For farms struggling with commercial bee loss, California native plants and bees could be key

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.

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“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.