do much about them now.
