Native bees face pesticide exposure, habitat loss, and disease that threaten populations critical to food systems.
Native bee welfare is threatened by the same agricultural intensification that threatens honeybees, but receives even less attention and conservation funding. Ground-nesting bees require undisturbed soil — intensive tillage destroys their nests. Cavity-nesters need dead wood and hollow stems that tidy farming and gardening practices remove. Pesticide exposure impairs navigation and reproduction across species. Restoring native bee habitat — through undisturbed field margins, native flowering plants, and reduced pesticide use — benefits both native bees and the ecosystems they support.