Bees might be small, but they play an outsize role in food production. In fact, one of every three bites of food we eat is made possible by bees.
While a lot of attention on the shrinking bee population focuses on honeybees, they aren't the only pollinators in our state. Michigan is also home to hundreds of native bee species that play an equally important role in our environment and economy.
Kelsey Graham, a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Entomology at Michigan State University and a pollinator conservation specialist, joined Stateside to tell us about the importance of native bee species.
Listen above to hear why native bees don't get the same attention in the research world as honeybees, what they do for the environment and agriculture, and what everyone can do to support native bee populations.
(Subscribe to the Stateside podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or with this RSS link)
