LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Ever wonder why bees are so important?
For this week’s installment of Geyer’s Garden, Jim Geyer and Ana Heck, an MSU Apiculture Extension Educator break down the importance of bees in style.
“A lot of our flowers need bees or other animals to pollinate them,” said Heck. “Bees tend to be really good pollinators because they have these hairs on their bodies that makes them move pollen from flower to flower while they’re gathering nectar or pollen from the flowers, which are important.”
While there is no directory for the Great Lakes State, Heck estimates that there are thousands of beekeepers in Michigan.
“So here in Michigan, we have about 465 different species of bees,” said Heck. “So in general, a bee that’s foraging on a flower is just there to collect nectar and pollen. They’re normally not going to be defensive in that situation unless they get pinched or something else threatens them.”
Heck says that it’s important to leave bees alone as they help move pollen from flower to flower
