Bee Rewilding & Re-Population

Bees are vital to nature and society’s food chain. They are responsible for pollinating about one-third of the world’s food supply. In the United States, honey bees alone provide pollination services valued at $15 billion to $20 billion annually. Bees are one of the most important pollinator species to our food security and ecosystems.

Bee populations in the United States are declining at a rapid, unprecedented rate. Since 2006, commercial beekeepers in the United States have reported honey bee colony loss rates averaging 30 percent each winter — startling, when compared to historical loss rates of 10 to 15 percent. Native bee species such as bumblebees are suffering as well.

At the ranch, we ensure we follow effective ways to help keep bee populations in the area healthy such as providing a honey bee-friendly habitat, avoiding the use of insecticide, and repopulating them.

This experience gives a hands-on approach to bee repopulation and allows guests to have a deeper understanding of the role of bees in the environment, the cause of their population decline and what they can do to help combat it.

Bee repopulation at NewTree Ranch is joint advocacy with the guidance and knowledge of the wonderful team of  Michael Thiele from Apis Arborea that aims to preserve the life and resiliency of honeybees through rewilding – the restoration of habitat and natural hives, and the use of a holistic ecological framework in working with bees.

Source: Reed Johnson of Ohio State’s Department of Entomology