Plenty of backyards are doubling as an enticing bed-and-breakfast
Posted by admin on
For bees. Specifically, native solitary bees who fly solo and don’t reside in hives.
After a productive day quietly flitting around flowers, savoring nectar, and performing an essential ecological service, these precious pollinators appreciate a nice place to settle down. Maybe lay eggs.
Some thoughtful people are happy to hook them up with lodging — an easy way to help out the bee population.
Bee Houses
Especially in areas where natural nesting sites are limited, artificial likenesses of natural sites are definitely alluring to insects seeking shelter.
“Bee houses provide the often-missing component of what the bees need — nesting sites,” says Matthew Shepherd, communications director for the Xerces Society, a nonprofit organization that focuses on protecting invertebrates and their habitats. “When you provide flowers and nest sites, you’ll get more bees.”
For various solitary species, ideal dwellings are teeny tunnels, such as hollow plant stems. Or crevices in trees.
Bee houses, whether store-bought or homemade, mimic that particular residential preference. The houses, which function more like condos, usually include a set of hollow lengths, each intended for a single resident to deposit her eggs.
Blue orchard bee sealing her nest in a bamboo bee house. Photo: Mace Vaughan, The Xerces Society
As they do in their natural habitat, occupants often enhance their dwelling using mud and leaf pieces, and form divided spaces for their offspring.
Depending on the species you’re attracting, ideal diameters for individual tunnels range from about 3/32 inch to 3/8 inch, with lengths from about 4 inches to 6 inches, Shepherd says.
With such petite dimensions, bee houses pack a lot of punch in a relatively small space. For example, a round Mason Bee House that sells for about $20 on Amazon features about 60 nesting tubes within a structure measuring only 3.5 x 5.7 x 5.7 inches, according to the description.
Bee houses often are regarded as a valuable for rounding out a pollinator garden. When paired, flowers and bees benefit each other.
Leafcutting bee collecting pollen. Photo: Anthony Colangelo of Pollinator Partnership
“In order to attract bees to your landscape, bee houses should be placed near a garden or blooming flowers to increase the chances of being used,” says Anthony Colangelo, pollinator stewardship and communications coordinator for Pollinator Partnership, a nonprofit organization working to protect pollinators and their habitat. “Bee houses should be placed at least one meter off the ground and secured to a post or wall. They should also be placed in a spot that receives a good amount of sunlight so that the bees receive enough heat to warm their wing muscles in order to take flight and visit flowers.”
Xerces Society also offers recommendations for setting up bee houses.
“These nests should be placed where they are sheltered from the worst of the weather, with entrance holes facing towards east or southeast, so they get the morning sun. With stem bundles, be sure that the stems are horizontal. The nests can be any height from the ground, but between three and six feet is convenient. Put them on a building, fence, or stake, or place them in a tree. Fix them firmly so they don’t shake in the wind.”
Blue orchard bee in a wooden bee house. Photo: Eric Lee-Mäder, The Xerces Society
DIY Versions
Do-it-yourself bee houses are relatively simple. You can make them by creating bee-sized tunnels in blocks of preservative-free wood. Or by grouping bundles of bamboo. Or by drilling holes in a log. Here are a few resources to help you make your own:
Nests for Native Bees from Xerces Society Home-made Sweet Homes from Pollinator Partnership YouTube video: Build Your 4-H Native Bee Nest Natural Habit Works Well, Too
While bee houses are beneficial, it’s also a good idea to provide natural nesting opportunities.
“The best way to support bees and other important pollinators is to plant native habitat, with a variety of blooming flowers which provide bees with nutritious nectar and pollen, as well as pithy-stemmed plants which naturally provide hollow twigs and stems that solitary bees can nest in, Colangelo says.
Shepard recommends providing a fat branch, at least 8 to 10 inches in diameter, or a length of tree trunk from a tree service, “planted” like a fence post. Bee-friendly plants with pithy or hollow stems include elderberry, sumac, raspberry, and cup plant.
A broken raspberry stem hosts a bee nest. Photo: Jennifer Hopwood, The Xerces Society
Fun to Watch
In your role as innkeeper for bees, you’ll be rewarded with a unique reality show.
Shepherd says he enjoys pulling up a seat and watching bees fly in and out of the bee house. Sometimes, depending on what they’re doing, they back into their nest.
“If you have a variety of hole diameters, you’ll be rewarded with a variety of bees, including mason bees and leafcutters — and there are several species of each, so you’ll see the different colors and sizes,” he says. “While the bee is working on a nest, you’ll see the materials she brings [to] form the dividing walls: a ball of mud by mason bees, neatly cut leaf piece held between the legs of a leafcutter, a ball of fuzz carried by carder bees.”
You Might Also Like… Green Preschools: An Early Start for Sustainable Living August 16, 2019 Earth911 Quiz #61: Those Darned Satellite Dishes August 15, 2019 Green Websites and Online Games for Kids August 15, 2019
The post Enhance Your Garden With Bee-utiful Bee Houses appeared first on Earth911.com.
#Nature #Home&Garden #Bee-houses #Pollinators #Bees
After a productive day quietly flitting around flowers, savoring nectar, and performing an essential ecological service, these precious pollinators appreciate a nice place to settle down. Maybe lay eggs.
Some thoughtful people are happy to hook them up with lodging — an easy way to help out the bee population.
Bee Houses
Especially in areas where natural nesting sites are limited, artificial likenesses of natural sites are definitely alluring to insects seeking shelter.
“Bee houses provide the often-missing component of what the bees need — nesting sites,” says Matthew Shepherd, communications director for the Xerces Society, a nonprofit organization that focuses on protecting invertebrates and their habitats. “When you provide flowers and nest sites, you’ll get more bees.”
For various solitary species, ideal dwellings are teeny tunnels, such as hollow plant stems. Or crevices in trees.
Bee houses, whether store-bought or homemade, mimic that particular residential preference. The houses, which function more like condos, usually include a set of hollow lengths, each intended for a single resident to deposit her eggs.
Blue orchard bee sealing her nest in a bamboo bee house. Photo: Mace Vaughan, The Xerces Society
As they do in their natural habitat, occupants often enhance their dwelling using mud and leaf pieces, and form divided spaces for their offspring.
Depending on the species you’re attracting, ideal diameters for individual tunnels range from about 3/32 inch to 3/8 inch, with lengths from about 4 inches to 6 inches, Shepherd says.
With such petite dimensions, bee houses pack a lot of punch in a relatively small space. For example, a round Mason Bee House that sells for about $20 on Amazon features about 60 nesting tubes within a structure measuring only 3.5 x 5.7 x 5.7 inches, according to the description.
Bee houses often are regarded as a valuable for rounding out a pollinator garden. When paired, flowers and bees benefit each other.
Leafcutting bee collecting pollen. Photo: Anthony Colangelo of Pollinator Partnership
“In order to attract bees to your landscape, bee houses should be placed near a garden or blooming flowers to increase the chances of being used,” says Anthony Colangelo, pollinator stewardship and communications coordinator for Pollinator Partnership, a nonprofit organization working to protect pollinators and their habitat. “Bee houses should be placed at least one meter off the ground and secured to a post or wall. They should also be placed in a spot that receives a good amount of sunlight so that the bees receive enough heat to warm their wing muscles in order to take flight and visit flowers.”
Xerces Society also offers recommendations for setting up bee houses.
“These nests should be placed where they are sheltered from the worst of the weather, with entrance holes facing towards east or southeast, so they get the morning sun. With stem bundles, be sure that the stems are horizontal. The nests can be any height from the ground, but between three and six feet is convenient. Put them on a building, fence, or stake, or place them in a tree. Fix them firmly so they don’t shake in the wind.”
Blue orchard bee in a wooden bee house. Photo: Eric Lee-Mäder, The Xerces Society
DIY Versions
Do-it-yourself bee houses are relatively simple. You can make them by creating bee-sized tunnels in blocks of preservative-free wood. Or by grouping bundles of bamboo. Or by drilling holes in a log. Here are a few resources to help you make your own:
Nests for Native Bees from Xerces Society Home-made Sweet Homes from Pollinator Partnership YouTube video: Build Your 4-H Native Bee Nest Natural Habit Works Well, Too
While bee houses are beneficial, it’s also a good idea to provide natural nesting opportunities.
“The best way to support bees and other important pollinators is to plant native habitat, with a variety of blooming flowers which provide bees with nutritious nectar and pollen, as well as pithy-stemmed plants which naturally provide hollow twigs and stems that solitary bees can nest in, Colangelo says.
Shepard recommends providing a fat branch, at least 8 to 10 inches in diameter, or a length of tree trunk from a tree service, “planted” like a fence post. Bee-friendly plants with pithy or hollow stems include elderberry, sumac, raspberry, and cup plant.
A broken raspberry stem hosts a bee nest. Photo: Jennifer Hopwood, The Xerces Society
Fun to Watch
In your role as innkeeper for bees, you’ll be rewarded with a unique reality show.
Shepherd says he enjoys pulling up a seat and watching bees fly in and out of the bee house. Sometimes, depending on what they’re doing, they back into their nest.
“If you have a variety of hole diameters, you’ll be rewarded with a variety of bees, including mason bees and leafcutters — and there are several species of each, so you’ll see the different colors and sizes,” he says. “While the bee is working on a nest, you’ll see the materials she brings [to] form the dividing walls: a ball of mud by mason bees, neatly cut leaf piece held between the legs of a leafcutter, a ball of fuzz carried by carder bees.”
You Might Also Like… Green Preschools: An Early Start for Sustainable Living August 16, 2019 Earth911 Quiz #61: Those Darned Satellite Dishes August 15, 2019 Green Websites and Online Games for Kids August 15, 2019
The post Enhance Your Garden With Bee-utiful Bee Houses appeared first on Earth911.com.
#Nature #Home&Garden #Bee-houses #Pollinators #Bees