Melittology, the bee-you-ti-ful study of bees, may seem like an obscure subject.  However, one-third of the calories that humans eat come from plants which are pollinated by insects and animals, with bees being a major pollinator, alongside butterflies, wasps, hummingbirds, and many other types of pollinators. Plants can also pollinate themselves or rely upon the wind. But breakfast would be less cheerful without pollinators; our oatmeal might lack fruit and we might be drinking water instead of coffee or orange juice.

The absence of honeybees has meant that the Gunnison Basin, and Gothic in particular, has long been a mecca for pollination and bee biologists. There are approximately 4,000 native bee species in North America (and more than 20,000 worldwide). However, once honeybees traveled to North America with colonists in the 1600’s they began disrupting native pollinator communities. With long winters and cold temperatures, honeybees never established themselves in the Gunnison Basin. That is great for residents and visitors to the Gunnison Basin since honeybees are a poor substitute for native bees in servicing many of our native wildflowers. It is also great for scientists that want to understand native pollination systems.