Well, you know

We all want to change the world. 

And where better to start than in our own homes?  Many people are aware of the problems bees are having, primarily caused from habitat loss, extensive pesticide use, and pathogens like mites.  What people may not know is that there are many species of bees and there are simple steps everyone can take to create habitat and support their survival.

The non-native honey bee, brought here from Europe, is the only bee species in North America that nests in large colonies, and there is some concern that they compete with native bees for resources.  Our native bees nest in the ground or plant stems.  They are generally called solitary bees because they don’t live in large colonies like honey bees.  You may even find one over-nighting curled inside a flower.  I’ve found them in my mallows if I’m up early when the blooms are opening.

Bumble in mallow (Photo courtesy of usgs.gov)

Nesting sites can easily be created for these native bees in our yards.  Ground nesting bees need small areas of open, bare soil preferably in direct sunlight.  Avoid using a heavy mulch or weed-fabric, which the bees can’t get through, or if you do use these in most of your yard, leave small openings available for the bees.  Tunnel-nesting bees use pithy-stemmed plants (examples: asters, goldenrod, and elderberry), logs, or brush piles.  Commercially made bee houses can also be purchased or you can look online for ways to make one yourself. 

I had wondered who, if anyone, was using the bee house I had placed on the side of our house a couple years ago. Turns out this mason wasp was.

Bumble bees will use messy, unmown areas particularly in native bunch grasses.  I was happy to learn this information since I’ve included a selection of bunch grasses in our backyard planting plan.

Bumble bee on my lilac hedge last winter.

What all bees need, besides a place to call home, is nectar and pollen.  Bees collect nectar and pollen for their own use and pollination of those plants is a happy by-product of their activities.  Honey bees pollinate a tremendous number of food plants, and some of our native bees are even better pollinators for certain plants.  In fact, some plants, like tomatoes and blueberries, aren’t pollinated by honey bees at all; instead, they require bumble bees or other native bee species for something called buzz pollination, which is a method of pollination that honey bees can’t perform. The bee grabs onto the flower and then moves its flight muscles quickly dislodging the pollen. How cool is that?!

Thousands of flowers are needed to support a single bee.  Use a variety of plants in your garden and strive to have something blooming every season.  Look to your local native plant societies for ideas, including plant lists with a calendar of what blooms when.  California Native Plant Society and Xerces Society provide free resources on their websites, including online trainings and downloadable plant guides.  Native plants support a wider variety of native pollinators, particularly specialist species.  They also tend to require less water, fertilizer, and pesticides, as they are adapted to your area.  One of the local native plant nurseries that I love, Moosa Creek, has an online tool to help you select native plants to replace common non-native ornamentals like lawn, ivy, and privet. 

Even if you don’t have a yard, you can help pollinators.  Some companies have initiated pollinator programs.  One of my moms showed me one the other day through Purina Beyond pet food.  They’ve created Project Blossom and partnered with The Nature Conservancy to contribute towards their efforts to protect and create pollinator habitat.  Purina provides more information and ways to help on their page. 

You can also participate in citizen science projects that help scientist collect data on what species can be found where and when.  One example is called Bumble Bee Watch where you submit pictures of bumble bees to their website.  They’ll help you to ID the bumble bee and an expert will verify the species.  These types of projects allow everyone to participate in data collection and allow scientists to learn more than they can on their own, particularly about rare and hard to find species.  In recent years a number of bumble bee species across the U.S. have been listed or proposed for listing as endangered or threatened.    

There you have it. A few small actions that you can take towards a bee-volution. Stay tuned and I’ll share some other ways to help in the future, mainly through reducing our use of pesticides.

But when you talk about destruction

Don’t you know that you can count me out.