The Brief

California is home to 1,600 species of native bees — nearly 10% of the world's bee species. These pollinators evolved alongside local ecosystems, crops and climates — and are responsible for pollinating the vast majority of flowering plants.

But for decades, U.S. farms have relied on just one fragile species: the European honeybee.

Commercial hives of European honeybees are collapsing in record numbers — 62% of commercial bee colonies died last year, according to a survey conducted by a beekeeping nonprofit — leading researchers and farmers to ask: What if the future of farming is native?

Projects affiliated with the University of California have helped farmers integrate and support native bee populations. The presence of native pollinators not only increases crop yield, research has shown, but also the effectiveness of the commercial colonies of European honeybees.

“There's a lot of literature that shows that honeybees will work harder if there's a lot of native bees around because they see competition,” said Dr. Ben Faber, a farm advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension.

So what exactly does it mean to support native bees?

In order to create an environment where wild bees thrive, researchers observed native colonies in California and procured a list of “bee plants” that pollinators seem to favor most. The plants, evolved to withstand the conditions of Southern California, serve as a bridge to agricultural crops.

“Most of the native bees are in coordination with whatever the flowering pattern is of whatever the native plants are,” Faber said. “A lot of the native bees are specific to a certain species of native plant, and so without that native bee, in sync with the native plant, we wouldn't get propagation of that native plant. So you know, it's really critical that conservation of habitat is maintained.”

Bees aren't the only pollinators you'll find in a garden or orchard. The right plants can attract butterflies, bats and hummingbirds too.

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Ben Faber

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UC Cooperative Extension

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Researchers planted hedgerows around groves of avocado trees and other crops.

The introduction of native bee-friendly plants helped establish local wild bee populations, which subsequently extended their foraging to primary crops, such as avocado.

Faber said what really matters is bringing in a diversity of bee species.

“For example, bumblebees,” he said. “There's a whole bunch of different species of bumblebee in Southern California. And bumblebees love avocados. ... You'll see a bumblebee working in avocado, and you won't see any honeybees out there, but the bumblebee will kind of be bumbling around.”

Faber also emphasizes these efforts don’t help bees alone: “There's a lot of other pollinators out there besides honeybees and native bees.”

The native flora planted on the farms attracts pollinators such as flies, bats, butterflies and birds.

“I've seen hummingbirds inside avocado orchards that are, you know, feeding on the flowers, and their bill is covered with pollen," Faber said. "There's a lot going on in your orchard.”

How can people help native bees?

Ben Faber recommends people plant Encelia californica, a California native also known as bush sunflower.

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Ben Faber

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UC Cooperative Extension

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Farmers aren't the only ones in contact with pollinators. The flowers cultivated by backyard gardeners have a role to play, too.

“The highest number in diversity of native bees are actually in backyards where people maintain flowering species year round,” Faber said. “There's a lot of unnamed, unknown activity out there. ... So there's a lot to learn yet.”

One of the bee plants Faber recommends is Encelia californica, a native, drought-tolerant flower.

“It's a yellow flower, and it flowers pretty much year round as long as it's water-irrigated," Faber said. "Encelia is just covered with all kinds of different bee species depending on the time of the year.”

Faber — alongside Gordon Frankie, the lead researcher of the Farming for Native Bees in California project — has resources available to the public, including research, guides and seminars on how to support native bees.

DeLaczay is a 2025 LAist summer intern.

MEXICO CITY — The Mexican army killed the leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, "El Mencho, " in an operation Sunday, a federal official said.

The official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said it happened during a military operation in the western state of Jalisco.

It followed several hours of roadblocks with burning vehicles in Jalisco and other states. Such tactics are commonly used by the cartels to block military operations.

Videos circulating social media showed plumes of smoke billowing over the city of Puerto Vallarta, a major city in Jalisco, and sprinting through the airport of the state's capital in panic. On Sunday afternoon, Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to Puerto Vallarta "due to an ongoing security situation" and advised customers not to go to their airport.

The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as CJNG, is one of the most powerful and fasted growing criminal organizations in Mexico and was born in 2009.

In February, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.

It has been one of the most aggressive cartels in its attacks on the military—including helicopters—and a pioneer in launching explosives from drones and installing mines. In 2020, it carried out a spectacular assassination attempt with grenades and high-powered rifles in the heart of Mexico City against the then head of the capital's police force and now head of federal security.

The DEA considers this cartel to be as powerful as the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico's most infamous criminal groups, with a presence in all 50 U.S. states where it distributes tons of drugs. It is one of the main suppliers of cocaine to the U.S. market and, like the Sinaloa cartel, earns billions from the production of fentanyl and methamphetamines.

Since 2017, Oseguera Cervantes has been indicted several times in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

The most recent superseding indictment, filed on April 5, 2022, charges Oseguera Cervantes with conspiracy and distribution of controlled substances (methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl) for the purpose of illegal importation into the United States and use of firearms during and in connection with drug trafficking offenses. Oseguera Cervantes is also charged under the Drug Kingpin Enforcement Act for directing a continuing criminal enterprise.
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Hermon — Some shoppers heading into Fresco Market were lost in their phones, but when they momentarily looked up, they were greeted by a flap of brilliant green feathers and a cheery squawk. Phones were put away.

“Pepe! Hey Pepe! So good to see you!”

Perched on the shoulder of T.J. Gonzalez, Pepe the Parrot was in full greeter mode. Wide-eyed and seeming to almost smile as he surveyed the parking lot and his approaching public, Pepe did what he naturally does: make people happy.

A common sight at the Hermon market, near where they live, Gonzalez and Pepe can also be found at community centers, farmers’ markets and local events. They often take the Metro into downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach and other locations.

There’s no money asked, stressed Gonzalez, adding that Pepe simply adores the attention. “People want to see and talk with him more than me,” he joked as he cracked a nut and placed it in his mouth. On cue, the bird reached around Gonzalez’s mouth to retrieve it.

Michael Eagle-Hall of El Sereno is delighted to meet Pepe outside of the Fresco Market in Hermon.

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Brenda Rees

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The Eastsider

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A mail carrier for 37 years before he retired, Gonzalez found Pepe, a red-crowned Amazon (flocks are often seen in Northeast L.A.) in July 2021. The chick had fallen out of a nest and was flailing on a busy street in San Marino. “He was like roadkill,” said Gonzalez, who watched cars drive over (without striking) the bird.

Gonzalez retrieved the parrot and looked for help, but wildlife rehabbers said they’d euthanize the bird since it had a broken wing. Gonzalez instead brought him to a vet and christened him Pepe.

Since Pepe could not fly, Gonzalez started walking him around the neighborhood. He soon discovered how kids and adults enjoyed interacting with the parrot. Pepe is also a social media darling, with more than 8,600 followers on Instagram.

Pepe is more of a squawker than a talker, but Gonzalez has learned how to art-direct photos of people and the bird, instructing them on how to hold their hands and arms best. “We just want that smile because that’s all that Pepe wants from you,” said Gonzalez.

Crews have now recovered the bodies of all nine backcountry skiers who were killed in an avalanche in Northern California earlier this week. It marks an end to what authorities on Saturday described as an agonizing five-day search and recovery operation complicated by intense winter storms northwest of Lake Tahoe.

"While we wish we could have saved them all, we are grateful that we can bring them home," said Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon during a Saturday news conference.

Until Saturday, authorities had not confirmed the death of a ninth victim, a skier who had been missing and presumed dead. Officials say their body was found near the eight other victims that have now been recovered. Authorities said avalanche hazards and weather conditions were too dangerous most of the week to search for the remaining victim or recover the bodies.

Four of the bodies were recovered on Friday, and the rest of the bodies were recovered on Saturday, all in the Castle Peak area where the avalanche – one of the deadliest in California history — struck. Six people from the group of 15 skiers survived Tuesday's disaster, the last day of a three-day backcountry ski trip. One guide and five travelers were among the survivors.

Helicopters with the California National Guard as well as the California Highway Patrol were used to hoist the remaining bodies from the mountain, officials said at the press conference.

On Friday, officials were able to use specialized techniques with the help of Pacific Gas & Electric to reduce the avalanche risk.

The ski trip was organized by Blackbird Mountain Guides, an outdoor tour company based in Truckee, Calif. Moon confirmed the identities of the victims. Three guides were killed: Andrew Alissandratos, 34, from Verdi, Nev.; Michael Henry, 30, from Soda Springs, Calif.; and Nicole Choo, 42, of South Lake Tahoe, Calif. The other victims, who had signed up for the group trip, are: Carrie Atkin, 46, of Soda Springs; Lizabeth Clabaugh, 52, of Boise, Idaho; Danielle Keatley, 44, of Soda Springs and Larkspur, Calif.; Kate Morse, 45, of Soda Springs and Tiburon, Calif.; Caroline Sekar, 45, of Soda Springs and San Francisco; and Katherine Vitt, 43, of Greenbrae, Calif.

The Sierra Avalanche Center classified the avalanche between a D2 and D3 on the avalanche danger scale.

"A D2 would take down a person. A D3 would take down a house, so it was right in between those. It was described by them as a football field length of a path of the avalanche," Sheriff Moon said on Saturday.

Multiple agencies are investigating.

"We are investigating the incident to determine if there were any factors that would be considered criminal negligence," Ashley Quadros with the Nevada County Sheriff's Office said in an email to NPR on Sunday. "It is a standard investigation. It is too early to know if criminal charges will be applicable, as the investigation is preliminary and remains active and ongoing."

The area will be closed to visitors for several weeks.
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