Creating Native Bee Habitat in your Backyard

     

by Abi Saeed, Garfield County Agri/Horticulture and Natural Resources Extension Agent

Just like us, pollinators need two main things in order to survive: food (floral resources) and shelter (nesting materials and habitat).

Bee on Black-eyed Susan (Photo by Abi Saeed)
Pollinators, like bees, butterflies, birds, bats, etc., play an enormous role in our lives, affecting agriculture, the economy, wildlife and plant diversity in the region. Of the plethora of animals referred to as pollinators, bees are the most important because of a key part of their anatomy: their fuzziness (aka: the tiny hairs that they have all over their bodies). Bees are covered with these branched hairs specialized for collecting pollen, and different bees have hairs on different parts of their bodies. These hairs allow them to be the incredible pollen-carrying critters that we know and love.

Colorado is home to 946 different bee species. The majority of these bees rely on floral resources in the natural environment. Most of the bee species are solitary insects, and live in individual nests, as opposed to their social counterparts, honey bees and bumble bees. This means that most wild bees need a place to build a nest either in the ground, or in existing cavities.

Due to increased development, these nesting resources are fewer and farther between. Although it is always a good idea to incorporate pollinator-friendly plants, encouraging the beneficial insects into your landscape involves more than just flowers. The nesting habitat is especially critical for our wild native bee communities to survive, and thrive, in our landscapes.

Native bee habitat in your gardens-
Ground-nesting Bees:

Roughly 70 percent of bees nest in the ground. By leaving some bare patches of undisturbed soil - it does not need to be large area, and can be tucked out of the way - you are creating safe ground-nesting bee habitat for these extremely important native pollinators. Although mulch is a useful tool for your garden beds, it creates an obstacle for a ground-nesting bee to find the proper spot to make a home. Mulch can still be used in your garden, but leave some areas uncovered to allow direct soil access for bees.
Ground-nesting Bee (Photo by Abi Saeed)
Cavity-nesting Bees:
Cavity nesting bees, which include 30 percent of the species, can be just as simple to accommodate. Welcome them in your gardens by creating “mason bee houses,” which are made from wood, reeds, cardboard tubes, and a container to house these elements in. Mason bee houses can be as simple or complicated as you like, but make sure that you follow some simple guidelines concerning the correct materials if you are building your own bee hotels. These can easily be found online with a quick search for “bee homes.” Placement can be just as important as the materials that you use for these nesting boxes. Opt for a sturdy spot on a wall or shed in an out-of-the-way area. Make sure that the structure is 3-5 feet above the ground, and away from bird feeders and water spouts that will drain excess moisture. South and/or southeast facing bee hotels do best - they have access to early morning sun and warmth throughout the spring season.
Cavity-nesting Bee Hotel (Photo by Abi Saeed)
And, as with any pollinator habitat, make sure that there are plenty of flowering plants nearby for the bees to access nectar and pollen.

For more Information:
http://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/insect/05616.pdf
http://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/insect/05615.pdf
https://pollinators.msu.edu/publications/building-and-managing-bee-hotels-for-wild-bees/
http://msue.anr.msu.edu/uploads/files/Pollinator_habitat.pdf

Disappearing Pollinators By Ed Powers

     

Picture Courtesy University of Leeds

These hard-working animals help pollinate over 75% of our flowering plants, and nearly 75% of our crops. Often we may not notice the hummingbirds, bats, bees, beetles, butterflies, and flies that carry pollen from one plant to another as they collect nectar. Yet without them, wildlife would have fewer nutritious berries and seeds, and we would miss many fruits, vegetables, and nuts, like blueberries, squash, and almonds . . not to mention chocolate and coffee…all of which depend on pollinators.  But they are disappearing and at an alarming rate.  While all pollinators are important, we will be focusing on honeybees (though many of the causes relate to all pollinators not just honey bees).
Picture Courtesy National Audubon Society

There are a number of pressures on pollinator populations, but there is lack of information about their relative importance or to what extent they have led to the declines we are now seeing. Possible causes include
  1. The loss of basic habitat requirements in our landscapes such as floral resources other than flowering crops that provide food to pollinators. Flowering crops are usually in bloom for only a fraction of a pollinator's life cycle, so in order to survive and reproduce effectively they need alternative sources of nectar and pollen throughout their active season. The loss of other basic needs such as nesting sites and materials may also contribute to the problem.
  2. The simplification of the landscape with the promotion of monoculture crops, larger fields and less traditional features such as hedgerows, set-aside land and wildflower rich grassland. This results in less of the food and nesting resources occurring in landscapes and the isolation of resource-rich semi-natural habitats.
  3. The intensive use of agro-chemicals including pesticides that may have a direct effect on insect pollinators, and herbicides that remove important floral resources. Pesticides are substances used to eliminate unwanted pests. Insecticides are a subset of pesticides focusing on insects. Unfortunately, honey bees are insects and are greatly affected by insecticides. There are several ways honey bees can be killed by insecticides. One is direct contact of the insecticide on the bee while it is foraging in the field. The bee may then die and does not return to the hive. In this case the queen, brood and nurse bees are not contaminated and the colony survives. The second, more deadly, way is when the bee comes in contact with an insecticide and transports it back to the colony, either as contaminated pollen or nectar or on its body.
  4. Pests and diseases affecting domesticated pollinators such as honey bees and which may spread to wild populations.
  5. Over-reliance on domesticated honey bees for pollination which may compete with wild pollinators for scarce resources.
  6. Colony Collapse Disorder is the phenomenon that occurs when the majority of worker bees in a colony disappear and leave behind a queen, plenty of food and a few nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees and the queen.  Although once thought to be of a major impac,t it is now less impactful.

Research into these pressures has typically focused on a single cause, but in reality they may interact with each other. For example, a lack of floral resources occurring in the countryside due to intensive farming may lead to nutritional stress in insect pollinators which in turn can make them more vulnerable to attack from pests and diseases or to the effects of pesticides. There is therefore a need for research to identify the underlying causes of pollinator declines and the interactions between them, and this is one of the broad aims of the work funded by the UK Insect Pollinator Initiative.
Picture Courtesy of University of Leeds
Back ground Information for article gathered from:
2017 University of Leeds, Leeds/agriland-Possible Causes of Pollinator Decline.  
Colorado State University extension fact sheet Pollination of Fruit Trees
USDA/Natural Resources Conservation Service/Insects & Pollinators
Natural Resources Conservation Service/ Wildlife Management Institute/ Native Pollinators