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A. Almost everyone is familiar with the ordinary honeybee, which has been kept and appreciated by mankind for many thousands of years as pollinators of crops and flowers. Most municipalities recognize this, and have laws protecting the existence of honeybees. In recent years, though, honeybee numbers have been dropping because of Varroa mites, European foulbrood disease, and other pests.
In parts of Galveston County, we hardly ever see honeybees in our gardens anymore, and bumblebees need to be encouraged to do the pollinating. There are dozens of species of bumblebees among the almost 4,000 species of bees present in North America. There are some types that defend their nests aggressively, but generally the bumblebees found in Galveston County will not bother people who do not swat at or aggravate them. To encourage them, try to have a variety of blooming plants available throughout the whole bee season, usually late spring through to Christmas time when the cold sets in.
Bumblebees have a longer proboscis than honeybees to extract the nectar from flowers and more strength to force themselves into the flower. They are very good at getting into long, narrow blossoms such as red clover, honeysuckle and foxglove. In New Zealand years ago when newly imparted clover crops failed to set seed, Charles Darwin advised farmers to import bumblebees to pollinate clovers and the problem was solved.
Bumblebees collect pollen and make honey, but not in the large amounts we expect from honeybees. You can usually expect bumblebees to find natural resting sites around the house or yard, but some garden supply catalogs carry special nest boxes for them, as well as nests for orchard and mason bees, two other valuable garden and home orchard pollinators.
Bumblebees are well worth encouraging in your garden, and require very little effort on your part.