    In the United States, honey bees, bumble bees, and approximately 4000 species of solitary bees, in addition to other pollinators such as butterflies, bats, and hummingbirds, pollinate agricultural crops and plants of garden, lawn, meadow and forest. Bees in particular are “keystone organisms,” meaning that they are essential for maintaining the integrity, productivity and sustainability of many types of ecosystems.

    The Pollination Crisis

    Without bees, many flowering plants would eventually become extinct, and many fruit- and seed-eating birds and some mammals, including people, would have a less varied and less healthy diet. Yet many natural pollinator habitats are being eliminated, and many insecticides and herbicides are either toxic to bees or destroy their habitats. All these factors are contributing to the loss of pollinator populations and diversity.

    What You Can Do

    You can enhance the habitats of native bees and other pollinators by providing nest sites and forage plants to help them to survive, thrive, reproduce and pollinate! Now is the time to plan ways to make your property pollinator-friendly with these practices:
— Choose nonchemical solutions to insect problems. Most insecticides are highly toxic to bees.
— Avoid using weed killers and other herbicides.
— Establish undisturbed hedgerows and set-asides (unmowed areas) for bee nesting—preferably with southern exposure.
— Provide a source of pesticide-free water and mud. A birdbath, dripping faucet or mud puddle works nicely for bees and also attracts butterflies and beneficial insects. Change the water frequently, at least once a day. This will also keep mosquitoes from breeding there. Mud is an important nesting material for several bee species.
— Minimize lawn area, or mow less often. Mowing grass often kills bees. Try to mow when they are not so active, when it’s cool, overcast and windy, or late in the evening. Allowing the lawn to revert to a more natural state, by not mowing or reducing the area that is mowed, will result in more bee forage and nest sites, as well as more flowering plants, over time.
— Provide a succession of blooming plants throughout the growing season. Food plants are an essential habitat requirement for bees and must be available early, middle and late season. Native bees need abundant nectar (for carbohydrate energy) and pollen (a major source of protein) for survival. Be sure to provide both nectar and pollen plants in each bloom period.
— Provide a mix of flower shapes to accommodate different bee tongue lengths. Asters and other composites nicely suit short-tongue bees, but tubular flowers with long corollas are only suitable for species with long tongues.
— Include lots of purple, blue and yellow flowers in your bee sanctuary. These are the most attractive colors to bees.
— Plant native perennial plants. Perennials generally are richer nectar and pollen sources.
— Avoid horticultural plants, such as marigolds and roses, bred as “doubles.” These plants have been bred for more showy petals in place of anthers. Thus, they have little or no pollen. Also, the many petals often make the nectar physically inaccessible to bees and other pollinators.
— Select sunny locations, sheltered from the wind, for your flower plantings. Smaller bees, especially, use the sun to help warm their bodies. Also, plants receiving at least six hours of sunlight have more nectar than those receiving less.
— Remember that early spring and late autumn are very challenging times for bees because of coolness, highly variable temperatures and a lack of flowers. In the spring, tolerate those dandelions. In the late fall, let the bees and migrating monarch butterflies have the few remaining flowers.
— Practice peaceful coexistence. Bees sometimes choose to nest in inconvenient places. Rather than exterminating them, think of it as an opportunity to see and learn about them up close.
— Consider constructing and placing wooden bee nesting houses in your yard, garden, and around woodland edges as a means of increasing populations of cavity-nesting bees.

Construction plans for bee nesting houses, as well as a list of plants known to be attractive to native bees in Maine, are included in UMaine Extension bulletin 7153, Understanding Native Bees, the Great Pollinators, available at www.extension.umaine.edu or 800-287-0274.

This column was excerpted and adapted from “Understanding Native Bees, the Great Pollinators: Enhancing Their Habitat in Maine” bulletin #7153 from University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Visit UMaine Extension at www.extension.umaine.edu and click on “Publications” for the complete publication and information on additional topics.

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