They can be big, small, fuzzy, shiny, stripy, crazy metallic green or blue – and there are almost 4,500 types of them in the United States. I’m talking native bees and you can learn all about them if you drop by the Houston Zoo this weekend for the Spotlight on Species: Pollinators event!
Leafcutter bee on Bidens flower
Solitary bees are beneficial in that they pollinate everything in your garden from squash to peppers, oranges to peaches, watermelon, blackberries… the list goes on. Having a multitude of them around ensures that you will have an abundant harvest from your backyard garden – plus they are not aggressive and are totally fun to watch! So what do you need to attract them? Solitary bees do not live in a hive like honeybees (hence the word “solitary”!); they nest either in the ground or in pre-made holes. 70% of solitary bee species are ground-nesters and like bare dirt in a sunny spot to dig their holes (which are often about the diameter of a pencil) – so provide a mulch-free area in one of your flower beds and see what happens!
Ground-nesting bee holes in bare-earth planting bed
The other 30% of solitary bee species nest in wood and masonry – these bees do not make their own holes, but rather depend on beetles and other wood-boring insects to do the work for them. So if you have a dead tree on your property that is not a danger to anyone, leave it - dead trees provide homes for all sorts of cool animals! You can also make nest boxes for this group of bees – an affordable and fun family project. You can be as creative as you want, just remember to use only UNTREATED wood for your bee house!
Solitary bee houses at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
OK, you have housing… now you have to provide food! Solitary bees forage on all sorts of flowers looking for nectar and pollen; some are specialists (they like only one or two plant species) and others are generalists (and like many different plant species). A good way to start your bee garden is to go native – set aside areas in your yard to plant things that used to live in your area before humans came along. Much of Houston was prairie before it was developed – try buying native seeds or join a local society to participate in local plant rescues and seed collecting. There are many ornamental plants that can be used in your wildlife landscaping, too. My favorite local nursery is Caldwell Nursery in Rosenberg – the owners know their stuff when it comes to attracting wildlife!
And last but certainly not least, DITCH THE INSECTICIDES!!! ALL of them – this means YOU! Garden with nature, not against her… As the plant and animal diversity in your garden goes up, your pest problems disappear. A diverse garden is always a balanced one!!
