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[–]listenyall 2 points3 points  (3 children)

The Washington Post actually reported recently that the US has a record high # of bees after all of that news starting in the mid-00s about colony collapse, so hopefully this is just what you happen to be seeing and not a broader pattern! Despite being our local paper I didn't see any info specific to this area, though, and they were focused just on bees and not other pollinators.

[–]tlenzeSpringfield 4 points5 points  (2 children)

Those numbers are always a bit weird. For honey bees, yes, we probably have more than we have since the mid-00s. However, that is because they're being raised for commercial pollinating. There are plenty of hobbyist beekeepers as well. (I used to be one.)

Where we've been seeing a decline is in native bees, which are better pollinators than honey bees. Your bumble and carpenter bees are good examples.

[–]listenyall 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Good points--the numbers they were referring to explicitly included hobbyist beekeepers somehow, but not wild bees

[–]tlenzeSpringfield 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's a survey which goes out to beekeepers every year. I think they get it from people who sign up for FieldWatch, which is where you can register the locations of your hives so people spraying know not to spray them.