Help the Native Bees in Your Backyard :- Find out vital information on native bees. Consider native bees while planting your garden to support the success of these important pollinators.
Help the Native Bees in Your Backyard
Native Bees: What Gardeners Need to Know
Within the bee world, honey bees are a subject of great interest, and at now, there is a significant decline in the population of honey bees. Colony collapse disorder is a problem that endangers beekeeping operations as well as crop and natural landscape pollination.
While native bees are unaffected by colony collapse (honey bees are native to Europe), diseases, pesticide use, and habitat loss are among the potential causes of colony collapse. According to Mace Vaughan, co-director of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation’s Pollinator Conservation Programme, native bee populations are declining, albeit less so than those of honeybees.
Thirty percent of native bumblebee species have seen severe declines that may result in extinction. David Mizejewski, a naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation, says that worries about colony collapse have highlighted what individuals can do to support bees as well as the vital pollination role that all bees play in the ecosystem.
Native Bees Hide in Plain Sight
The appearance of native bees can differ from our common perception of these flying insects. David claims that “most of the things we learn about bees as kids aren’t true about native bees.”
They come in a variety of hues, including as the well-known yellow and black stripes, as well as metallic green, brown, black, and grey. Because of their modest size, native bees are frequently confused with flies.
It’s also helpful to know that native bees are typically kind. According to Heather Holm, the author of Pollinators of Native Plants, “many can’t sting humans.” “They can’t even get their stingers through our skin.”
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Native Bees Nest in the Ground
The majority of solitary bee species make their nests in the ground; the others dig into dead wood or use tunnels like hollow stems. The female bee builds a loaf of pollen inside these nesting sites, places a single egg on it, then establishes a new nesting site and restarts the process.
There must be untouched, open spaces for this kind of nesting in order to provide a secure home. Because they are often dryer and warmer, south-facing slopes with well-drained soil are preferred by bees as excellent places to build their nests. Heather advises against using mulch in areas where you would prefer to see bee hives. “A lot of the bees are tiny and unable to pass through a mulch layer,” the woman claims.
Leave foot-long stretches of pithy or hollow stems for the tunnel nesters when you cut back your plants in the autumn; cavity-nesting bees will use those stems the following year. Another way to make natural bee houses is to bundle hollow stems and hang them in your yard. Good nesting places can also be found in brush heaps, fallen wood, or old fence posts.
Native Bees Are Really Busy— Help Them Out
Most female native bees live two to six weeks as adults. They collect pollen to make as many loaves and eggs as possible. Plant a variety of flowers from spring to autumn in groups to make pollen gathering easier.
New generations and species of bees emerge throughout the growing season, thus they need flowers for pollen. Heather suggests gardeners identify blossoming gaps and add plants accordingly. Bees need a succession of flowering plants, she says. Plant flowers in three-foot bulk if feasible.
Native Flowers Are Best for Native Bees
Bees require flowers for nectar and pollen, while flowers need bees for pollination. Heather says a flower may be specialised to allow only particular bee species to pollinate or its structure may aid pollination.
For instance, a bee must push inside a bloom to reach nectar. A huge, robust bee like a bumblebee can do this easily, and the flower deposits pollen on it. Smaller bees may not reach the nectar and will seek another bloom.
Introduce a hybridised flower with double blooms or a different colour, and who knows how it will affect its pollen or nectar. “When we select cultivars of native plants, we don’t know how that affects other flower attributes that are important to pollinators and wildlife,” David explains.
To attract bees, use heritage or minimally grown plants. Mace suggests browsing your local garden centre for bee-covered plants. He suggests these flowers:
