February was unusually warm, and bees began to appear – not only honeybees, which are always the first to leave their hives on any warm days, but also wild bees, such as bumblebee queens, mining bees, leafcutter bees, and mason bees. It may happen that we encounter one of these bees sitting still on the ground or on a leaf. The question then arises: does it need help? How can we help it, should we take it home, or maybe feed it?
Before we try to answer the question of what to do with a bee we find, I suggest taking a moment to think about why a bee might need to be fed in the first place. These insects obtain food for themselves and their offspring almost exclusively from flowers. The “fuel” for an adult flying bee is mainly the nectar, which is high in sugars. The bee sucks it up from the flower and can store it in its crop, from which it will “snack” later if needed. The crop has limited capacity, so the bee has to stop periodically to refuel. If it flies to a place without blooming plants, and its energy for flying and reserves run out, it could face a problem.
Can you already see the way to help the bees before they get weak and you encounter them motionless on the sidewalk? Yes, exactly – we need to ensure there are as few open spaces without blooming plants as possible. Then, no matter where the bee finds itself, it will always have access to a “cafeteria” and be able to replenish its energy in a natural way.
It’s also worth noting that flower nectar is not just a sugar solution in water. It also contains other substances, such as mineral salts and amino acids, which are valuable to bees. The sugar solution we prepare can give a boost of energy to a weakened bee, but it cannot replace real, blooming flowers. Therefore, constructing sugar feeders or, as was once recommended online, placing teaspoons of sugar in the garden, is not a good idea for helping bees. Feeding bees honey is also not recommended, even for weakened ones. Honey can contain pathogens that are harmless to humans but may harm the bees being fed with it.
Now, back to the bee we encountered on our path. How can we help it? Feeding sugar will only be effective if the bee’s problem is actually hunger. However, it might be suffering for another reason: it could be sick, poisoned by pesticides or some other harmful substance, or nearing the natural end of its life (honeybees seen in spring are typically individuals that have spent the whole winter in the hive, so they are truly “elderly” bees by worker bee standards). It could also be perfectly healthy, just resting (especially bumblebee queens spend a lot of time resting) or waiting for a warmer temperature to fly away.
In these last cases, simply move the bee to a safe place where no one will step on it and where it will have access to flowers.
In summary, diagnosing and saving the bee we encounter is not easy, which is why it’s better to prevent situations where they suffer from hunger. Let’s plant and sow flowers, preferably native ones, and mow sparingly!
The author of the text and photos is Justyna Kierat – biologist and illustrator.
You can learn more about wild bees on Justyna’s website – here.