Wild Bees on Tended Lands — by Karla Salp

While honey bees get much of the credit for pollination, native bees are often underappreciated for their pollination prowess in gardens, farms, and landscaping. Washington has approximately 600 species of native bees, many of which offer unique pollination advantages compared to honey bees. Join Karla Salp to learn about Washington’s native bees and their impact on tended lands. You’ll get a taste for the diversity of Washington’s bees with tons of native bee images and review case studies of the impact of native bee pollination on agriculture. You’ll also learn about the Washington Bee Atlas and the new effort to document Washington’s native bees and their host plants.

Karla Salp became a Master Melittologist in 2023 and was the third person in Washington to attain the Journey-level certification. She is currently working on her Master-level certification, developing an identification key for Anthophora (digger bees) of the Pacific Northwest. Karla lives in Port Angeles and works for the Washington State Department of Agriculture. She is also a WSU Master Gardener and grew up on a farm in Central Washington.