NEW BERLIN, Wis. – Dennis and Diane Reynolds have turned their New Berlin yard into a natural garden for Wisconsin's native bees, including bumblebees, as the state’s native bee population faces severe decline.

The retired couple's passion for bees sparked last year when they completed bumblebee ambassador training at the Wehr Nature Center in Franklin.

"I always loved the outdoors. I used to be a hunter and I took up this," Dennis Reynolds said.

But their focus isn't on honeybees — it's on Wisconsin's native species that desperately need help.

"One of the trainers said that a bumblebee is like the canary in a mine. When we start losing those bumblebees, we're losing the natural native plants," Dennis Reynolds said.

Honeybees are great for monocultures of agriculture, since you can mo

See Full Page