You have found a bee that is not well: it crawls on the ground, visibly lethargic or injured. You would love to help her! Fortunately, there are several things you can do to take care of a bee in trouble. You can also take some significant steps to allow hives in your area to thrive.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Caring for a Bee That Can't Fly
Step 1. Warm it up
It could simply be cold: bees cannot take flight at temperatures below 13 ° C. If the bee in question looks healthy but moves slowly or can't get off the ground, perhaps its only problem is that it's too cold. Collect it using a piece of stiff paper, such as a playing card, and take it to a warmer place. Once it warms up, it will likely fly off, back in shape!
If you need to bring it indoors to heat it, keep it in a covered container that has an air exchange. When the bee becomes more active, take the container out and leave it uncovered to allow it to come out
Step 2. Dry it if it is wet
If the bee accidentally got into your glass of beer or lemonade, take it out right away! The wings will most likely be too wet to allow it to fly. Leave it outside in a sheltered, dry and sunny spot so it can dry out. The best thing is to put it on a flower!
Step 3. Feed her to speed up recovery
If you have suffered from cold or trauma, food can help you get back on your feet. Make a mixture of 30% honey and 70% drinking water at room temperature. Use a pipette or dropper to drop a small amount a short distance from the bee.
- Make sure you put the mixture on a surface that can hold it without absorbing it.
- Be careful not to drop it on the bee.
- Alternatively, you can also give her water and sugar mixed in equal parts.
Step 4. Examine the wings
If you have found a bee on the ground in midsummer or early fall, it is likely an older one. Take a good look at the wings: if the edge is jagged, the bee may simply be near the end of its life. But maybe he still has some time in front of him to spend among the flowers! Bring her into the house to feed her, and if she regains strength enough to fly again, take her out.
- If the wings are mostly intact, you've probably found a worker bee that worked too hard and forgot to hydrate.
- Leave it out in the sun with some water and honey; she will go back to work as soon as she is satisfied.
Step 5. Avoid intervening in most cases
As long as the bee is still able to move, it is likely that after a while it will be able to fly again. Maybe he's just resting; in that case it is better to leave it alone. This also applies to bees with spoiled wings.
- But if you really want to help her, there is nothing wrong with offering her a mixture of water and honey. It should be able to fly away within a couple of minutes.
- The best thing to do, in general, is to put it on a flower and let nature take its course, without your interference.
Step 6. Keep it alive if it has a broken wing
Accept that he will most likely no longer be able to fly and will soon die; however, it can still live for some time if you feed it. Keep it in a covered container with some soil, water, and a couple of flowers in it. You can also put a few drops of water and honey on a leaf, making sure the bee can spot it. Do not try to glue the wing.
It is possible to repair the wings of some butterflies using acrylic glue, but this method does not work with bees: they are more difficult to hold, they can sting you and have very small wings; furthermore, a bee would immediately try to clean the glued wing, thus remaining attached to the glue and risking further injury
Step 7. Look for small red arachnids on the bee
It's not easy to recognize them, but they are parasites - if you see them on a bee, you probably won't be able to save it. If you have warmed and fed her, but after several minutes she still isn't moving, take her out and leave her alone; it is not possible to cure a bee affected by diseases or parasites.
Step 8. Do not touch it with your bare hands
While a single bee sting isn't dangerous for most people, it's still quite painful. You can wear gloves to handle the bee without being stung, but you would have reduced manual dexterity and would risk injuring it; instead, slide a thick piece of paper under her body to safely move her. If you've had an allergic reaction to a bee or hornet sting in the past, don't try to get it at all.
Part 2 of 3: Helping the Bees Thrive
Step 1. Look for queen bees in spring
If you see a large bee falling to the ground in early spring, when the weather has just begun to be milder, it could be a queen bee. Perhaps she came out of hibernation too early and was surprised by an environment that was still too cold. You can safely take it indoors to warm and feed it, but consider that you should free it within a day or so - the hive's survival depends on its return.
Normally it is only the queen bee that survives the winter, having the responsibility of founding a new colony the following year
Step 2. Do not remove hives from your garden
Unless someone in the house is allergic to bee stings or the hive is dangerously close to a busy spot, leave it where it is. It will only stay there for one season (most bees only live for a few weeks); moreover, the role of pollinators for bees is becoming increasingly important, given the current decline in their population.
Step 3. Make sure they have loot areas available
Due to extensive agriculture, bees are increasingly dependent on crops, so it is important to provide them with uncultivated land where they can collect pollen and nectar. Keep some flower areas in your garden; choose plants typically appreciated by bees, such as sweet clover, clover, alfalfa, vetch, gorse and lavender.
- Also let trees and shrubs such as lime, acacia, Judas thorn, Bohemian olive, plum, elder, chestnut, willow, buddleja (or butterfly tree) and honeysuckle bloom.
- Contact your local environmental protection associations to get more information on what you can plant to help bees in your area.
Step 4. Remove weeds by mowing or tilling the soil
You may still need to apply a herbicide or pesticide to combat another type of infestation, but removing the weeds first will decrease the likelihood of killing bees when you go to use the product. This precaution is especially important if the herbs are in bloom.
In particular, mow fields where there are large quantities of milkweed, polygons and dandelions before spraying any chemicals, otherwise you risk killing the bees attracted to these plants
Part 3 of 3: Using Chemicals Responsibly
Step 1. Do not use pesticides while bees are collecting pollen
In other words, don't spray them when the crops are in bloom! Many pesticides and insecticides have warning labels stating not to use them at that time. Because the flowers attract bees, using an insecticide during flowering can decimate the population of these insects in your area.
- You should always read and follow the directions on a pesticide label. Choose products that have a low environmental impact and are classified as "low risk".
- Alfalfa, sunflowers, and canola are particularly enticing to bees, so be very careful when treating these crops.
Step 2. Examine the fields before spraying any chemicals
To figure out if mowing is needed first, inspect the ground to see if there are foraging bees at work. Just walk along the edge of the field and check out the flowering plants; keep in mind that not all of them produce brightly colored flowers.
Step 3. Plan your product release carefully
Pollen and nectar from most plants are only available to bees for a few hours a day. As a result, be sure to check the field when you plan on spraying a chemical, especially an insecticide. The best time is usually late in the evening or early in the morning (between 8pm and 6am).
- If it is expected to be cold the night after application, spray the insecticide at the beginning of this time window. Low temperatures can make the insecticide's toxic effects last longer, so it is good to make sure that as much time as possible passes between the spread of the product and the return of the bees to the fields.
- In the case of corn, apply the insecticide anytime between late afternoon and midnight.
Step 4. Do not use pesticides containing neonicotinoids
Some pesticides are particularly dangerous, not only for bees, but also for other beneficial insects. Neonicotinoids act by reacting directly to the chemical composition of plants, thus infiltrating the nectar and pollen. They will kill bees regardless of when they are sprayed. Pharmaceutical company Bayer markets pesticides with these substances to both large farms and consumers like you.
Watch out for an ingredient called imidacloprid - it's the most common neonicotinoid and is found in many Bayer products. Keep in mind that spraying these types of products will make the plants toxic to bees
Step 5. Take into account the drift of spraying
This expression refers to the distance and direction in which a chemical can be carried by the wind. There are two things to do about it: first, warn nearby beekeepers before applying the product, if possible well in advance; second, try to minimize drift by reducing spray pressure and using a nozzle to increase droplet size.
Step 6. Use fungicides with caution
While not designed to kill insects, they can be toxic when applied under certain conditions and indirectly contribute to bee mortality; for example, they can make looting more difficult. Although fungicides such as propiconazole are considered safe for bees, they become toxic when combined with some common surfactants, fertilizers, and insecticides.
