runamuk
acres'
How to Create Native-Bee
Habitat in Your Backyard
Important Legal Jargon
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Copyright © 2013 Samantha Burns
Runamuk Acres
Table of Contents:
Introduction: Why Care About Pollinators?.................4
Let it Grow!.................................................................5
Establish New Habitat.................................................6
Use Native Perennials................................................7
Offer Food All Season Long........................................8
Plant in Clumps...........................................................9
Add Water.................................................................10
Avoid Pesticides!.......................................................11
Incorporate Nest Sites..............................................13
Practice Tolerance....................................................15
Conclusion: Enjoy Your Native-Bees........................17
Recommended Resources.......................................18
A native bee collects pollen on this aster-family flower.
Photo credit: Flickr.com
Bibliography..............................................................20
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75% of the Earth's flowering plants are dependent on
animal pollinators in order to set seed or fruit.
By now most of the general public is aware that
Furthermore, a third of our food—specifically the
honeybees are loosing numbers to the epidemic that fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts, that provide most
has been named Colony Collapse Disorder. Many
of the vitamins and minerals we need to maintain
people are even beginning to notice a reduction in the diverse diets—is the direct result of insect-pollinators.
numbers of bees buzzing about their backyards. The
plain and simple truth is that pollinators around the
A number of large-scale agricultural industries, such
world are at risk.
as almonds, oranges, apples and blueberries, are
hugely reliant on pollination by insects, and millions of
dollars are spent to import honeybee hives to aid in
pollination. In 2003 alone, the estimated value of
insect-pollinated crops in the United States was
between $18 and $27 billion. That figure does not
take into consideration the products indirectly related
to pollinated crops, such as milk and beef, etc.
Introduction: Why care about pollinators?
This ebook will cover actions that residential homeowners can take to improve pollinator habitat in their
own backyard.
Monarch butterfly. Photo credit: Flickr.com
What would the world do without pollinators? These
insects and animals provide an ecological service that
is essential to the welfare of our planet's environment.
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Let it Grow!
Habitat loss through urban sprawl and agriculture is
just one of the many issues affecting our wildlife.
Beneficial insects such as native-bees and other
pollinators need sheltered, undisturbed places for
hibernation and overwintering.
One of the best ways to produce such a habitat is to
simply allow a portion of your yard or property to
return to it's natural state. Perhaps you already have
a corner of your property that is overgrown and
unruly, those are the exact sorts of habitat that wildlife
needs to maintain healthy local ecosystems.
If you don't have an existing habitat, consider
reducing the area of lawn that you maintain. Stop
mowing a designated area, and let the grass grow.
Let the “weeds”--which are often prime forage and
habitat for native bees, butterflies, and moths—grow
uninhibited.
How to Create Native-Bee Habitat in Your Backyard
Neglected yards and landscapes are often the best sites for native-bee habitat.
Photo credit: Flickr.com
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Establish New Habitat
You can easily increase the foraging habitat available
by doing next to nothing at all. Just by not mowing a
particular area and allowing native plants such as
clover, goldenrod, milkweed, and New York Asters, to
grow there—you will soon have prime pollinator
habitat.
However, you can take your pollinator habitat further
by adding even more plants to your pollinator garden.
Incorporate a succession of flowers that will provide
blooms throughout the entire growing season.
Pollinators need to eat all-season, and any gaps in
the bloom can pose a serious threat to their
reproduction and survival.
It can be a lot of work to create a native-bee habitat from scratch—but once it's finished you
will find the task was well worth the rewards of a garden teeming with buzzing insects.
Photo credit: Flickr.com
If you have no existing habitat and are creating yours
from scratch, location and soil type should be
considered. The best pollinator habitat sites will have
good sun exposure, and optimum soil conditions for
establishing new plants. Your local cooperative
extension offers a simple soil test to determine what
factors are affecting your soil, which may prove to be
an invaluable piece of information when choosing
amendments and plant species for your new pollinator
habitat.
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Use Native Perennials
case with the Yucca plant and its Yucca moth.
Advantages of native perennial plants include:
• No fertilizers required
• Fewer—if any—pesticides needed
• Less water to maintain
• Offer permanent shelter and food for a spectrum
of wildlife.
• Less likely to be invasive.
• Promotes the local ecology.
Milkweed is a common native plant in many regions of North America.
Photo credit: Flickr.com
Native plants are typically the best choices for native
pollinator habitats. This is because these animals
and plants have evolved together over millions of
years, and have each adapted specialized tools to
either attract or feed off the other. Some plants have
adapted their flowers so specifically to their pollinators
that there may be only one creature in the entire world
who can assist the plant in its reproduction, as is the
How to Create Native-Bee Habitat in Your Backyard
Research demonstrates that native plants are 4 times
more likely to attract native bees than non-native
species. In addition, the native plants support 3 times
as many species of butterflies and moths as the
introduced species. Even more astounding—native
woody plants (shrubs and bushes, small tree
varieties, etc.) used as ornamentals in landscaping—
support 14 times as many animals and insects as the
introduced ornamentals.
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Offer Food All-Season Long
You can provide a continuous food supply for your
local native-bees by choosing at least 3 different
pollinator plants for each of the 3 blooming periods:
spring, summer, and fall.
Be sure to include early and late-blooming flowers,
and don't overlook the varieties of trees and shrubs
that offer nectar and pollen sources for pollinating
insects. Having forage available early in the season
will increase the chances of reproductive success for
your local native-bees, and may even entice
bumblebee queens emerging from hibernation to start
their nests nearby.
Some trees, like this Maple, have showy flowers that provide a source of nectar for pollinators
very early in the growing season. Photo Credit: Runamuk Acres
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Plant in Clumps
Planting your native flowers in clumps at random
intervals throughout the garden or landscape will
attract more local pollinators than single plants
carefully planted in rows.
Research indicates that groupings of individual flower
species at least 3 feet in diameter are more attractive
to pollinators. This is likely because flying insect
pollinators prefer to flit from one bloom to the next,
and an abundance of blossoms in one location makes
short work of foraging.
Also, larger clumps are easier to find in the
landscape, particularly in the case of small urban
habitats and small pollinators with flight ranges as
short as 500-feet.
How to Create Native-Bee Habitat in Your Backyard
Large clump plantings of flowers are easier for bees to find while flying, and numerous blooms
make it more efficient foraging. Photo credit: Flickr.com
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Add Water
Even insects need water available to them for
survival. If you do not have a naturally existing water
source, such as a nearby stream or pond, create your
own.
A water supply for native-bees and other pollinators
can be as simple or complicated as you'd like to make
it. Here are a few suggestions:
●
●
●
●
A dripping hose.
A shallow bird-bath placed on the ground.
A muddy patch of Earth.
A dripping irrigation line.
This wasp sips at water collected in the depression of a stone.
Photo Credit: Flickr.com
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Avoid Pesticides!
Chemical insecticides and herbicides pose a serious
threat to native-bees, as well as the broad spectrum
of wildlife, but many folks overlook beneficial insects
when applying such treatments.
What's more—many home-owners and gardeners are
unaware of the threat posed by the new class of
systemic pesticides. These are pesticides that are
applied as seed treatments, foliar sprays, and root
treatments. The chemical is then absorbed and
transported by the plant's vascular system throughout
the entire body of the plant.
Pesticides kill bees. Bees are poisoned when the
fast-acting toxins are absorbed through their
exoskeletons. They can also become poisoned when
toxin-tainted nectar and pesticide covered pollen are
ingested.
Research has shown that these chemical toxins are
sequestered in the flower's nectar and pollen—
inadvertently poisoning beneficial insects like bees,
butterflies, and moths. The threat is so significant that
a number of European countries have recently
Native-bees can be poisoned if pesticides are applied restricted the use of these chemicals following
while they are foraging—and also if they are foraging complaints by local beekeepers.
in fields that have recently been sprayed with
insecticides. Even dormant ground-nesting bees are Increasingly the nursery trade is using these systemic
pesticides to treat their seedlings. According to Gary
not safe from soil fumigants applied to kill root
Fish from the Maine Board of Pesticide Control, some
pathogens in farm fields.
plants—such as ornamental trees and shrubs—are
treated with enough of these chemicals to last
The majority of North America's native-bees are
throughout the entire life of the plant. Even some
smaller bees that are more sensitive to these
potting soils have active pesticide ingredients, so
chemicals than honeybees. They can be killed by
gardeners raising their own seedlings in hopes of
lower concentrations of poisons, and insecticide
attracting native-bees should be aware, and read
residues on plants remain toxic to them for longer
ingredient labels carefully.
periods of time.
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Insect-resistant GM-crops (genetically modified) are
yet another threat to pollinators, since some GMcrops are engineered with the ability to produce a
toxic protein that ruptures the gut lining of those
susceptible insect species that consume it—targeting
moth caterpillars, but also affecting numerous
butterfly larvae.
Other GM-crops are altered to be herbicide-resistant,
so that industrial farmers of large monoculture crops
can apply broad-spectrum herbicides to their fields.
However there is evidence to suggest that some
pollinators may be threatened by the extensive use of
herbicides, mainly because these chemicals allow for
the very existence of monocultures, which are
inhospitable to pollinating insects because they offer
no food or habitat. Research in California shows that
this near total lack of weeds reduces the numbers and
abundance of native-bees living around these fields.
So what can YOU do?
Avoid unnecessary use of pesticides.
Learn to tolerate blemishes on ornamental plants in
your yard and gardens. Allow for an acceptable
threshold of pest-damage in your vegetable gardens
before reaching for pesticides—even organic
How to Create Native-Bee Habitat in Your Backyard
pesticides kill beneficial insects. Employ biological
controls such as hand-picking the offenders.
Spray at dusk.
Once pest-damage to your crops moves beyond your
acceptable threshold and you decide you must take
action with some form of insecticide—apply pesticides
later in the evening, when the majority of native-bees
have returned to their nests for the night.
Spray on a calm day.
Watch the weather, and be sure to apply pesticides on
a day when the wind is quiet so that pollinating
insects are not affected by drifting clouds of poison.
Be careful with new plants.
It's a guarantee that plants purchased from big box
stores, and mainstream outlets have been treated
with systemic pesticides. Even most small-scale
nursery and greenhouse operations are treating their
seedlings, bedding plants, and ornamentals. It may
be difficult to find one who does not, but well worth
the effort if you intend to protect and promote nativebees and pollinators in your yard. Perhaps you're
ready to step up and begin growing your own
seedlings with soil free from toxins and chemical
poisons.
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Incorporate Nesting Sites
To have a healthy pollinator habitat in your backyard,
it is important to offer nesting habitat alongside your
foraging resources. Because the smallest of nativebees will only fly a few hundred feet from their nests
for food, having nest sites close to foraging patches
allows for more efficient and less risky foraging by
nesting female bees of any size.
Approximately 70% (or roughly 2800 species) of
North America's native-bee species are ground
nesters that need access to bare soil in order to
excavate and access their nests. While the other
30% (1200 or so species) are tunnel nesters.
Typically native bees nest in inconspicuous locations,
and you may already have prime nesting habitat on
your property without even being aware that it is
there. Abandoned beetle tunnels in stumps, and dead
and decaying limbs on trees are prime habitat for
tunnel nesters. While ground nesters prefer the poor
soil conditions of sandy or loamy Earth; and
bumblebees will nest in the abandoned nests of
rodents or birdhouses.
Native bee nesting block. Photo credit: Flickr.com
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To accommodate a diversity of native pollinators,
incorporate a variety of various nest-types.
●
●
●
●
●
Drill wooden blocks
Bundle reeds together
Create a bumblebee box
Make a bee-hotel
Leave bare, un-mulched ground
Once you've created your artificial nests, be sure to
perform routine maintenance and management on the
nests. Replace old tubes to prevent the build up of
bee parasites and diseases that affect the developing
brood.
Use a variety of different types and sizes of tubes and holes to accommodate a diversity of
native-bees. Photo credit: Flickr.com
How to Create Native-Bee Habitat in Your Backyard
Don't forget to include in your pollinator habitat host
plants for butterfly and moth larvae. Larval host
plants are an essential component for creating a
healthy, diverse pollinator habitat.
To provide the appropriate host plants for your region,
you need to know what butterflies and moths are
likely in your area. Then you can better match their
larval requirements with the correct local plant
species. Start with the most common species to have
the greatest chance of success.
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Practice Tolerance
However, if we take a moment to think about why
these creatures are here on Earth, we come to realize
that they play a significant role in the ecosystems of
our planet. In fact, insects are a keystone organism
and without them life as we know it would not exist.
There are many people in the world today who abhor
“bugs”. They have no patience or consideration for
insects, and see them only as a nuisance. The first
inclination of many people is simply to eradicate these
Insects provide an ecological service that is essential
“pests” for they see no benefit to their existence.
to the health of the environment. Approximately 1 in 3
mouthfuls of food and drink require the presence of a
pollinator. And pollinating insects are central to the
lives of other wildlife, from songbirds to grizzly bears.
We can increase our tolerance for insects gradually,
but increase it we must in order to preserve a
functioning ecosystem to support ourselves and life
on our planet.
Tolerate less-than-perfect food
If we can learn to tolerate blemishes on our food, a
few holes in our swiss chard, less than perfect apples,
etc. we can help promote conservation of beneficial
insects by reducing the need for pesticides.
Embrace Weeds
Learning to tolerate insects has a profound impact on your local ecology, imagine if people all By allowing for the presence of weeds like dandelions
over your neighborhood began to allow bees buzz about their yards? The profusion of
and clover amid the grasses of our lawns, we can
flowering plants would abound. Photo credit: Flickr.com
avoid the use of herbicides that reduce the foraging
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habitat available to our native pollinators.
Leave 'em bee
When a buzzing bee or wasp chooses to nest under
the eves of an out of the way shed, where they pose
no threat to passers-by, we can choose to allow those
insects to remain throughout the duration of their
reproductive season, taking comfort in the knowledge
that we are providing an ecological service for our
neighborhood in the conservation of these creatures.
Education
Teaching our children not to harm, and especially not
to fear insects will help future generations increase
their tolerance levels.
How to Create Native-Bee Habitat in Your Backyard
Teach kids not to be afraid of insects, instead marvel at the amazing beauty of these small
creatures, and share that wonder with others. Photo credit: Flickr.com
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Spend time in your backyard observing the pollinating
insects that come and go—their beauty will surprise
you. Share the experience with friends and family,
Have you ever taken the time to simply sit in your
especially children. Teach others to appreciate these
garden? Time to smell the roses—so to speak—to
watch the interactions between the plants and wildlife insects for the wonder that they are. The relationship
between plants and pollinators is one of the most
happening right there amid your own cultivated
marvelous events to have ever transpired on this
crops?
planet, and preserving that relationship is in our own
best interest, as well as the interest of all life on Earth.
When we take the time to stop and watch, it's
surprising the amount of wildlife that we're overlooking
right in our own backyards. Birds, rodents, and of
course—insects, thrive in the micro-ecosystems of
ordinary urban neighborhoods. And if you take into
consideration the backyards all around your town, we
come to realize that wildlife exists outside of the
wilderness; in fact wildlife is all around us, if only we
take the time to look for it.
Conclusion: Enjoy Your Native-Bees!
For gardeners, promoting native-bees and other
pollinators just makes good sense. You'll be amazed
at the increase in production you get from your
garden simply by employing the methods I've laid out
in this short ebook.
How to Create Native-Bee Habitat in Your Backyard
A green sweat bee. Photo credit: Flickr.com
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Recommended Resources
Online:
Celebrating Wildflowers:
http://fs.fed.us/wildflowers/index.shtml
The Xerces Society; for Invertebrate Conservation:
http://www.xerces.org/
Pollinator Partnership: http://www.pollinator.og/
Beneficial Insects in your Maine Backyard:
http://umaine.edu/publications/7150e/
Alternative Pollinators (from National Sustainable
Agriculture): http://www.attra.org/attrapub/nativebee.html
Native Pollinators (from the Wildlife Habitat Council):
http://plants.usda.gov/pollinators/Native_Pollinators.p
df
Enhancing Beneficial Insects with Native Plants (from Attracting Pollinators to Your Garden Using Native
Plants:
the Michigan State University):
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/wildlife/plants_botany/docs/Nat
http://nativeplants.msu.edu/
ional_Pollination_v3.pdf
Which Plants are Best? Chart for continuous bloom
Nest Block Preparation from the AG Research
plantings: http://nativeplants.msu.edu/results.htm
Service: http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/docs.htm?
docid=10743
Understanding Native Bees, the Great Pollinators:
Enhancing Their Habitat in Maine:
List of articles related to Colony Collapse Disorder,
http://umaine.edu/publications/7153e/
pollinator losses, etc. from the Xerces Society:
http://www.xerces.org/?s=colony+collapse+disorder
Pollinator Conservation Resources – Northeast
Region (from the Xerces Society):
Solving Pest Problems Without Harming Pollinators:
http://www.xerces.org/pollinators-northeast-region/
http://www.pollinator.org/pesticides.htm
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Nests for Native Bees (pdf from the Xerces Society):
http://www.xerces.org/wpcontent/uploads/2008/11/nests_for_native_bees_fact_
sheet_xerces_society.pdf
Books:
Attracting Native Pollinators--The Xerces Society
Guide, Protecting North America's Bees and
Butterflies; by the Xerces Society and Dr. Marla
Spivak.
Pollinator Conservation Handbook: Guide to
Understanding, Protecting, and Providing Habitat for
Native Pollinator Insects; by Matthew Shepherd,
Stephen L. Buchmann, Mace Vaughn, and Scott
Hoffman Black.
Native bees come in all sizes—some are so tiny you'd scarcely notice them if you weren't
looking for them! Photo credit: Flickr.com
Bringing Nature Home—How You Can Sustain
Wildlife with Native Plants; by Tallamy, Douglas W.
and Rick Darke.
Native Plants of the Northeast—A Guide to Gardening
& Conservation; by Donald Joseph Leopold.
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Bibliography
Enhancing Habitat for Native Bees—the Xerces
Society: http://www.xerces.org/enhancing-habitat-fornative-bees/
How to Attract Bees and Other Native Pollinators with
a Foraging Habitat—Mother Earth News:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/organicgardening/how-to-attract-beeszebz1305zstp.aspx#axzz2gke1LFUd
What is Pollination—the Ecological Society of
America:
http://www.esa.org/ecoservices/poll/body.poll.scie.isp
o.html
Celebrating Wildflowers; Pollinators—the US Forest
Service:
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/index.shtm
l
Native pollinators on a native goldenrod plant.
Photo credit: Flickr.com
Attracting Native Pollinators--The Xerces Society
Guide, Protecting North America's Bees and
Butterflies; by the Xerces Society and Dr. Marla
Spivak.
How to Create Native-Bee Habitat in Your Backyard
Celebrating Wildflowers; Gardening for Pollinators—
the US Forest Service:
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/gardening.
shtml
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