How honey bee pests may impact native bees

The European honey bee has its own set of diseases and pests that only affect honey bees, the varroa mite is a good example of a pest that only harms honey bees.

But the honey bee still poses a potential threat to native bees and can be a carrier of diseases that impact many bee species. Deformed Wing Virus is a good example of a disease that is spread by honey bees. Honey bees can travel for several miles and researchers are beginning to understand the issues of introducing honey bees.

If your goal is to ensure or improve pollination, we recommend raising solitary hole-nesting bees because their flight ranges are short and controlling their diseases and pests only require harvesting their bee cocoons.

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