SAN DIEGO (CNS) — Non-native honeybees are so effective at pollinating, they pose a significant threat to native California bees and other pollinators, according to a study published by UC San Diego biologists today.
Brought over to North America partially because of their effectiveness, populations of feral European honeybees have proliferated in the American Southwest. While nearly all plants need pollinators, these invasive bees make up nearly 90% of bees visiting flowers of multiple native plant species in the region, the report found.
The study was published in the journal Insect Conservation and Diversity, a Royal Entomological Society journal. In it, the authors estimate the impact honey bees may be having on populations of native bees. According to their findings, honeybees remove about 80% of pollen during the first day thata flower opens…