The Buzz on North American Bees

Native bees at your service!

Several hundred species of native bees exist in the New England area, coming in various sizes and colors. These bees visit flowers in their quest for nectar and pollen, and most will visit whatever is blooming. Although a few bees specialize in a single plant species, you can generally expect to see a variety of bees visiting a given plant. As they buzz around collecting food, they unintentionally act as a door-to-door pollen delivery service, providing the plant with a crucial step in its life cycle. In your garden, you may notice that good pollination will increase the yield of many edible fruits.

Native Vs. European bees: an important difference

                 a. b. 

                 c. d.

Can you guess which of the above bees is the introduced European honeybee? When a honey bee (A) lands on a flower, it settles in for a moment and stops buzzing while it rummages for nectar and fills its leg pouches with pollen. But many native bees (B,C,D) have another trick up their fuzzy sleeves: they’re able to disengage their flight muscles from their wings, causing their whole body to vibrate. This buzz pollination shakes pollen right out of the anther like salt from a shaker. Buzz pollination is especially effective in increasing fruit yield of cranberry, blueberry, tomato, pepper and other plants.

Native bees also emerge earlier in the spring, start work earlier in the morning, fly more quickly from flower to flower, and deliver more pollen than the European honeybee! Unfortunately, native bees are smaller in numbers and less portable than honey bees.

What you can do to increase native bee abundance and diversity:

Plant native flowering trees, shrubs, and perennials

Create a home or provide shelter materials (easy directions on back)

Create a garden that flowers spring – fall, using various flower types

Leave a part of your garden undisturbed

Stay informed. Read article “Honey Bee Crisis”. More info at: xerces.org

Creating a Home for Native Bees: Three easy ideas

(see xerces.org for bumble bee houses and more)

1. Logs and snags:

What you need

Logs or stumps (ones with beetle tunnels are ideal)

Drill and drill bits (optional)

Directions

Place logs in sunny areas, a few upright, and a few down. On the southeast side of each log, you may drill a range of holes as outlined in idea #2 below. 

2. Nesting Blocks (as seen at Garden in the Woods):

What you need

Block of preservative-free lumberrill and drill bits sizes 3/32” to 3/8”

Nails and hammer, saw optional

Directions

Drill nesting holes between 3/32” and 3/8” in diameter, at approximate ¾” centers, into the side of a block of preservative free lumber. The holes should be smooth inside, and closed at one end (don’t drill through). The height of the block is not important—8” or so is good—but depth is critical:

Holes less than ¼” diameter should be 3-4” deep

Holes larger than ¼” diameter should be 5-6” deep.

Secure firmly at any height, with holes facing south or southeast, providing morning sun.

3. Stem & Tube Bundles:

What you need

Plant stems (Teasel, bamboo, reeds) with hollow stems

Trim saw or knife

Small piece of rope or a wooden box (no top)

Paper tubes 3/8” or less diameter as a substitute

Directions

Cut the stems into 6-8” lengths, cutting close to a node (natural seal) to create a tube with one end closed. Bundle 15-20 stems together, and have all the openings pointing the same direction. Tie tubes together with rope into a bundle, and hang in a dry area, or frame with wood (right). Paper tubes can be used as a replacement, simply make sure they stay dry. Have openings face south or southeast.

Honey Bee Crisis

by Dr. Tristram Seidler

New England Wild Flower Society’s Seed Ecologist

The cause of the recent decline in honey bees (Apis mellifera) remains mysterious (viruses, mites, pesticides?). Honey bees are not native to North America, but they provide important services by making honey and pollinating many commercial crops, from almonds to watermelons. Hives are trucked from farm to farm and rented to commercial growers. Brought in just in time to fertilize cranberries or peaches so they set tons of fruit, the bees are then whisked off to the next farm, leaving the grower free to apply pesticides.

The honey bee decline is hurting the bee business and sending the cost of some crops soaring. In response, some growers are looking at alternative pollinators, especially native bees. A few species have been cultivated to replace honey bees for certain crops. But for most crops, the only alternative is wild native bees, which can be encouraged by reducing pesticide use and setting aside fallow areas and hedgerows for nest sites and alternative food sources (native flowering perennials).

In short, the honey bee decline may actually have a silver lining: It may lead to more sustainable farming practices and a greater appreciation for our native pollinators. As pollinators, native bees outperform honey bees on a bee-per-bee basis, but getting enough of those busy little natives happily buzzing around your orchard—that’s the challenge.