Backyard bee houses or bee hotels have become so popular that large garden distributors have started selling quickly made nesting habitats. When these products are made from drilled blocks of wood or bamboo tubes, they actually do more harm than good for local hole-nesting bees. These companies intentions are in the right place but they lack the knowledge of the pests and diseases that can harm bees.

We hear a common argument or question about raising hole-nesting bees: In nature, these bees nest in holes in wood, why don’t I just leave them alone?

The nesting holes we are providing for bees in our bee hotels and bee houses are really different than the nesting holes found in nature. We can't build a completely natural situation for our hole-nesting bees, who are wild creatures after all, so we need to learn to maintain our man-made houses for managed wild bees.

Heather Harvey, founder of the Indiana Pollinator Project, tells us about the formation of the project and how the project teaches about native bees at schools and farmer's markets

Last winter I was looking into the possibility of starting a bee hive as a tool to pollinate my organic kitchen garden, when I was made aware of solitary bees and the role they play as the great pollinators of North America. Without the need for expensive equipment such as hives, protective clothing, honey-related appurtenances and the time commitment necessary to keep honey bees, providing a habitat for solitary bees seemed like an easier, less expensive and less time consuming alternative.

Highlighting Heroes: Jim Cane, PhD; Research Entomologist, USDA Agricultural Research Service

Dr. Cane has been interested in comparative studies of solitary bees for 30 years, beginning with the evolutionary origins and use of lipid exocrine secretions to attract mates, repel predators, supplement larval diets, and waterproof/disinfect their nests. Work with these bees naturally led to study of their pollination services in both wildland and agricultural settings. A bee species’ pollination value reflects its sustainable abundance, wherein habitat carrying capacity is capped by nesting opportunities and foraging success. Dr. Cane has applied his long-term interest in conservation to help measure, understand, and mitigate human factors that can shift nesting and foraging opportunities for bee communities, such as climate change, urban sprawl, habitat fragmentation, and rangeland rehabilitation.

The following story was shared as part of our celebration of National Pollinator Week, June 20-26, 2016. We applaud the efforts of Beth Murphy, President, and Jennifer Fenderbosch, Vice-President of Avon-on-the-Lake Garden Club for building solitary bee habitat throughout the City of Avon Lake, Ohio. Crown Bees hopes that their story inspires other communities to raise and support native bees.

Highlighting Heroes:

Benjamin Vogt; Founder Monarch Gardens, Prairie Garden Consultation & Design

Monarch Gardens started with an obsession and a milkweed.