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GOVERNMENT OUR NATURAL environment NATURE’S HIDDEN HEROES NATIVE POLLINATORS FACE INNUMERABLE RISKS; BEE BOXES AVAILABLE What is your favorite warm weather activity? Maybe you enjoy gardening or spending time doing yardwork or landscaping. Maybe you enjoy simply getting outdoors to get some exercise and enjoy the nature around you. Maybe it’s sitting down to a wholesome, locally-grown meal with your family. No matter which activity you enjoy the most, it likely relies on one very important but not very well-known helper: the solitary bee. Leafcutter and mason bees are some of Colorado’s most common solitary bee species. WHAT ARE SOLITARY BEES? When someone says the word “bee,” most people think of the honeybee, a species that we are all familiar with. What many do not realize is that North America is home to over 2,000 bee species, most of which are native and non-stinging. These bee species are called solitary bees, and they come in all shapes, sizes, and have all different jobs to do. Some, like bumblebees, do not live in colonies and have their own homes or nesting burrows. Others, like leafcutter bees, live in large hives with others. Most people have had experience with solitary bees, even if they haven’t been made aware if their presence. If you have ever found plant leaves cut into a crescent shape, it is the work of the leafcutter bee, one of Colorado’s most common solitary bees. They use plant matter to seal their nesting chambers. Similarly, mason bees use mud in the construction of their hives, so one might spot a them congregating around a patch of loose earth. WHY ARE SOLITARY BEES IMPORTANT? Most solitary bee species have existed on our continent for thousands of years, meaning that they have co-evolved with the land’s ecosystems. For this reason, they are essential to the health of our outdoors and ecosystems. Some plants, like tomatoes, can only be pollinated by solitary bees: tomato blossoms are too small for Solitary bees are efficient pollinators. honeybees to pollinate. In addition, because they do not make honey, solitary bees can work much more efficiently than honeybees. For example, for every 40 plants that a honeybee pollinates, a leafcutter bee can pollinate 100. Solitary bees are extremely good at their jobs. WHAT RISKS DO SOLITARY BEES FACE? Being so in-tune with their environment does have a downside for solitary bees: because they are so closely connected with the natural world around them, they are particularly vulnerable to changes in their ecosystems. As our climate warms and changes, solitary bee populations have begun to decrease in number. Another change the bees must face is increased pesticide use: many people trying to get rid of harmful pests inadvertently hurt the bees instead. Finally, solitary bees are just not as well-known as honeybees, and don’t get as much support. WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP SOLITARY BEES? The good news about the plight of solitary bees is that almost anyone can help them quite easily. The number one thing that bees need is plenty of food to eat, so planting beefriendly and native plants like marigolds, lavender, dandelions, raspberries, and blackberries will help them an immense amount. After these plants are planted for the bees, it is important that they are kept as pesticide free as possible. There are many pesticide-free and all-natural ways to get rid of many common garden pests. If you must spray pesticides, do so at a time when plants are not flowering or away from other flowering plants. BEE RESOURCE Colorado State Beekeepers Association • 970-213-3099 • www.coloradobeekeeper.org PG. 8 GV NEWSLETTER | JUNE 2018
GOVERNMENT HAVE A BEE SWARM ON YOUR PROPERTY? Solitary bee houses can be all different designs and sizes. In addition, you could put up a bee box: a box made of wood or other materials with any combination of paper straws, bamboo, old plant stalks, blocks of wood with holes drilled in them, or anything similar. Solitary bees will move in and turn the boxes into their hives. BEE BOXES AVAILABLE If you would like a bee box of your own, the Greenwood Village Parks, Trails, and Recreation Commission has several recycled ones to give out on a first come, first served basis. Please email Parks, Trails, and Recreation Commissioner Sarah Dormer at sarahgdormer@gmail.com to request a bee box. GV FOLLOW THESE TIPS 1. Stay Calm. Bees are the least aggressive when in the swarms. They are the most docile you will ever see them. 2. Stay Away. Don’t disturb the swarm. 3. Do not attempt to kill them by spraying with an insecticide or water! 4. Call a local beekeeper or professional hive removal company to remove it. Some will catch them for free. 5. Do it right the first time. Having your swarm removed by a beekeeper assures that both the bees and their residence will be removed. If you spray the bees, you leave all of the supporting hive structure in place. This is composed of beeswax, honey, pollen, larva and bees. By spraying it, you have now left it unprotected by bees. You essentially traded one insect for a whole host of others seeking this nutrition. The larva will die and the uncured nectar will begin to ferment causing issues with both odor and mold. Finally, the honey will be ruined. JUNE 2018 | GV NEWSLETTER PG. 9
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