As concern grows over the decline in the honey bee population, alternative pollinators are gaining attention. Mason bees, which are native to North America, are one option. These gentle-natured bees do not produce honey but they excel at pollinating and are easy to raise.
Mason bees look similar to house flies – they have black bodies and a dark blue iridescent sheen. One advantage for the family backyard is that the males do not have a stinger and the females will only sting if trapped or squeezed.
The mason bee is a solitary bee which lives in natural cavities such as woodpecker holes or hollow stems. They also seem to be just as happy in artificially-constructed nests, so long as these nests include tubes made...
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Noted pollination ecologist Neal Williams, professor in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and a 2015-2020 Chancellor's Fellow, recently discussed native bees on the international podcast, Science Friday, with host and executive producer Ira Flatow.
The podcast, "The Buzz on Native Bees in Your Neighborhood," is online.
"When I say 'bees,' you probably think of a neat stack of white hive boxes and the jars of honey on the store shelves, right?" Flatow began. "But there's a lot more to bees than that. Because around the world, there...
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Did you know that California is home to more than 1600 species of undomesticated bees—most of them native—that populate and pollinate our gardens, fields, and urban green spaces?--Source: California Bees and Blooms, a Guide for Gardeners and Naturalists.
You can learn more about native bee and their importance when pollination ecologist Neal Williams, professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and a 2015-2020 Chancellor's Fellow, present a talk on "Pollination, the Importance of Native Bees and How to Promote...
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Native bees will join the celebrated honey bees at the California Honey Festival.
The annual event, free and family friendly, takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, May 6 in downtown Woodland.
Pollination ecologist Neal Williams, professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and a 2015-2020 Chancellor's Fellow, will present a talk on "Pollination, the Importance of Native Bees and How to Promote Them" at 10:30 a.m. on the UC Davis Speakers' Stage.
"Pollination by insects, mostly bees, is critical to human wellbeing," Professor Williams said. "An...
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's billed as a "Bee Bash," but it should be "Big Bee Bash."
Urban entomologist Gordon Frankie, professor emeritus and research entomologist in the Department of Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley, will be one of the speakers. He specializes in behavioral ecology of solitary bees in wildland and urban environments and co-authored the celebrated book, California Bees and Blooms: A Guide for Gardeners and Naturalists: (Heyday Books, 2014) by UC scientists, including the late Robbin Thorp, UC Davis distinguished professor of entomology. The...