We’ve experienced a massive loss of honeybee hives over the 2024/25 winter across the U.S. - up to 70%! Yes we love honey, and we appreciate their work pollinating our edible, ornamental and native plants - but honeybees are most critical to our food production. Many of us have heard the statistic that 1 in 3 bites of the food we eat are reliant primarily on honeybee pollination. With the big losses this year, it's predicted that we will see less of crops such as melons, apples, pears, cucumbers, peppers, almonds, and of course- honey at the grocery (and that we will see price increases).

Why we continue to see declines in honeybee populations is not fully understood, but the hypotheses are in line with the same issues threatening native pollinator numbers -- human development leads to climate change, and more immediately, to increased habitat loss and pesticide use. These pressures weaken honeybees and open the door to viruses, mites, and colony collapse disorder.

Honeybees are not native, so some of their best foraging is not on native plants, but many honeybee forage species are also great food sources for native pollinators. (A few of the plants listed on the below honeybee forage list are potentially invasive, so we crossed them off.) While honeybees may have the potential to outcompete native bees, you can reduce that risk by planting more food for all of them. Native bees and other pollinators are often specific in their food needs while honeybees are generalists - so increasing both the numbers and diversity of your pollen and nectar producing plants is best to ensure adequate food for everyone.

If you're looking for the plants we grow at Painters that provide the best forage for honeybees, we have added honeybee stickers to the signs of all we currently have in stock. These are all also good plants for native pollinators, though native plants are going to of course be best for our native pollinators (and a few of those stickered are not native).

• Reduce or omit pesticide use - if you must use pesticides, be intentional and do your research... even organic-safe pesticides can kill bees if applied at the wrong time of day or to plants in bloom.

• Provide a stable water source - honeybees need water both for drinking and cooling their hives. Shallow dishes are best, but require frequent refilling in the heat of summer - regardless of depth, make sure pebbles or plants provide islands for them to climb onto.

• Leave plants and debris for nesting sites and shelter - an immaculate yard with no dead stems, leaf matter, or piles of branches doesn't give bees, pollinators or birds the habitat they need to flourish.

Visit this link to view a list of the best honeybee forage for our area by season:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTkSbHpTZkM1LbjYhBKgB7aU1D24gxXsdiwwJBKRkCfTF0XQeTu86c5tPsw34nq3g/pub