- Author: Marshall Foletta
I admit that ever since starting my own hive I've become obsessed with bees—checking in on my queen and watching my colony build and stuff its combs is often the highlight of my week. But I've also become more aware of the bees that surround me—the growing numbers that visit my pond, the industrious pollen foragers working the purple star thistle that has invaded my pasture.
Amateur apiarist that I now am, I quickly sort out the honey bees (scouting from the dozens of commercial hives lining my neighbors' fields) and native bees. While honey bees often get the most attention, native bees are the unsung heroes of plant pollination. More than 1600 species of native bees can be found in California, and the lonely troupers (they do not live in hives) go about their work with amazing efficiency. One study concluded that the acre of apples that depends on more than 60,000 honey bees to be pollinated, could be serviced just as effectively by fewer than 1000 (that's right, one thousand) mason bees.
Yet, native bees, like honey bees, face environmental challenges. Urban growth has eliminated many of their natural habitats, and even commercial agriculture is a threat in that diverse pollen sources are replaced by a pollen monoculture. As a result—and somewhat surprisingly—urban and suburban gardens can offer better, more biologically rich habitats for native bees than many rural areas.
And that's where we come in. Local native bee population can be assisted and boosted by following a few simple rules.
Avoid the use of pesticides.
Try to plant flowers and shrubs that do not bloom at the same time so that the natives can have access to nectar and pollen through the year.
Leave some bare soil so that burrowing bees can nest.
And if you feel really creative, build a native bee house. These range from a simple wood block with a few holes drilled into it to garden sculptures.
The UC Davis Laidlaw Facility (http://beebiology.ucdavis.edu/) offers a wealth of information about native bees and the measures gardeners can take to boost populations. Bee enthusiasts can visit the facility's “bee haven” –a teaching and research center designed to provide a year-round food source for bees and to increase public awareness of the problems facing bee populations.