Bees tend to get a bad reputation. Painful stings, allergic reactions and damage caused by nesting activities come to mind, but most bees are beneficial pollinators and play a critical role in our ecosystem.

Scottsdale and the Sonoran Desert region are home to more than 1,000 bee species. There are many kinds of bees and bee look-alikes, some of which belong to other insect orders, such as the hover fly. Most bees and bee look-alikes are beneficial or benign and do not necessitate action. Some can pose risks, including paper wasps and yellowjackets.

Native bees are also valuable crop pollinators, and in many cases provide pollination under inclement weather conditions when honey bees are not active. Native bees also pollinate wild plants and sustain our native ecosystems.

Unfortunately, bees are dying at an alarming rate, but there are a few easy ways you can help. Honey bees need food, water and shelter to survive. Restricting access to suitable nesting sites will encourage them to go elsewhere to live. Moving resources away from buildings will further reduce encounters.

Bees are not the only pollinators that need protecting. Butterflies are beneficial to gardens and are important pollinators, helping to ensure fruits, vegetables and flower produce new seeds.

According to the National Wildlife Federation, the population of monarch butterflies has declined by 90 percent over the past 20 years. Monarch butterflies face habitat loss and fragmentation in the United States and Mexico.