Native Bees
As I drive to the nursery, I look at all the homes nestled
into farmland, each property like a unique piece of fabric in the landscape
quilt. The day progresses and I find
myself talking to a gardener about planting flowers amongst their tomato plants
to increase fruit yield or explaining why clover in the lawn is actually a good
thing. I drive to my consultation and I
am helping a homeowner decide whether or not to clear out those “wild” areas
along the fencerows near the farmers’ field and what to do with the vast amount
of acreage that is lawn.
Thanks to the media focus on Colony Collapse Disorder, most
of us know the role that honeybees play in sustaining our food source. But fewer people are aware of the fact that
native bees are also important pollinators for crops. The honeybee, which is a
non-native European bee, is essential for commercial growers. The bees can be kept in hives and moved
around from place to place, pollinating large monocrops upon demand. Most of our wild bees on the other hand are
solitary and require natural habitat because they are ground bees or wood bees. They obtain nectar from a variety of sources
instead of having a limited diet of the beekeeper’s choosing. Supporting native bees seems to be the best
insurance plan for our food crops.
We have over 300 species of native bees in PA and they are
the ones pollinating the majority of our summer crops. As a gardener, you can do some simple things
to support native bees. If you have a
large lawn, create forest or meadow habitat along the edges. Allow clover to grow and flower in your lawn. Plant borage with your tomatoes. Let
some of your basil bolt for the bees.
Leave snags and stumps in place.
Don’t use pesticides. Plant
Linden trees which provide a large amount of flowers early, when food sources
are scarce. Plant masses of diverse flower shapes and colors (Helenium and Mountain Mint shown above) that flower from spring through fall. By providing food for our native bees, we
ensure food for ourselves.
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