Honey Bees have been
crucial for agriculture. They are valued as much because their hives can be
moved about to intensively pollinate crops, such as almonds, peaches, and
citrus, as for the
honey production itself. There are a number of plants that strongly
attract bees including rosemary, nepeta, lippia, and obviously the Matilija
Poppy
below. My favorite honey comes from the native sage plants, Salvia
mellifera, Salvia apiana and Salvia
leucophylla.
Honeybee populations are threatened by Varroa and tracheal
mites. Aspergillus flavus and Acosphaera apis, two kinds of fungus.
Streptocarpus pluton a kind of bacterium and africanized bees. A
new disease called Colony Collapse Disorder has been linked to the Israli
Acute Paralysis Virus. Hives that are commercially tended seem to be
much more likely to get the disease. This may in part be due to the
frequent stress caused by the moving of the hives. And the virus
seems to reduce the capability of the immune systems in the bees making
them susceptible to many other diseases.
The
africanized bees may actually help the honey bee become more hardy but
they have quite a mean streak that does not seem to have become diluted as
the africanized bees interbreed with the tamer honey bees. The
Africanized bees have moved into Southern California and are as far north
as Santa Barbara on the coast, Tulare County in the central valley and
well into the Owens Valley. Caution should be taken with wild hives.
The africanized bees can not
be differentiated from their tamer brethren without a dissecting scope
even if you knew what you were looking for.
A lot of native bees including mason
bees, flies that mimic bees,
and butterflies are also great pollinators. As the honey bee
population has declined the other native bee's and insects have increased their
populations. There is plenty of food out there for them and they are
taking advantage of it.
