In 2024 we see very few bees and yellow jackets in rural south Salem, Oregon

We've lived at our house on ten acres in rural south Salem, about six miles from the city limits of Oregon's capital, for thirty-four years. This has been an unusual year for us as regards the bee and yellow jacket population.

We've seen very few of each on our property. Almost none.

Typically we have several natural bee hives. We have flowering plants in our yard that were chosen to appeal to bees. In 2024, though, the bees never showed up.

Same with yellow jackets. In past summers, when we'd eat breakfast on our deck some yellow jackets would appear almost instantly, especially when my cereal topped with raspberries and strawberries was on the table. This year, a few times a single yellow jacket buzzed around. That was it.

And by August we'd see yellow jackets going in and out of underground burrows, which we'd spray if one was close to where we walked. This year, no sign of that. 

Bumblebees have been fairly common. We've seen more of them in our yard than bees. That's never happened before, I'm pretty sure. 

Some neighbors who have a large yard with many flowering plants have noticed a similar marked drop-off in bees. Their theory is that it could be related to aerial spraying with a helicopter of Christmas tree farms north of our neighborhood.

I suppose that's possible. But it seems sort of unlikely to me, given how far away the tree farms are, at least a mile or so. 

It's a mystery. I haven't seen any news about western Oregon experiencing a big die-off in the bee population. Some Googling didn't reveal anything special about 2024 when it comes to natural bee hives in the Willamette Valley.

So I figured I'd cast this blog post into the waters of the Internet and see if it gets any responses from people more knowledgeable than my wife and I are about how bees and yellow jackets are faring in our area this year. 

Leave a comment if you have an explanation for why we've seen so few of them in 2024. Maybe this is just a hyper-local thing, a decline in numbers that is part of some natural cycle. It concerns us, though, that this could be a sign of something harming bees. (Yellow jackets, we're not as concerned about.)

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Comments

[Rain Trueax]

I have thought too many gardeners spray to control pests and it gets the bees. Another possibility for the bees would be you might have had professional beekeepers nearby with their hives. For the yellow jackets, spraying too much for mosquitos etc. is another answer. Not sure that climate change would do it since it's warmer, not colder and that should be just fine for them.

[Alisha Rumble]

I was just having the same conversation where we live on the outskirts of Dallas, OR. I’ve noticed a decent amount of honeybees which has been great to see, but our yellow jacket population has been DRASTICALLY reduced this summer and not sure why. We have well water so do not put any pesticides around us. While I’m happy I can enjoy a couple minutes outside on the porch this summer without getting bombarded by yellow jackets, I’m slightly concerned with how few I’ve seen around.

[Don]

I did a Google search about this and it brought me to this site. I don’t live in Oregon, I live north of Seattle near Stanwood Washington. I too have noticed that the Yellowjacket population has dramatically decreased this summer. Normally they are in abundance and you can’t go outside without noticing them, especially this time of year. Even the several small nests under the eaves of my house seem to be unoccupied. We had plenty of honeybees throughout the summer but very few Yellowjackets. Very strange. Just thought I’d share that this event might not be only in Oregon.