When we talk about "saving the bees," we often picture honeybees busily filling hives with golden honey. But the truth about pollinator conservation extends far beyond the honeybee. While these industrious insects are vital to our food systems and honey production, they represent just one species among the thousands of pollinators that maintain our ecosystems.

What many honey lovers don't realize is that their purchasing decisions can impact not just honeybees, but the entire pollinator community—including the often-overlooked native bees, butterflies, moths, and other essential creatures that keep our planet blooming. The choices we make about which honey to bring home can either support or undermine the delicate balance of our local pollinator networks.

At Nettie's Bees, we believe that sustainable honey production must consider the complete ecological picture. Let's explore how mindful honey choices can create ripple effects throughout the pollinator world, and why supporting the right kind of beekeeping practices matters for all pollinators.

Understanding Pollinator Diversity

Beyond Honeybees: Our Critical Native Pollinators

While honeybees get most of the attention, they're actually relative newcomers to North America, having been introduced by European settlers. Our ecosystems evolved with native pollinators, which include:

• Native bees: North America is home to approximately 4,000 species of native bees, including mason bees, carpenter bees, sweat bees, and bumblebees. Many of these are solitary bees that nest in the ground or in hollow plant stems rather than forming large colonies.
  
  
• Butterflies and moths: These insects are especially important for pollinating certain wildflowers and plants that bloom at dusk or during the night.
  
  
• Flies: Particularly important in cooler climates and higher elevations where bee activity may be limited.
  
  
• Beetles: Often overlooked, beetles were among the first pollinators on Earth and still play crucial roles in many ecosystems.
  
  
• Hummingbirds: Though less common than insect pollinators, these birds are vital for certain plant species with tubular flowers.
  
  

According to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, native bees are two to three times more effective at pollinating than honeybees for many food crops. For example, mason bees can pollinate up to 100 times more efficiently than honeybees in apple orchards due to their different foraging behaviors.

Some plants have co-evolved with specific native pollinators, creating specialized relationships. The squash bee, for instance, specializes in cucumber, pumpkin, and squash flowers, starting work before dawn when these flowers open—long before honeybees become active.

The Current State of Pollinator Populations

Unfortunately, pollinators of all types face significant challenges. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and private research organizations have documented concerning trends:

• Wild bee abundance has declined by 23% between 2008 and 2013 in the United States, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
  
  
• Monarch butterfly populations have dropped by approximately 80% in the last two decades based on monitoring data from their overwintering sites.
  
  
• Nearly 1 in 4 North American bumblebee species faces risk of extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
  
  

The primary threats driving these declines include:

• Habitat loss and fragmentation
• Pesticide exposure, particularly neonicotinoids
• Climate change disrupting bloom times and migration patterns
• Disease and parasite spread
• Intensified agricultural practices

Pollinator diversity is essential for ecosystem resilience. Different species pollinate in various weather conditions, at different times of day, and throughout different seasons. This diversity ensures that pollination services continue despite environmental fluctuations. When we lose pollinator diversity, we risk creating ecological systems that are less adaptable to change.

How Honey Production Impacts Pollinator Health

The Negative: Conventional Honey Industry Practices That Harm Pollinators

Not all honey production supports pollinator health. Several common practices in conventional honey operations can negatively impact both managed honeybees and wild pollinators:

Monoculture Crop Pollination: Many large-scale beekeepers generate revenue by providing pollination services to commercial farms, particularly almond orchards in California. This practice, while economically valuable, exposes honeybees to:

• Nutritional stress from foraging on a single crop
• Higher pesticide exposure in intensive agricultural settings
• Increased disease transmission when colonies from across the country are placed in close proximity

According to research published in Scientific Reports, honeybees exposed to monoculture cropping systems show reduced immunocompetence and higher parasite loads compared to those with access to diverse forage.

Chemical Treatments: Some commercial beekeeping operations rely heavily on in-hive chemical treatments to control pests and diseases. These chemicals can:

• Accumulate in wax and honey
• Impact honeybee health over time
• Potentially affect nearby wild pollinators when foragers bring contaminated nectar or pollen back to their colony

Hive Density and Competition: When too many honeybee hives are placed in one area (often the case with commercial operations), they can outcompete native pollinators for limited floral resources. Research published in the journal Ecology has demonstrated that high densities of managed honeybees can reduce wild bee diversity and abundance in surrounding areas.

Disease Spillover: Pathogens can spread from managed honeybee colonies to wild pollinator populations. Studies published in Nature have documented the transmission of deformed wing virus and other pathogens from honeybees to bumblebees and solitary bees, particularly when hives are densely concentrated or experiencing health issues.

The Positive: Sustainable Beekeeping Approaches That Support All Pollinators

In contrast, responsible beekeeping practices can create positive outcomes for the entire pollinator community:

Diverse Forage Landscapes: Sustainable beekeepers often advocate for and maintain diverse flowering landscapes that support their honeybees throughout the seasons. These same diverse floral resources benefit wild pollinators as well. The Pollinator Partnership notes that landscapes with at least 15 different flowering plant species that bloom at various times provide optimal habitat for both honeybees and wild pollinators.

Chemical-Free Management: Beekeepers who use organic or treatment-free approaches, or who minimize chemical interventions through integrated pest management, reduce the toxic load in the environment. This benefits all pollinators, not just honeybees.

Appropriate Hive Density: Responsible beekeepers are mindful of how many hives they place in a given area, ensuring that they don't overwhelm the local carrying capacity of the land or create undue competition with native species.

Habitat Creation: Many small-scale, locally-focused beekeepers actively enhance habitat around their apiaries by:

• Planting native flowering plants
• Maintaining undisturbed areas for ground-nesting bees
• Leaving some dead wood and hollow stems for cavity-nesting pollinators
• Protecting water sources with safe access for insects

A study published in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment found that apiaries managed with a focus on habitat diversity supported 35% more wild bee species compared to those in simplified landscapes.

The Connection Between Local Honey and Healthy Pollinator Ecosystems

Supporting a Diverse Floral Landscape

Local beekeepers have a vested interest in maintaining diverse floral resources throughout the year. Unlike large commercial operations that might move hives to follow crop blooms, local beekeepers need their immediate landscape to provide continuous forage.

This commitment to floral diversity directly benefits all pollinators. When local beekeepers advocate for reduced mowing of roadside wildflowers, preservation of meadows, or planting of pollinator gardens, they're supporting the entire pollinator community.

The remarkable variety of honey flavors from a single geographic region—from light spring honey to robust fall varieties—is direct evidence of the floral diversity that sustainable beekeeping helps maintain. Each distinctive honey varietal represents a different flowering plant community that supports specific pollinators during various seasons.

According to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, most native bees have a foraging range of just 500 yards or less, making local floral diversity especially critical for their survival. When beekeepers maintain diverse forage for their honeybees (who can travel several miles), they're simultaneously supporting these shorter-range native pollinators.

Small-Scale Operations vs. Migratory Commercial Beekeeping

The ecological footprint of honey production varies dramatically between small-scale, locally-focused operations and large migratory commercial enterprises:

Reduced Transportation Impact: Local honey operations don't ship hives across the country on diesel trucks, reducing both carbon emissions and the geographic spread of bee diseases and pests.

Stable Habitat Relationships: Stationary apiaries develop long-term relationships with their surrounding landscapes. Beekeepers come to know which plants support pollinators throughout the seasons and can work to enhance these resources over time.

Regional Adaptation: Local honeybee populations managed by small-scale beekeepers often develop adaptations to regional conditions and may be more resilient than commercially raised stock transported from distant locations.

Disease Mitigation: Research published in the Journal of Applied Ecology shows that disease transmission rates are significantly lower in stationary apiaries compared to operations where hives are frequently moved and concentrated in large numbers.

How Your Honey Purchasing Decisions Make a Difference

Questions to Ask Your Honey Producer

To ensure your honey purchases support healthy pollinator ecosystems, consider asking honey producers these questions:

About Chemical Use:

• "Do you use synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides in or around your hives?"
• "What methods do you use to manage Varroa mites and other honeybee pests?"
• "Do you place hives near conventional agricultural operations that use pesticides?"

About Habitat Practices:

• "Do you actively plant or maintain diverse flowering plants for your bees?"
• "How do you ensure your bees have forage throughout the seasons?"
• "What habitat features do you maintain for wild pollinators?"

About Local Ecosystem Knowledge:

• "Are you familiar with the native bee species in this area?"
• "How do you minimize competition between your honeybees and wild pollinators?"
• "Do you participate in any local conservation initiatives?"

A beekeeper who shows interest and knowledge about these topics likely maintains practices that benefit the broader pollinator community.

Labels and Certifications That Matter

While "local" is not a regulated term, honey produced within about 50 miles of your location generally qualifies as truly local. This proximity matters for pollinator support because it means the honey likely comes from the same ecosystem you inhabit.

Several certifications can provide additional assurance about sustainable practices:

• Certified Naturally Grown: An alternative to USDA Organic, particularly popular with small-scale producers, that prohibits synthetic chemical use and requires sustainable practices.
  
  
• Certified Organic: Requires adherence to organic standards in both hive management and the foraging area around apiaries.
  
  
• Real Food Campaign: A newer certification focused on nutrient density and sustainable production methods.
  
  

However, certification costs can be prohibitive for the smallest producers, so the absence of certification doesn't necessarily indicate poor practices. Direct conversation with beekeepers often provides the most reliable information about their approach.

The True Cost of Cheap Honey

The price differential between mass-produced commercial honey and sustainable local honey reflects real differences in production methods and externalized costs:

Environmental Costs: Commercial honey production often externalities costs like habitat degradation, pollinator competition, and carbon emissions from transportation.

Labor and Care: Sustainable beekeeping is labor-intensive, requiring regular monitoring and management practices that support colony health without synthetic chemicals.

Pollinator Investment: The price premium for sustainable local honey helps fund habitat creation, diverse forage planting, and conservation-minded beekeeping practices.

According to the American Beekeeping Federation, the average small-scale beekeeper spends approximately 15-20 hours managing each hive annually, not including honey extraction and packaging. This hands-on care allows for more environmentally sensitive approaches but requires fair compensation to be economically viable.

Creating a Pollinator-Friendly Environment Beyond Your Honey Choice

Complementary Actions for Honey Consumers

Purchasing sustainable honey is just the beginning. Consider these additional actions to support pollinator health:

Garden for Pollinators:

• Plant native flowering species that provide sequential blooms throughout the growing season
• Include plants with different flower shapes and sizes to accommodate diverse pollinators
• Avoid cultivars with double blooms, which often lack accessible nectar and pollen
• Leave some areas of bare soil for ground-nesting bees

Reduce Chemical Impacts:

• Eliminate cosmetic pesticide use in home landscapes
• Choose organic produce when possible to support chemical-free agriculture
• Avoid plants treated with neonicotinoids, which can persist in plant tissues and affect pollinators

Create Habitat Features:

• Install insect hotels for cavity-nesting bees
• Leave some areas unmulched and undisturbed for ground-nesting species
• Provide shallow water sources with landing spots for insects

Community Advocacy:

• Support pollinator-friendly policies in your community
• Advocate for reduced mowing of roadside vegetation
• Participate in citizen science projects that monitor pollinator populations

The Xerces Society notes that even small habitat patches, when networked across urban and suburban landscapes, can significantly support pollinator diversity and abundance.

Seasonal Support for Year-Round Pollinator Health

Different seasons present unique opportunities to support pollinators:

Spring:

• Early-blooming plants like willows, maples, and redbuds provide critical first food for emerging pollinators
• Delay garden cleanup to allow overwintering insects to emerge naturally
• Create mud puddles for mason bees to use as nest-building material

Summer:

• Maintain diverse blooms throughout the hottest months
• Provide water sources during dry periods
• Avoid midday gardening activities when pollinators are most active

Fall:

• Late-blooming plants like asters and goldenrod are crucial for preparing pollinators for winter
• Allow some plant stems to remain standing for overwintering cavity-nesting bees
• Reduce fall cleanup to provide overwintering habitat

Winter:

• Leave leaf litter in some areas for overwintering insects
• Plan and order native plants for the coming growing season
• Advocate for reduced use of winter road salt, which can damage soil and plant health

Nettie's Bees Approach to Pollinator-Conscious Honey Production

Our Beekeepers' Commitment to All Pollinators

At Nettie's Bees, we collaborate exclusively with beekeepers who demonstrate commitment to ecological beekeeping practices. Our partner beekeepers implement numerous strategies that support wild pollinators alongside their honeybees:

Habitat Enhancement:

• Planting diverse, regionally appropriate nectar and pollen sources
• Maintaining undisturbed areas for ground-nesting bees
• Creating and preserving edge habitats that support diverse pollinators
• Protecting existing natural areas within foraging distance of apiaries

Chemical Avoidance:

• Using integrated pest management approaches that minimize or eliminate synthetic inputs
• Selecting apiary locations away from conventional agricultural operations using neonicotinoids and other harmful pesticides
• Advocating for reduced chemical use in surrounding communities

Knowledge Sharing:

• Educating customers about native pollinators at farmers' markets and events
• Participating in monitoring programs that track wild pollinator populations
• Collaborating with local extension offices and conservation organizations

Appropriate Scale:

• Limiting the number of hives per location to reduce competition with wild pollinators
• Spreading apiaries across diverse landscapes rather than concentrating them

Supporting the Entire Ecosystem Through Our Honey

When you purchase honey from Nettie's Bees, you're supporting practices that benefit the entire ecosystem:

Biodiverse Landscapes: Our honey varieties directly reflect the diverse flowering plants our beekeepers maintain and protect, which in turn support numerous pollinator species.

Seasonal Awareness: We adjust our beekeeping practices seasonally, ensuring that managed honeybees don't place undue pressure on wild pollinators during critical periods.

Conservation Partnerships: We collaborate with organizations like local native plant societies, conservation districts, and research institutions to stay informed about best practices for pollinator support.

By maintaining small-scale, locally-focused operations, our beekeepers develop intimate knowledge of their specific ecosystems, allowing them to adapt their practices to support all pollinators in their unique habitats.

Conclusion

The honey jar in your shopping cart represents more than just a sweet treat—it's a vote for a particular approach to our relationship with pollinators and the environment. By choosing honey from sustainable, locally-focused producers like Nettie's Bees, you're supporting beekeeping practices that benefit not just honeybees, but the entire community of native bees, butterflies, and other pollinators that maintain our ecosystems.

The true value of thoughtfully produced honey extends far beyond its taste. It includes the habitat preserved for all pollinators, the reduced chemical load in our environment, the sustainable beekeeping practices that respect natural systems, and the educational opportunities that connect consumers with the source of their food.

As awareness grows about the critical importance of pollinator diversity, your honey purchasing decisions become increasingly significant. Each jar represents an opportunity to support either a system that puts pressure on wild pollinators or one that helps them thrive.

Make your honey purchase count for all pollinators. Explore our collection of sustainably produced, local raw honey from beekeepers committed to supporting diverse pollinator populations through their land stewardship practices. Each jar of Nettie's Bees honey not only delivers exceptional flavor but helps create and maintain the habitats that our native bees, butterflies, and other essential pollinators need to thrive.