Foreign bees monopolize prize resources in biodiversity hotspot
Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) visit a flowering laurel sumac plant (Malosma laurina) in San Diego. New research has revealed that honey bees often account for more than 90 percent of pollinators observed visiting flowers of many plant species in San Diego. Credit: James HungHike around the natural habitats of San Diego County and it becomes abundantly clear that honey bees, foreign to the area, are everywhere. In a study published last year, researchers at the University of California San Diego found that honey bees are the most widespread and abundant pollinators of wild plants in the world, with the San Diego region having exceptionally high honey bee visitation on native plants—roughly three-quarters of all observed pollinators.
