Think all bees are the same? Think again! This episode, we dive in to the world of native bees with bee expert Nick Dorian - and find out which bees are the rock-star pollinators, which ones sting, which bees produce the worst honey he’s ever tasted, and why native bees might be the future of how we farm.

There are more than 4,000 different species of native bees in North America, and can vary a lot in size, color and life cycle. Aptly named for their long antennae, long-horned bees are known for pollinating sunflowers and other native plants.

There’s a reason why this tiny, metallic green bee is called a “Sweat Bee.” On hot summer days, these bees are known to land on people to drink sweat, fulfilling their need for sodium and calcium.

There’s a reason why this tiny, metallic green bee is called a “Sweat Bee.” On hot summer days, these bees are known to land on people to drink sweat, fulfilling their need for sodium and calcium.

Bumblebees are one of the social native bees, living among small colonies with a single queen.

Bumble bees perform “buzz pollination”– gripping the flower and vibrating their flight muscles to dislodge pollen – making them more effective pollinators than honeybees.

Bumble bees beat their wings at around 200 times per second, and can fly up to 30+ miles per hour.

Today, around a third of the food we eat is dependent upon bee pollination, such as almonds and tomatoes. “Native bees provide free pollination services...if we just give them enough habitat,” says bee Expert Nick Dorian.

Some native bees, such as the Blueberry Cellophane Bee (Colletes validus), are specialists, and will only pollinate a certain kind of flower. “Even if there are maples and willows blooming, it doesn’t care,”says bee expert Nick Dorian. “It only wants to get nectar and pollen from blueberries.”

Bees have compound eyes with more than 5,000 individual lenses on them, which helps them to decipher distance and depth. Although they can’t see the color red, bees can detect ultraviolet light and patterns on flowers that are invisible to the human eye.

A single bee can visit up to 2,000 flowers a day.

Even among carpenter bees, size does vary. On left, (Ceratina sp) and Xylocopa virginica.

How to Help Native Bees:

1. Plant native flowers

Find out how to make your garden native-bee friendly with these handy guides:

* Why pollinator gardens are important

* Discover which plants are native to your region

* How-to-guides for gardening with bees in mind

2. Provide habitat

* Leave a little debris and leaf litter in your yard - it’s where bees will nest!

* Try making your own bee hotel!

3. Avoid all pesticides

Pesticides are often deadly to bees and hurt ecosystems

4. Provide fresh water

Like all creatures, bees need to stay hydrated. A fresh cup of H20 will do a bee some good on a hot day

5. Share what you know!

“Nothing beats word of mouth!” says bee expert Nick Dorian.

Additional Info:

* Bee ID! (A handy cheat-sheet for your backyard-bee safaris)

* Bumblebees Play Soccer (Video)

* How a Bee Sees Flowers (Photos under UV light)