By admin 
If you’ve lived in California for any length of time, you probably know that the official state flower is the California poppy, Eschscholzia californica. We have the California quail as the state bird, benitoite as the state mineral, and the California redwood (both the coast redwood and the giant sequoia) as our state tree.
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Now, it’s time to pick an official state bee.
European honeybees were first introduced into California in 1853, in San Jose. But the state is also home to nearly 40% of the country’s native bee species, with more than 1,600 species living in the region.
Many native bees are threatened by pesticide use, habitat loss, climate change, and displacement by European honeybees. Plus, the diseases that affect European honeybees also have an impact on natives. The California Native Bee Society (CalNBS), which was founded in 2025, seeks to “protect California’s native bees by fostering sustainable stewardship through research, education, and conservation.”
On Aug 11., CalNBS opened a poll for people “to select a State Bee that represents our remarkable native pollinators.” Not all 1,600-plus bees are up for the honor. Instead, CalNBS whittled the list down to 19 contenders.
Four bee families are represented among the 19 candidates. There’s the golden-haired mining bee, Andrena auricoma. Their name makes them a strong candidate, considering California’s gold-mining history.
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But golden-haired mining bees can be found in other states, unlike the California fairy bee (Perdita californica) which is endemic to California and Baja.
Outside of mining bees, there are the gloriously plump Apidae candidates, such as the Fog-belt bumblebee, two green and shiny “sweat bees” of the Halictidae family, as well as hardworking Megachilidae leaf-cutting bees.
Voters have until 3 p.m. on Sep. 8 to decide. According to a CalNBS statement, the organization will compile the results and “work with a state legislator to formalize the state bee designation.”
Profiles of all the native bee candidates, plus the link to vote, can be found at calnbs.org/state-bee/.
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