Bee Basics - USDA Forest Service - US Department of Agriculture

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• You can also plant the kind of lawn that provides habitat beneficialto bees. A perfectly manicured, pesticide-saturated lawn is a desertto wildlife, including pollinators. Reducing the size of the lawn bycreating pollinator gardens will benefit native pollinators and otherspecies of wildlife. It is possible to have a lawn that is good for nativebees while being esthetically pleasing. As mentioned before, stay awayfrom pesticides and herbicides as much as possible. Second, allowsome small wildflowers to become part of your lawn. The look of yourlawn may change as a result, but it will continue to serve its purpose.Clover is great food for native bees. It also fixes nitrogen, reducingthe need for fertilizers. Other small plants that benefit native bees areplantago, and veronicas. Rather than calling them weeds, call thempollinator food.• Provide nesting habitats for bees. A simple bare spot here and there(no mulch or grass, just bare soil) may be enough for an aggregation ofhard working soil nesting native bees. A sand pile may be even better.Standing dead trees are important nesting habitats for 30 percent ofour native bees. If you cannot tolerate a dead tree on your property,it may be possible to keep a stump or a standing log, and use it asan attractive planter. Perhaps it will, in turn, provide housing spacefor bees. Drilling holes on an old post or even a tree trunk wouldalso make good nesting sites. The holes should be 3/32” to 3/8” indiameter (7-8mm) and 4 to 5 inches deep.34
• Build or buy your own bee houses. There are many in the market, andit is relatively easy to build your own by following instructions postedon several websites. Watching the comings and goings of busy femalebees can be as much fun as observing a bird house. They becomewatchable wildlife. Hollow paper tubes, just about the size of drinkingstraws, can also be usedas bee nests. Some ofthe suppliers listed sellthem. You can also tieup a bunch of hollowtwigs, such as elderberry,or paper drinking strawstogether (plastic onesare not used by the bees)or pack them into acontainer such as a smallmilk carton and placethem horizontally facingsouth or southeast. Theyshould be closed at oneend (see links at the endfor instructions). Gluingthe straws at their backends into your containeris helpful.35
Page 1: A USDA Forest ServiceandPollinator
Page 4 and 5: A USDA Forest Service and Pollinato
Page 6: Native Bees: Varied and ValuableNat
Page 9 and 10: 5A male digger bee (Anthophoracentr
Page 11 and 12: longer throat; they are not averse
Page 13 and 14: Imagine a bunch of grapes; that is
Page 15 and 16: succession of plants flowering from
Page 17 and 18: Families of BeesThere are 4,000 spe
Page 19 and 20: The colony grows rapidly,and it can
Page 21 and 22: to excavate wide tunnel systems in
Page 23 and 24: They show no hesitation when approa
Page 25 and 26: What is Buzz Pollination or as poll
Page 27 and 28: If you happen to see a bee, about t
Page 29 and 30: Another gorgeoussweat bee, a maleAg
Page 31 and 32: their pollen like most flowers, but
Page 33 and 34: Often they succeed infooling the in
Page 35 and 36: It may seem strange, but honey bees
Page 37: As best as you can, try not to appl
Page 41 and 42: house. Join a pollinator and plant-
Page 43 and 44: • O’Toole, Christopher, Raw, An
Page 47 and 48: The U.S. Department of Agriculture

Bee Basics - USDA Forest Service - US Department of Agriculture

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