05/20/2026
Happy World Bee Day! 🐝
It’s a day to celebrate the beauty and diversity of native bees; the tiny workers who play a critical role the health and vibrancy of our ecosystems
Roughly 1 in every 3 bites of food we eat depends, at least in part, on pollinators—and bees are among the MVPs. Yet habitat loss, pesticide exposure, disease pressure, and climate disruption continue stacking the deck against them.
On our farm, we’re lucky to have bees naturally come into our orchard each season to help pollinate our fruit trees and crops—it’s a great reminder of just how important they are to what we grow and produce.
Some of the most helpful things home gardeners can do are surprisingly simple:
🌻 Plant a diverse mix of flowering plants so something is blooming from early spring through fall
🌻 Include native plants, which often provide the best food sources for local pollinators
🌻 Skip or drastically reduce broad-spectrum insecticides
🌻 Leave a few “messy” corners—overly tidy gardens can eliminate nesting habitat
🌻 Add shallow water sources with landing spots
🌻 Think beyond honeybees—native bees are incredible pollinators too
A single squash bee, mason bee, or bumblebee can be astonishingly efficient. One thing I wish more people understood: not all bees are aggressive little chaos machines.
There are approximately 4,000 species of native bees in the United States, in all sizes, shapes and colors, and they are surprisingly easy to attract by providing forage and healthy habitat. Most native bees are solitary, gentle, and far more interested in flowers than in you.
Which native bee is your favorite? What’s one plant in your garden that your local pollinators seem to love the most? Let us know in the comments. 🐝
