- Author: Christine Casey
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'.
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.
- Author: Christine Casey
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.
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.
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.
/div>/div>- Author: Christine Casey
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.
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.
- Author: Christine Casey
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
Bee observation tools
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.
Hap"bee" Holidays!
- Author: Christine Casey
On Veteran's Day we honor our military veterans. Like our bees, they work hard and make contributions that many of us take for granted. In recognition of their service, some agricultural and beekeeping organizations provide financial support and training to veterans who would like to make beekeeping their profession.
Our central California weather is conducive to year-round honey bee activity, so including plants that are blooming on Veteran's Day in your bee garden will support honey bees and the occasional native bee that may still be active. On any sunny day with temperatures over 55 degrees Haven visitors will see bees in the garden. Here are some of the red, white, and blue flowers you'll see them foraging on this time of year:
Red (bees do not see red but will use these flowers):
Autumn sage (Salvia greggii) cultivars ‘Hot Lips' and ‘Lipstick'
Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)
White:
Gaura (Gaura lindheimeri)
Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)
California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum)
Early-blooming manzanitas (Arctostaphylos spp.). The cultivars ‘White Lanterns' and ‘Howard McMinn' are the two earliest bloomers at the Haven.
Blue (shades of blue to purple):
Bush germander (Teucrium fruticans)
Rosemary ‘Mozart' (Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Mozart'); this rosemary cultivar has outstanding deep purple flowers
Mexican sage (Salvia leucantha); give it space, as it can reach up to eight feed wide in bloom
Aster (New World species are now in the genus Symphyotrichum, while Old World species remain in the genus Aster). All of the Haven's asters are New World species.
Click here see a complete list of plants in the Honey Bee Haven.