Latest Buzz On Saving Bumblebees? Finding Their Favorite Foods

PORTLAND, OR – Along with many other types of bees, the bumblebee faces the threat of colony collapse disorder. A new study offers what researchers say may be vital clues to helping the bumblebee survive.

The study, by Oregon State University's Department of Fisheries and Wildlife with funding from the Oregon Zoo Foundation, suggests that by determining what plants bumblebees enjoy the most, not only will the bumblebee population be helped, it could result in a cascading effect that will also assist farmers and other land managers.

"Having more plants in the landscape that provide food for native bees can definitely help increase their populations," said the associate professor of wildlife ecology at Oregon State who led the study, Sandra DeBano.

"If we can learn which plants they prefer, we can help land managers improve habitats for pollinators."

DeBano's team took DNA and sampled pollen from 216 bees that visited 34 different species of plants. They found that 78 percent of all bee visits were made to just 10 different kinds of plants.

The study suggests that by determining what plants bees prefer to visit, farmers and others could plant accordingly, helping not only the bee population but crops as well. Bees pollinate approximately $15 billion worth of crops in the United States every year.

Beyond crops, pollinators such as bees fertilize almost 90 percent of flowering plants around the world.

Photo via Oregon Zoo.