Save Native Bees

how can you help bees?

1. Food in the form of abundant flowering plants that provide access to pollen and nectar throughout the growing season. Many native bees specialize in very specific native flower species (many of which we may refer to as weeds), which is why its so important to Plant Native! (USA Regional Native Plant List & Guide)

2. Access to shelter and nesting sites including pithy-stems and dead wood for cavity-nesting bees, and bare earth for ground-nesting bees. Covering your garden beds with mulch can be detrimental for nesting ground bees!

3. Protection from pesticides which kill non-target insects and degrade habitat by removing or contaminating flowering plants. Whether conventional or organic, all pesticides can pose a risk to pollinators if not used properly. Learn More…

4. Advocates who are willing to make changes in their own landscape, but also teach others and spread the word to encourage pollinator- friendly practices in their community.

Create, Restore, and Manage Habitat. Provide Access to Nesting Sites. Managing Pests While Protecting Pollinators. Pick the Right Plants

lets talk honey!

"Save the Bees!" is a common refrain these days, and it's great to see people interested in the little animals critical for our food supply around the globe. But I have one quibble: you're talking about the wrong bees!
.
the honeybee is perhaps the one type of bee that we should worry about the least. Honeybee hives aren't natural, and they don't help the environment. In fact, they may harm it.
.
There are thousands of bee species. Almost all of them live in the wild, hiding away in the ground or in odd cavities, like hollow plant stems. They play a vital role in the ecosystem, pollinating flowering plants. Many are in peril; some species have disappeared.
.
And then there's the honeybee: originally imported from Europe, raised and managed by beekeepers in order to make honey or to pollinate crops like almonds. It's an agricultural animal, in the same way that sheep and cattle are.
.
When flowers are abundant, there is plenty of pollen for both honeybees and their wild cousins. But in many landscapes, or when an orchard stops blooming, farmed honeybees can compete with wild bees for food, making it harder for wild species to survive.
.
Basically, a healthy environment needs (native) bees — but not honeybees. The way we're managing honeybees, in these hives, has nothing to do with nature conservation.
.
Concern for honeybees helped more people understand why it's important to have more land covered with wildflowers and trees — and free from pesticides.
.
But the bee that needs our help the most may be that tiny green bee in your garden and not the honeybee; Honey bees will be fine. It's the other 3,999 species of bees in North America we need to worry about.

Further Reading: Honeybees Help Farmers, But They Don't Help The Environment

Visit My Honey Bee Blog Page: Here

What About the Native Bees?!

There are 4,000 species of native bees in America and nearly 25,000 different bee species worldwide!
.
Before there were honey bees crops, trees, and wildflowers were all pollinated by native bees. Native bees evolved to pollinate their local native plants, so it makes sense that they would be the best, most natural candidates for pollinating those same native plants now. Honey bees are definitely more effective at pollinating certain crops, but our collective dependence on honey bees for pollination has gotten us into trouble – honey bees aren’t doing so well, as you might have heard. Part of this is because domestication isn’t all that healthy for them, especially when used in large-scale farming operations. Honey bees also tend to outcompete native bees and therefore harm native communities, so sometimes they can do more bad than good.
.
Native bees are often very small and go by unnoticed, but you can observe them almost anywhere if you are patient. Some bees are generalists, while others specialize on very specific flower species.
.
Most native bees are solitary, and make their tiny nests in the soil. Each female digs a tiny tunnel and provisions it with nectar and pollen for her offspring, then seals the eggs inside. Mulch is a huge problem for ground-nesting bees in cities, where most of the ground is either paved or mulched. While mulch can help conserve water and block weeds, it also prevents the bees from making their nests. Leave the soil around your flowering plants uncovered, and the bees will thank you.

BUILD A BEE SANCTUARY:

Native Bees are an integral part of our ecosystem. A garden with happy, healthy bees grows happy, healthy plants. Why not help these friendly pollinators even more by building “bee hotels”?
.
There are 4,000 species of bees that are native to North America and they are far more efficient in pollinating than the more commonly known European honeybee. Native bees are losing habitat at a dramatic rate and this is leading to a huge decline in population. You can help save these bees by creating a house for them in your garden. The bees will gladly thank you by pollinating your garden!

Over 90% of all bee species are solitary. This means each female will build her own nest in close proximity to other females of the same species. Many of these solitary species, which include mason bees, leafcutter bees, and carder bees, look more like a flying ant than a fuzzy yellow bee, but they are valuable pollinators just the same.
.
70% of solitary bees are ground nesting, forming burrows in soil. The remaining 30% are cavity nesting, forming brood chambers in hollow stems, holes in dead wood, or other materials. The traditional hive boxes used to house honeybees does nothing to attract native bees to your garden, but these unsung heroes will happily take up residence in a bee hotel. Use bee houses to decorate your garden with these simple ideas.

NATIVE BEE HOTEL: FULL TUTORIAL & PHOTOS

Step One: Build a Frame
The exterior walls of a bee hotel may be made with almost any lumber scraps you happen to have lying around (up cycling an old birdhouse is an easy solution too).
.
NOTE: Freshly purchased pressure-treated wood should be avoided, though, as the chemicals inside will deter the bees. Older, weathered pressure-treated lumber is fine.

• The only real requirement, in terms of dimensions, is that the frame be approximately 6 to 8 inches deep. 1” x 8” lumber (which is actually ¾” by 7 ¼” wide) is ideal.

• The frame must be enclosed at the back – lightweight plywood cut to size is perfect for this part – and open in front. The roof must be sloped to shed rain and must extend at least 2 inches over the front. You can use wood again, or, if you’d like, tack on a piece of corrugated metal roofing for a cute, barn-like bee hotel (Or an old license plate can be bent into a roof).

• The wooden frame maybe left unfinished, coated with an exterior wood sealant to protect it from the elements, or jazzed up with colorful paint — just know that the smell of paint and sealant is likely to deter bees for at least a few weeks until it wears off.

Step Two: Add “Rooms”
The hotel “rooms” are nothing more than holes drilled into blocks of wood. You can use random scraps of lumber, small logs cut from tree branches, hollow bamboo tubes, hollow reeds, or plastic tubing. Whatever materials you use, they should all be cut to the same length, which is determined by the depth of the frame (a minimum of 6 inches). 
.
Native bees vary greatly in size; the bigger the bee, the larger the diameter and greater depth they require for their nest hole. Make as many hole-filled blocks as well fit in the frame, and then smooth out the openings with sandpaper to remove any sharp splinters left by the drill. Drill holes ranging from 1/8” to 1/2” in diameter into the end of each block or log, spacing them about 1/2” to 3/4” apart.

• Holes larger than 1/4” should be 5” to 6” deep,

• Holes 1/4” or smaller should be 3” to 5” deep.

Step Three: Mount the Hotel
Mount your bee hotel on a fence post, exterior wall, or any other vertical surface with a couple of screws through the rear wall. It should be roughly chest high and facing south if possible, so it warms up earlier in spring and stays warm later in fall, extending the egg-laying season for the resident bees. Stack the blocks, bamboo and any other bee rooms you’ve created inside the frame with the hole openings facing out.
.
Female bees will construct individual chambers throughout each hole with mud, chewed up plant material and other substances, depending on the species. A single egg is deposited in each chamber, along with a bit of pollen for the baby bees to eat after they hatch. Once a tube is filled, it will be sealed off at the opening to prevent moisture and predatory insects from entering. 
.
The hatched bees remain inside the sealed tubes through the winter, emerging as adults in spring when warm weather returns. After all the sealed openings have been broken by the exiting bees, bee experts recommend removing the old “rooms” and building a new set each year as a precaution against transmitting diseases from one generation to the next.

Learn How To Clean Your Bee Hotel Click Here…

Assuming that the holes for attracting bees are the right sizes, then they need to be cleaned if unused. Tube-nesting bees will not use tubes that are dirty. They get dirty either by being used by the bees or by spiders and other insects taking up residence. Any time from October to February is the ideal time clean them as it will be quite obvious which tubes are in use and which are not. The ones where you can see mud or leaves covering the end of the hole are in use and you should leave these ones alone.

Each empty tube needs to be cleaned with warm water or at least brush out any dry debris. A small bottle brush or pipe cleaner is the easiest way for fixed tubes. I much prefer to use the type of bee accommodation that comes apart as it makes it much easier to clean. I tend to remove all the bee cocoons which makes cleaning much easier. The cocoons will be kept cool for resease in spring.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

• Will my new bee hotel attract wasps? No. Solitary wasp species nest underground and community wasps build where there is a large cavity or a void: in trees, hollow logs, electrical poles, eaves, awnings, roof edges, sheds, etc.

• How much space do the bees need? Your Bee Hotel should be at least the size of a birdhouse and 6” deep. You will want to give them lots of different size holes to choose from and keeping several different boxes around your location will give them plenty of options and space to live.

• Should I worry about mites potentially harming the bees? Making sure your unused tubes are cleaned during the winter will help with mites. Some scientists believe bee hotels should be cleaned every winter and some others don’t necessarily agree. Francis Gilbert, a professor of ecology at the University of Nottingham, says, “mites will leave after one to two seasons and then the bees will recolonise. There will be beneficial microbes in the holes as well, so they should not be cleaned.” Bees naturally possess hygienic behaviour that would allow them to mitigate the risks to some extent. The bees will assess the holes’ states before using them, so checking them each winter and making sure any dirt buildup like old spiderwebs or leaves is still a good idea.

Bumblebee numbers have declined in recent years, due to changes in agriculture, which have led to fewer nesting opportunities and flowers for them to feed from. Making this simple nest will encourage them to nest safely your garden. Many species nest underground in old mouse or vole burrows – which this project mimics.

BUMBLEBEE HOUSE: FULL TUTORIAL & PHOTOS

YOU WILL NEED:

• Flowerpot (20cm in diameter)

• Tube or piping (30cm long, 1.8cm diameter)

• Chicken wire

• Slate, or tile

• Nesting material

STEP ONE: Select a generous amount of nesting material – ideally an old mouse nest. Alternatively, cut up some dry straw, avoiding using any that’s damp or rotting.

STEP TWO: Make a cradle out of chicken wire to support and keep the nest dry. Fill the cradle with plenty of bedding material, but don’t pack it too tightly.

STEP THREE: Perforate an old piece of piping with drainage holes, using a needle. Push the pipe into the cradle so one end sits in the nest at a shallow angle, allowing the bees to climb in and out easily.

STEP FOUR: Dig a hole deep enough to submerge a third of the flower pot. The pot will be part-buried in the ground to create the cool, moist conditions bumblebees need.

STEP FIVE: Gently turn the pot upside down, holding the cradle, nest and pipe in place with your hand. Then sink the pot into the ground, ensuring there are no kinks in the entrance pipe.

STEP SIX: Push loose soil up around the edge of the pot and pipe, leaving the pipe’s tip poking out above the surface. Place the slate over the top to keep the nest dry.

“Nest-searching bumblebee queens emerge from hibernation in spring, having gone without food for up to six months. Make sure there is plenty of pollen and nectar in your garden for them when they wake up — grow spring-flowering trees such as apple and cherry, and plant up pots of bulbs such as crocus and snake’s head fritillary.”

Let’s Talk Bumblebees:

There are 265 known species of bumblebees! Most bumblebees are social insects that form colonies with a single queen. Nest size depends on species of bumblebee. Most form colonies of between 50 and 400 individuals.
.
The largest bumblebee species in the world is B. dahlbomii of Chile, up to about 40 mm (1.6 in) long, and described as "flying mice" and "a monstrous fluffy ginger beast".
.
Bumblebees are in danger in many developed countries due to habitat destruction and collateral pesticide damage. A significant increase in pesticide and fertilizer use associated with the industrialization of agriculture has had adverse effects on the bumblebees.
.
Nearly 30 of the 265 species are listed as in-decline under the IUCN Red species list:

🐝 Yellow Bumblebee - Vulnerable
🐝 American Bumblebee - Vulnerable
🐝 Ashtons Cuckoo Bumblebee - Decreasing
🐝 Yellow Banded Bumblebee - Vulnerable
🐝 Variable Cuckoo Bumblebee - Critically Endangered
🐝 Fraturnus Bumblebee - Endangered
🐝 Mucidus Bulblebee - Near Threatened
🐝 Reinigiellus Bumblebee - Endangered
🐝 Crotch Bumblebee - Endangered
🐝 Medius Bumblebee - Vulnerable
🐝 Alpinus Bumblebee - Vulnerable
🐝 Moscardón Bumblebee - Endangered
🐝 Mendax Bumblebee - Near Threatened

Mining ground bees:

Seventy percent of native bee species in the United States are ground nesting. There is not a lot known about the specific environments that ground nesting bees seek (compaction, soil type, etc.), but they do seem to be drawn to sunny, bare soil. Regardless of the details, we know that providing nesting sites is key to supporting these vital pollinators.

If you’d like to support ground nesting bees in your yard, the first step is to clear vegetation from a sunny, well-drained area. If possible, select sites on an open, south-facing slope. Leave some clumps of grass or other low-growing plants to prevent erosion. Don’t turn the soil in the area, as bees need stable soil to nest in (young bees spend up to eleven months of the year underground).
.
Some bees don’t want any neighbors around while others prefer the company of their own sisters. They may make little towns or even large towns; but they still remain solitary in the sense that each digs her own nest and takes care of her own brood all by herself.
.
Some species show different levels of cooperation, sharing the tasks of nest building and food provisioning. This tunnel can be a foot long or even longer. It may twist halfway or take a turn near the end. At the end of the tunnel the mother bee builds a chamber a little wider; this will be the nursery for just one baby. She fills it up with enough food for one bee to grow from egg to full size. There she lays an egg and seals the chamber. She will add other branches to the tunnel; at the end of each there will be another cell or chamber properly stocked and with an egg. Imagine a bunch of grapes; that is what some of those nests look like.

Photographer Joe Neely captured these amazing, sleeping globe mallow bees
Buy Prints Here…

An example of a specialized bee is the globe mallow bee, Diadasia diminuta. The globe mallow bee is about 7 to 9 mm long and collects pollen from its favorite food plant, globe mallow (Sphaeralcea). Female globe mallow bees are equipped with long, highly plumose hairs on their hind legs which receive and carry the large pollen grains (visible as yellow masses) back to the nest. There, the pollen grains are combined with nectar and molded into a loaf which serves as food for offspring. Each offspring has its own “loaf” in its own “room” (cell) in the nest, which is excavated in the ground, all courtesy of “mom” acting independently. Nests are commonly found in partially compacted soil along the margins of dirt roads in the western United States. Frequently, Diadasia bees surround the nest entrance with a turret (chimney), the purpose of which has long been debated.

Find more of Joe Neely’s Photography on Instagram @JMNeelyPhotography

Bees That Eat Meat?!

Vulture bees are a small group of three closely related North American stingless bee species in the genus Trigona which feed on rotting meat. They substitute meat for pollen, and create an edible substance resembling honey!
.
Vulture bees, much like maggots, usually enter the carcass through the eyes. They will then root around inside gathering the meat suitable for their needs. The vulture bee salivates on the rotting flesh and then consumes it, storing the flesh in its special stomach compartment. When it returns to the hive, this meat is vomited and processed by a worker bee, which breaks the meat down into an edible substance resembling honey. This substance is then placed into pot-like containers within the hive until it is time to feed the immature bees.

Read More…