- Author: Christine Casey
UPDATE March 17, 2020
Due to coronavirus restrictions, all programs at the Haven have been canceled through May. The September pruning class remains open for registration. We will reschedule the spring classes if possible. Thank you for your understanding.
I'm excited to announce our 2020 class schedule at the Haven, which includes old favorites as well as a new class. Continual learning and experimentation are at the core of what gardeners do, and I hope these offerings will help you expand your knowledge and success as a bee gardener. I'll be the instructor for all classes.
First up is our popular Planting the Bee Garden class. Bee pollination brings us much of our food and supports most of our wild plants. Interest in helping bee pollinators has never been greater, but what can you do in your own garden to make sure it is bee friendly? We'll review the basics of bee biology as a foundation for understanding how garden design and plant selection can be optimized for bees.
We'll also learn about some of the latest research on bees and gardens and how to incorporate this into your garden. The class will conclude with a tour of the Haven for a hands-on look at plants and bees. Registration includes light breakfast and snacks and course handouts.
This class is being offered twice; content is the same each time. April 25, 8am to 11am, register here. May 16, 8am to 11am, register here.
Returning from its initial offering last year is Bee Watching for Beginners. Observing and identifying live bees can be challenging. If you'd like to become more adept at identifying the bees in your garden, this is the class for you. We'll start with an overview of bee anatomy and learn how to distinguish bees from other insects.
We'll then look at key features of common bees that can be used to identify them in flight. The class will finish in the Haven for hands-on experience observing and identifying bees. Interested students will have the opportunity to use a microscope for closer examination of bee structure.
April 25, 12pm to 3pm, register here.
The final spring class is a new offering, Bee Photography. Bees are among the most challenging insects to photograph, and the goal of this class is to help you better document your own bee observations. We'll start with an overview of bee biology and movement in the garden, followed by a discussion of the tips and techniques used by insect photographers. Participants will have the opportunity to use some of the Haven's bee photography tools and to photograph identified bee specimens.
May 16, 12pm to 3pm, register here.
Also offered last year for the first time, Pruning the Bee Garden will be returning in the fall. Bee gardens are all about flowers, and pruning the Haven's plants is an essential part of creating ample flowers for our bees. In this class we'll learn about the physiology and science behind pruning of ornamental plants and fruit trees, discuss pruning strategies for increasing bloom, review pruning of California native shrubs, and practice pruning in the Haven.
The time for the class has been expanded from last year to allow a more in-depth lecture and ample time for student practice in the garden. Handouts and light refreshments included.
September 26, 9am to 12pm, register here.
/div>- Author: Christine Casey
We've all seen them....garden catalogs or magazine articles with cute little bee houses hanging like birdfeeders, or entire fences made of nesting tubes for solitary bees. We even had them at the Haven -- for a while -- in the form of bee condos. The only problem? They often don't work, and may even do more harm than good.
This is not limited to bee houses; previous investigation by Mihail Garbuzov and Francis Ratnieks of the University of Sussex found similar misinformation surrounding bee plant lists. They reviewed lists published for various regions worldwide, and found large variation in recommended plants, even within the same region. The science behind the lists, such as university research or repeated monitoring by trained observers, was also often unclear.
So what's a conscientious bee gardener to do?
Bee houses
I've written extensively about solitary bee houses on this blog. In the wild, bees nest in abandoned beetle galleries in trees. This environment is dark, stationary, and made of wood, and can inform our choice of solitary bee housing. Consider the following:
1. Bees will use a nesting tube diameter that corresponds to their body size. A good range of sizes for common bees is 3/16 to 5/16 inch. Tubes should be 4 to 6 inches deep; anything shorter will produce predominantly male bees.
2. Bees will not use houses or nesting blocks that move or are open in the back
3. A shaded entrance is important; even a piece of burlap draped over the top of the nest can work
4. Bee houses constructed of wood seem to be preferred
5. Position house with entrance out of the prevailing wind
6. Pathogens can build up in bee houses as they are used; they cannot be sterilized with bleach or other disinfectants. 'Cleaning' the used nesting tube with a drill bit or brush is likely to push pathogens into the wood. Houses (in the case of wood blocks) or individual tubes should be replaced after they are used.
7. Consider all dimensions. Bees may nest in hollow stems that are not horizontal.
A fact sheet about building and using solitary bee houses is here.
Bee garden plant selection
/div>
- Author: Christine Casey
The Haven is all about teaching, research, and outreach to save the bees. Our programs are consistently rated highly by our visitors; we've grown every year of our existence and would love for that to continue. For details about our past accomplishments, please see our annual reports: 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014.
A grant that provided half of our support recently ended, and I am seeking your support to help keep these successful programs going.
What you can do:
1. Donate here. The Haven is supported solely by grants, donations, and volunteers. A generous Häagen-Dazs gift established the garden, but Häagen-Dazs does not provide ongoing support. Recent funding has come from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, the USDA, and the California Center for Urban Horticulture.
Individuals and local clubs such as the Roseville Better Gardens Club and the Sacramento Area Beekeepers Association have also made much-appreciated donations.
If the 3500 people who've attended a tour, Haven event, or class so far this year each gave $10, we'd be covered for seven months. While large donations are great, many small donations are just as important.
2. Attend our fall fundraiser on September 21. Details will be posted soon on the Haven's web page.
Thank you. Together we can keep this unique garden going strong.
- Author: Christine Casey
My last post covered the use of color in garden design from the perspective of what bees see. While aesthetics are important in any garden, the needs of bees come first at the Haven and other bee gardens. Here are a few examples of color combinations that are attractive to us and provide both pollen and nectar for bees.
Shades of purple throughout the year
As was mentioned in my last post, purple is a color that bees see well. Here are some ideas for shades of purple throughout the year:
Winter: rosemary (nectar), germander (nectar), ceanothus (pollen and nectar), phacelia (pollen and nectar)
Spring:ceanothus (pollen and nectar)
Summer: sages (nectar), Russian sage (nectar), zinnia (pollen and nectar), cosmos (pollen and nectar)
Fall: aster (pollen and nectar), bluebeard (pollen and nectar)
Shades of yellow throughout the year
As a complementary color to purple, yellow is attractive against any of the plants listed above. Some yellow flower choices include:
Winter:bidens (pollen and nectar), blanketflower (pollen and nectar)
Spring:bidens (pollen and nectar), blanketflower (pollen and nectar), lupine (pollen and nectar)
Summer: sage (nectar), sunflower (pollen and nectar)
Fall: sunflower (pollen and nectar)
Summer whites
Spring: Santa Barbara daisy(pollen and nectar), buckbrush (pollen and nectar)
Summer: Santa Barbara daisy (pollen and nectar), gaura (pollen), veronica (pollen), coneflower (pollen and nectar), zinnia (pollen and nectar), cosmos (pollen and nectar), California buckwheat (pollen and nectar)
Fall:gaura (pollen), California buckwheat (pollen and nectar)
Hot colors throughout the year
Winter: California poppy (pollen), Cape balsam (pollen and nectar)
Spring: Cape balsam (pollen and nectar), sage (nectar)
Summer: Cape balsam (pollen and nectar), coneflower (pollen and nectar)
Fall: Cape balsam (pollen and nectar), sage (nectar), sedum (pollen and nectar)
/div>/div>- Author: Christine Casey
One of California's most important specialty crops is almonds; in 2016 the state's crop was worth $5.2 billion. Our climate is ideal for almond production, and as a result we grow more than 80% of the world's supply. California's almond acreage has been increasing steadily as the market for almonds continues to grow, and has nearly doubled since 2005. This increasing demand has a tremendous impact on the nation's migratory beekeepers: the flower is self-infertile, so pollen must be transferred between plants by bees for nuts to be produced. Simply put: no bees, no almonds.
Two honey bee hives per acre of almond trees is required for good pollination. To fill this need, migratory beekeepers from all over the US bring their hives to California for almond bloom. Trees are at their peak bloom right now, and the girls are hard at work throughout the state. While bees obtain both pollen and nectar from almond flowers, the pollen is high in protein and provides healthy bee forage, which can give bees a good start to the year.
Why is there such a demand for almonds? They are also a healthy food for us! They are high in protein and monounsaturated fat and contain a number of vitamins and minerals.
Honey bee hives are often left in orchards for a month or more before and after almond bloom. While many growers understand the importance of alternative sources of forage in their orchards, if you live within flight distance of an orchard – 3 to 5 miles – your garden can help.
There are many options for winter-blooming plants to help bees in your home orchard or nearby commercial orchards. These include manzanitas, currants, native wildflowers, and ceanothus.