Save the bees
A mason bee loaded with pollen. Mason bees—named for their habit of using mud or other masonry products to construct their nests—need almost no care and do not sting. Photo credit: The Honeybee Conservancy
By Michael Sweet
Bugs that chase us around the yard and try to sting us are no doubt annoying, but those buzzing dive-bombers are more likely wasps than bees. Bees pollinate 90 percent of wild plants and more than 30 percent of the world’s food crop, valued at $325 billion. If we humans wish to survive, we need to protect our bees.
It is true that these pollinating powerhouses of the garden can be belligerent. Queenlessness, a shortage of nectar-producing flowers, the presence of predators and honey burglars tend to make the little creatures cranky. But the only real aggressive bee species found in the United States is the honeybee, and this non-native European immigrant can be scarce.
Since honeybees are the only bees in the USA that have advanced social behavior, meaning they live in hives, beekeepers prefer them for the convenience of accessing their honey, a honeybee’s food. Photo credit: honeybeesuite.com
Honeybees are the only bees in the USA that have advanced social behavior, meaning they live in hives. The convenience of accessing honey in these hives accounts for their popularity with beekeepers. But honey is bee food, so chances are an aggressive bee is defending its hearth and home.
Michigan hosts more than 450 bee species, many of them better pollinators than the honeybee. A Cornell University study found that mason bees, named for their habit of using mud or other masonry products to construct their nests, pollinate three times as many plants as honey bees. They can be raised at very little expense, require almost no care and do not sting. Attracting them is simple: Bees, like any other animal, need shelter, food, water, and prefer to not be poisoned.
Most native bees make their homes either through tunneling into the ground or burrowing into wood. To lure ground bees to a yard or garden, avoid digging up the soil, mowing, tilling, or disturbing select areas.
Enticing cavity-nesting bees, such as mason bees, may take more effort. Cavity nesters prefer to build their homes and lay their eggs in east-facing wood tunnels. To create a more appealing habitat, drill holes into old logs, set out bundles of bamboo with open ends, or purchase bee houses to replace every few years to prevent disease.
Feeding bees can be as easy as taking no action. We can let our land go native and avoid killing dandelions and other early blooming flowers. An alternative is to plant flowers, vegetables, fruit trees, flowering trees, and anything that flowers. Keeping a diverse landscape will serve to attract more bees and provide food throughout the seasons.
Along with food, bees need clean water. Adding a few flat rocks to a birdbath will provide safe landing pads. Consider making a fountain or pond. Even putting out shallow dishes and keeping them filled with fresh water can help bees survive.
Digging and tilling the land, cutting trees, filling in wetlands—nearly any change to the natural environment can destroy a bee’s habitat. The use of pesticides will kill insects, but bees are insects, too. Herbicides kill weedy plants that provide sustenance for bees. Fungicides destroy beneficial yeasts and microorganisms in bees’ guts, causing malnutrition and other health issues.
Leave chemicals on store shelves, and save time and money.
A word of caution: Bee friendly plants may seem perfect for bees, but how the plants are treated makes a critical difference. Large retailers often apply a class of pesticides that alleviates their employees from having to spray. These additives contain neonicotinoids that roots readily take up and provide long term protection from plant-damaging insects. But once a plant internalizes this pesticide, the chemical contaminates everything the plant produces, from its sap and seeds, to its pollen and (unfortunately for bees) its nectar. When tested, the nectar will show low levels of the pesticides. But the more the bees eat, the more the poison accumulates in their bodies.
Plus, neonicotinoids act like cigarette nicotine and cause bees to become addicted. Craving the drug, the witless creatures consume ever more of the contaminated nectar.
Avoiding neonicotinoid-treated plants can be a challenge because they are seldom labeled. The best solution is to buy organic or shop at a trusted retailer willing to answer questions.
If we have ever wanted to be super heroes, here is our chance. We can save the world by saving the bees.
Pavan Sukhdev, The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity, United Nations report October 2010:
Not a single bee has ever sent you an invoice. And that is part of the problem – because most of what comes to us from nature is free, because it is not invoiced, because it is not priced, because it is not traded in markets, we tend to ignore it.
https://www.beelab.umn.edu/bees/helping-bees
https://www.lawn-care-academy.com/mason-bee.html
https://thehoneybeeconservancy.org/mason-bees/
https://www.buzzaboutbees.net/different-types-of-bees.html
https://www.canr.msu.edu/nativeplants/uploads/files/Bees.pdf
http://northcoastgardening.com/2015/02/nurseries-neonicotinoid/
Patrice Johnson
Editor in Chief of Stockbridge Community News. Author of national award winning, "The Fall and Rise of Tyler Johnson"