,THE NATIVE BEES OF ,NORTH ,AMERICA ARE ROUGHLY #C1FJJ#D1JJJ SPECIES THAT POLLINATED THE CONTINENT'S FLORA FOR TENS OF MILLIONS OF YEARS BEFORE THE FIRST HONEY BEE HIVE CAME BY SHIP IN #AFBB4 ,THEY ARE NOT ONE ANIMAL BUT A RADIATION BUMBLEBEES AND MASON BEES1 LEAFCUTTERS AND SWEAT BEES1 DIGGER BEES1 CARPENTER BEES1 SQUASH BEES1 PLASTERER 8POLYESTER0 BEES NEARLY ALL OF THEM LIVING ON A LIFE PLAN SO DIFFERENT FROM THAT THE WORD 8BEE0 ALMOST MEANS TWO THINGS IN ONE LANGUAGE4 ,MOSTLY SOLITARY ,THE POPULAR PICTURE OF BEE LIFE A QUEEN1 THOUSANDS OF WORKERS1 A COMB1 STORED HONEY DESCRIBES ONE IMPORTED SPECIES4 ,ABOUT NINETY PERCENT OF NATIVE SPECIES ARE SOLITARY"9"93 A FEMALE MATES1 BUILDS AND PROVISIONS HER OWN NEST CELLS "1 AND DIES BEFORE HER OFFSPRING EMERGE4 ,THERE IS NO COLONY TO DEFEND1 NO WORKER CASTE1 AND NO STORED SURPLUS WHICH IS ALSO WHY MOST NATIVE BEES STING ONLY UNDER DIRECT PROVOCATION1 AND MANY CANNOT STING EFFECTIVELY AT ALL4 ,EFFICIENCY THE HONEY BEE CAN'T MATCH ,NATIVE BEES ARE FREQUENTLY BETTER POLLINATORS PER VISIT1 FOR TWO DIFFERENT REASONS3 ,FIDELITY4 ,SOLITARY SPECIES OFTEN SPECIALIZE THE SQUASH BEE "9 CO-EVOLVED WITH CUCURBITS AND WORKS SQUASH BLOSSOMS BEFORE THE HONEY BEE IS EVEN FORAGING4 ,SPECIALIST BEES CARRY THE RIGHT POLLEN TO THE RIGHT FLOWER4 "9 ,BUZZ POLLINATION4 ,BUMBLEBEES AND OTHERS SONICATE FLOWERS GRIPPING THE ANTHERS AND VIBRATING THEIR FLIGHT MUSCLES TO SHAKE POLLEN OUT OF PORICIDAL ANTHERS4 ,TOMATOES1 POTATOES1 EGGPLANTS1 BLUEBERRIES1 AND CRANBERRIES ARE LARGELY UNPOLLINABLE BY HONEY BEES1 WHICH CANNOT BUZZ4 ,IN ORCHARD TRIALS1 SMALL NUMBERS OF MANAGED MASON BEES "<1 THE BLUE ORCHARD BEE"> ROUTINELY OUTPERFORM FAR LARGER DEPLOYMENTS OF HONEY BEES THE OFT-QUOTED RULE OF THUMB THAT ONE MASON BEE DOES THE WORK OF A HUNDRED HONEY BEES REFLECTS FORAGING EFFICIENCY AND MESSIER POLLEN DELIVERY4 ,THE DECLINES NOBODY SWARMS TO ,WHILE MANAGED HONEY BEE COLONIES ARE REPLACED BY THEIR OWNERS EACH SPRING1 NATIVE BEES HAVE NO ONE TO RESTOCK THEM AND THEY ARE THE SPECIES ACTUALLY IN TROUBLE4 ,THE RUSTY PATCHED BUMBLEBEE"9 "<,BOMBUS AFFINIS">1 ONCE COMMON ACROSS THE ,MIDWEST AND ,NORTHEAST1 BECAME THE FIRST BEE IN THE CONTINENTAL ,UNITED ,STATES LISTED UNDER THE ,ENDANGERED ,SPECIES ,ACT IN #BJAG AFTER AN @9#HG.0 RANGE COLLAPSE4 ,FRANKLIN'S BUMBLEBEE "<,BOMBUS FRANKLINI"9"> HAS NOT BEEN SEEN SINCE #BJJF AND MAY BE EXTINCT4 ,XERCES ,SOCIETY ASSESSMENTS PUT ROUGHLY A QUARTER OF ,NORTH ,AMERICAN BUMBLEBEES AT SOME RISK AGAINST PRESSURES OF HABITAT LOSS1 PESTICIDES1 CLIMATE1 AND THE DISEASES SPILLING OUT OF MANAGED BEES4 ,SEE ALSO "9 ,HONEY BEES IN ,NORTH ,AMERICA THE IMPORTED SPECIES IN CONTEXT "9 ,HONEY BEE COMPETITION WITH NATIVE POLLINATORS THE RESOURCE CONFLICT "9 ,PATHOGEN SPILLOVER IN BEES THE DISEASE DIMENSION "9 ,SAVE THE BEES WHICH BEES ACTUALLY NEED SAVING1 AND WHAT HELPS "9 ,HONEY BEE INFESTATION WHAT A COLONY IN YOUR WALL REALLY MEANS