8 Bees to I.D.

Not every bee is a Honey bee. Take a look at other bees that could be pollinating in your backyard.

By Deb Buehler

Bees of all shapes and sizes provide crucial pollination services for plants the world over. According to the Xerces Society, a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat, two-thirds of the world’s plant-related food supply and 70 percent of flowering plants rely on pollinators, such as bees, in order to reproduce. At the same time, the increasing pressures of introduced diseases, pesticide use and habitat loss are directly affecting pollinators.

Take a look at these eight bees that might be pollinating your backyard.

About the Author: Professional writer Deb Buehler grew up on a hobby farm in central Indiana where she gardened, made applesauce, tapped sugar maples and cared for an array of animals. Today she and her husband, Craig, live in Indianapolis practicing a sustainable lifestyle that includes expanding an urban vegetable garden, buying locally, keeping bees and caring for dogs Abby and Tucker.