Bee campuses create nutritional support systems
There’s much to buzz about this time of year.
For starters, it is documented that animals pollinate 85 percent of plant species worldwide. Of that figure, bees are the main pollinators in most types of ecosystems. The world supports some 20,000 bee species; roughly 4,000 of those species are native to North America. Let’s refresh our understanding of the notable characteristics of a few bees we are familiar with in Shepherdstown.
To the surprise of many gardeners, the honey bee is not native to our land. This bee was brought to the east coast in 1622 by English settlers to pollinate and provide honey, wax and propolis. Honey bees have black stripes alternating with bands of amber hairs. They are beloved for their industriousness.
Bumblebees are known for size, with the queens generally being larger than workers. Bumblebees are some of the most efficient pollinators, because of their bulk and ability to buzz plant anthers, the stamen part containing pollen. Bumblebees have a fuzzy abdomen and are ground nesting bees. They can sting. But, unlike with that of a honey bee, a bumblebee’s stinger lacks barbs. This bee can sting repeatedly without injuring itself, and the stinger is not left in the victim.
Gardeners often mistake the girth and black-and-yellow appearance of the carpenter bee to be a bumblebee. Look closer to see that the carpenter bee has a shiny abdomen and is a wood nesting bee. Seen frequently in spring circling wooden structures, the carpenter bee creates nesting cells in soft, unpainted wood. Carpenter bees make these holes, by vibrating their body while scraping their mouthparts against the wood. Females have a stinger, but are unlikely to sting unless provoked.
Often used in orchard pollination, mason bees are blue-black in color and somewhat smaller than honey bees. This cavity nesting bee caps their egg cells with a layer of mortar-like mud, hence their name. These bees carry pollen in the hairs under their abdomen. The masons are a non-stinging species and are solitary bees. Mason bees are highly efficient pollinators. Housing for these bees dress up any landscape and add a point of interest for garden viewers.
As bee populations struggle to survive, due to pesticides, disease, good habitat loss and climate change (Environment America), gardeners can play an important role in attracting these assets to home habitats. Seek out creative ways to serve our bustling garden friends. One way is to create a bee campus this spring to support their dietary needs. Some of the plants that attract a variety of bees, include: Russian sage, liatris, salvia, black-eyed Susan, zinnia, ajuga and catmint.
Bee-friendly plant selections are available at local nurseries and online. Research the value of different plants to bees, before you purchase your annual plants for the season or update an existing perennial flower or shrub bed.
Kristi Hendricks is a graduate of Shepherd College and West Virginia University and a Master Gardener with the Virginia Cooperative Extension. She can be reached at belowthejames@yahoo.com.