Bees
Also known as Honeybees, Bumblebees, Stingless bees, Kelulut, Solitary bees, Anthophila
In short
Bees are the most important pollinators of flowering plants, feeding their young on pollen and nectar. More than 20,000 species exist, and over 90 percent are solitary rather than living in hives. In Southeast Asia, small stingless bees (kelulut, Tetragonula) are common flower visitors and are kept for honey.
How it looks
Bees range from under 2 mm (some stingless bee workers) to about 39 mm. They have two pairs of wings and usually hairy, branched body hairs, with pollen often visible as clumps on the hind legs (pollen baskets) or on body hairs. Larvae are pale, legless grubs kept inside nests or cells and are rarely seen.
Signs
Bees working flowers, pollen loads on legs, and better fruit and seed set on flowering crops.
Life cycle
Egg, larva, pupa and adult, inside a nest; social bees live in colonies, solitary bees each provision their own cells.
What favours it
A succession of flowers, clean water, nesting places (bare soil, hollow stems, cavities) and freedom from pesticide exposure. Stingless bees nest in tree hollows, rock crevices and man-made structures in the tropics.
Prevention
- Grow a variety of flowers so something is in bloom for as long as possible.
- Avoid spraying plants in flower or about to flower; insecticides applied in the two weeks before bloom can still harm bees.
- Leave some undisturbed ground and hollow stems for nesting.
Treatment
Start with the first step and move down only if the problem persists.
- No control needed. Nests close to doors or paths can be moved by a local beekeeper rather than destroyed.
- If you must treat a pest, use the least-toxic option (for example insecticidal soap or horticultural oil) on non-flowering plants, spray in the evening or early morning when bees are not foraging, avoid drift, and follow the product label.
- Be especially careful with systemic insecticides, which move into pollen and nectar.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Pollinate fruit, vegetables and ornamentals; stingless bees pollinate crops such as cucumber, avocado and cacao.
- Honey and other hive products from kept honeybees and stingless bees.
Cons
- Honeybees and many other bees can sting; stingless bees cannot sting but bite in defence of the nest.
- Colonies nesting in walls or pots near doorways can be a nuisance.
Look-alikes
- Hoverflies
- Hoverflies have one pair of wings, large eyes, glossy bodies and hover in place; they do not sting.
- Wasps
- Wasps are carnivorous and less hairy; they do not collect pollen for their young.
Where you find it
All flowering plants, especially fruiting crops, herbs, vegetables and flowering ornamentals.
Related
Sources
- Bee — Wikipedia
- Stingless bee — Wikipedia
- Protect Pollinators from Pesticides — Cornell Cooperative Extension Monroe County
Written in our own words from these sources. Check a product label before using any treatment.