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No brown bees #866957

Asked May 03, 2024, 6:49 PM EDT

I was wondering why I have not seen any brown bees in my yard since the the fires in 2020. I see yellow jackets and bumble bees just no honey bees. Also are the yellow jackets and bumble bees good enough for pollination of my fruit trees and my vegetable garden?

Lincoln County Oregon

Expert Response

Hi Terry,
If you live in an area that was affected by the wildfires, then feral honey bee colonies most likely burned. 

If any of your neighbors had managed honey bee colonies and are no longer keeping bees that is another reason why you are not seeing them. 

It might be weather related. This spring has had a lot of cold and wet days when honey bees in general are not flying. You might see more later in the summer.

Can bumblebees, Yellowjackets, and native bees adequately pollinate? The answer to that depends on the population density of the above mentioned bees. You could consider hosting mason bee nests. Here's an OSU publication, "Nurturing Mason Bees in Your Backyard in Western Oregon". Planning now will provide pollinator mason bees for next spring's fruit tree bloom.

Another thing you could do is plan your landscape to attract pollinators. OSU Extension has a great publication, "Enhancing Urban and Suburban Landscapes to Protect Pollinators". This is full of ideas on how to manage your landscape in such a way as to provide food, shelter, and water for pollinators. It's a wonderful publication.

Thank you for the information. It was very helpful. 



Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone


-------- Original message --------
From: Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>>
Date: 5/8/24 5:51 PM (GMT-08:00)
To: Terry Newport <<personal data hidden>>
Subject: Re: No brown bees (#0136878)

The Question Asker Replied May 09, 2024, 9:44 PM EDT

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