How do Bees Find Pollen and Nectar in Urban Environments?

To survive and grow as a colony, honey bees need access to sufficient amounts of flowering plants and trees year round. This has been severely impacted by urbanization throughout the past few decades. Currently, over half of the world’s population reside in urban areas, and it is expected to rise to 70% between 2020 and 2050. With the rise of urban population comes subsequent increased development of urban areas and therefore less green space. It has been shown that urban environments can provide a worthwhile habitat for some bee species, but not others. 

Bees Can Thrive in Urban Environments

It would seem as though urbanization has a negative impact on wildlife, however some species live successfully by exploiting resources in cities. There is evidence that bees are one of those species, one of the reasons being that pesticide use is actually lower in cities compared to rural environments. In urban spaces, available foraging grounds for bees range from public and private gardens to parks. There is evidence that there is greater richness of tree species in urban developments compared to rural ones because of the high number of non-native ornamental tree species. In one study, about 70% of floral resources for bees were contributed by exotic, non-native plants. 

Since it is evident that global biodiversity is in decline, which includes pollinators, many gardeners pick certain plant varieties to attract wildlife. Various scientists and organizations have compiled lists of honey bee foraging species for different regions of the United States including the blooming time for each plant. Research has been done to determine certain species that are significant sources of nectar in each region, meaning those species reliably produce a large amount of the harvested honey. 

Risks of Foraging in Urban Environments to Bees 

Despite the benefits, there are some risks that bees face foraging in urban environments. Foraging bees in gardens and parks may not have as reliable of a food supply due to changes in the types of plants grown during different seasons. Horticulture-modified plants are commonly used in urban environments for pleasant visual displays, however they can  be unappealing to bees because they produce little nectar and pollen. In addition to this, bees face exposure to emerging parasites and diseases in urban environments, and it is more likely for bees to transmit diseases to each other since there are limited foraging spots. 

Conclusion

Despite the risks that bees face by foraging in urban environments, there is evidence that they are exposed to less pesticides and a wider variety of plant species to feed upon. In recent history, technology and industry has grown exponentially, and therefore environments have evolved. Beekeepers’ abilities to adapt to these changes and find a new method to preserve the beekeeping industry in urban environments is immensely valuable to all ecosystems. The growth of the urban beekeeping movement exhibits how beekeeping is viable and valuable even in urban environments.