Manzanitas (Arctostaphylos spp.) are a diverse group of California native plants that serve as a great winter resource for bees, especially native bees that fly early such as Osmia spp. and Bombus melanopygus. They are shrubs (mostly) and groundcovers (a few) that should be used in more California gardens. The waxy green leaves, peeling bark, smooth reddish to mahogany branches, and upright leaves are attractive throughout the year. These plants have stomates on both sides of the leaf so leaves are held perpendicular to the ground, rather than parallel, to minimize sun exposure and water loss. Some begin flowering in late fall, while most flower in January and February. In my own garden these held up well to drought this summer without any supplemental watering.

The California Native Plant Society has a nice article on this group; I also use the websites of Las Pilitas Nursery and California Flora Nursery to learn about new species for inclusion in the Honey Bee Haven.

According to California Bees and Blooms, two of the best for bees are the Arctostaphylos densiflora cultivars 'Sentinel' and 'Howard McMinn'. These two are also among the easiest to grow and fastest to reach mature size; the former tends to be upright while 'Howard McMinn' tends to be more rounded in shape. It is also the most adaptable; this UC Davis Arboretum All-Star can tolerate heavier soils than most manzanitas as well as some summer irrigation. Two other great cultivars for gardens are 'Austin Griffiths' and 'Sunset'.

 

Manzanita 'Austin Griffiths' flowers

Honey bee nectars on 'Howard McMinn' manzanita. This cultivar is a UC Davis Arboretum All-Star and grows under a variety of conditions.

Manzanitas host a gall aphid, Tamalia coweni. The aphid lays eggs in manzanita leaves and hormones secreted by the developing aphid induce formation of a gall on the leaves.  Cut these open to view the developing aphids inside; they are not considered to be a plant pest.

Winter is when gardeners plan next year's plantings and other changes to our gardens. One consideration in planning a bee garden is creating bee observation spots, along with acquiring tools for bee observation. For many folks this includes photographing bees. Bee photography is challenging and rewarding; here are some tips:

1. Elaborate, expensive equipment is not necessary.  I take many of the photos at the Haven with Ricoh CX5 point-and-shoot camera. It has very good macro capabilities for a point-and-shoot that allows me to get nice close bee shots.

Male valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta on Brandegee's sage, Salvia brandegii. This close shot was taken using the macro setting on my Ricoh CX5.

2. For action shots, my camera is a Canon Rebel T3i with a 55mm to 250mm telephoto lens.  I use the "sport" setting that shoots multiple frames per second, which allows me to shoot bees "in action" as they come and go from flowers.

Svastra obliqua expurgata arrives at a sleeping aggregration. This photo was taken with a Canon Rebel T3i using a telephoto lens and the sport setting to capture quick movement.

Male valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta guards his territory. This action shot was taken with a Canon T3i using a telephoto lens and the sport setting.

3. Light. Bees will move if a shadow is cast over them.  Position yourself so the sun is in front to avoid making shadows. Photography in full sun at mid-day creates harsh shadows and is difficult. Shade umbrellas help, or try to find a spot in light shade. Although there may be less bee activity, late afternoon is a great time to take bee photos.

4. Time of day. In general bees are most active mid-day, although there are exceptions. Carpenter bees are active until dusk; the charismatic yellow male Valley carpenter bee pictured above becomes active around 3pm. Male longhorned bees form each day's sleeping aggregation at dusk and leave at sunrise the next morning; these are an excellent photography subject. The photos of longhorned bees shown here are from my own garden because of their dawn and dusk schedule.

5. Patience, patience, patience! Plant your bee garden in an area where you can sit comfortably and set up a camera. Target highly attractive plants that bring in a variety of bee species such as salvia and sunflowers.

To view a selection of bee photos from the Haven, visit our Flickr page. Camera and exposure information is included with each photo.

Update February 2016: this blog post from the Xerces Society has more great insect photography tips.

Here at the Haven we want people to pay attention to bees.  One way to capture the attention of folks who might never have given them much thought is through public art; garden visitors are aware of our many projects created by the student artists of ENT001: Art, Science, and the World of Insects. These help to catch visitors' attention and brighten the garden in winter.

I live in Woodland, an agricultural community and Yolo County seat just north of Davis. Our agricultural heritage is celebrated in two local art projects that include bees.

The first, by artist Colleen Gnos, shows a farmer checking a field.  Most artists might have stopped with at that; I love the fact that the all-important bee was included.

Bee detail on the warehouse mural

The second is a utility box at a busy intersection. Anthony Padilla, the artist for this project that was funded by the Yolo Arts Council, works with spray paint, so I can forgive that some of the bee's details are not as precise as an entomologist might like.  These boxes are often tagged with graffiti but the painted ones in town have so far been left alone.

Closeup view of the bee.

Another view of the utility box depicting the bee's heavy pollen load. Note the orange color, which is correct for California poppy.

 

It's time to start thinking about holiday gifts for your favorite bee gardener (or yourself!) Beyond the obvious choice of a gift card to the local garden center, here are some suggestions from the Haven.

Books

2014 has been a good year for bee and gardening books; along with the classics California Native Plants for the Garden and the Sunset Western Garden Book consider gifting one or more of these to round out a bee gardener's library.

The Bee: A Natural History, written by Noah Wilson-Rich with Kelly Allin, Norman Carreck, and Andrea Quigley, was published earlier this year by Princeton University Press. Full of beautiful photographs and drawings, this book is an attractive, thorough introduction to the world of honey bees. The authors go into enough detail to make it interesting, but not so much as to lose the interest of a reader who is not a bee biologist. The single chapter on bees other than honey bees covers an assortment of species from various regions of the world.

California Bees and Blooms: A Guide for Gardeners and Naturalists was written by Gordon Frankie, Robbin Thorp, Rollin Coville, and Barbara Ertter. This definitive guide is a must-have for anyone interested in knowing more about native bees in California urban gardens. I only wish they had recommended other ceanothus varieties, such as 'Valley Violet' and 'Concha' that do well here in the Central Valley!

The California Native Landscape by Greg Rubin and Lucy Warren came out late in 2013; I'm including it for anyone who might have missed it for gifting last year. Although it might better be called The Southern California Native Landscape, it still has much to recommend it for northern California gardeners. Good information about soil and garden design is very helpful, as is the pest section.

Apps

A new app called Wild Bee Gardens is available for iOS devices.  The great photos will be helpful in learning more about native bee biology and identification.  The plant section conveniently lists the common bees found on each plant, although the plant descriptions are often general for a national audience.  For California, refer to a state-specific plant guide.

Bee observation tools

Two options for folks interested in getting a closer look at bees are close-focus binoculars and hand-held vacuums. The binoculars are often sold as butterfly binoculars; here's a review and outline of what to look for.  Hand-held vacuums can be purchased from scientific supply houses, although at the Haven we have used vacuums sold as toys without problems. Features to look for are a removable viewing chamber and a wide, round opening.  The chamber MUST be in line with the suction tube; many of them have the chamber perpendicular to the tube.  This makes it nearly impossible to remove the chamber without the bee escaping.

 

 

 

Bee housing

Building bee condos for your own garden is an easy project; a gift card to the local hardware store or home center is a great way to help make this happen. A bee condo to hold individual bee blocks or nest tubes can be built from redwood fencing; this requires basic carpentry skills. 

For the nests, a two- or three-inch ABS pipe cut to fit at the hardware store can be sealed at one end to hold bamboo reeds; spray paint was used to decorate ours. The short length is seven inches with the overhang cut at 45 degrees. The end is sealed with a test cap; these don't always fit exactly so a bit of glue may be needed. The reeds are called mason bee reeds and are available from beekeeping suppliers.

This bumble bee-colored ABS tube serves nicely to decorate the garden and provide bee housing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hap"bee" Holidays!