Many people think of honeybees when thinking about bees. Did you know that European honeybees are not native to Canada and can be considered an agricultural animal kept to produce honey?
Native bees include species found naturally in a particular geographic location, like the green sweat bee in B.C. Bees are responsible for pollinating 30 per cent of the world’s crops and 90 per cent of our wildflowers, bringing most of our produce to our tables. Unfortunately, many native bee species are in decline. To save the bees, we must know them! Learn about common myths about bees, native bee species in B.C. and how to plant bee-friendly gardens to provide habitat for native bees.
Common myths about bees
Myth #1: There are only a few species of bee in B.C.
There are over 450 species of bees in B.C. with different pollinator groups, including bumble bees, sweat bees, mining bees, hairy-belly bees, and mason bees. Species identification can be tricky given how small bees are, how difficult it can be to photograph them and the vast number of species there are in B.C.
Myth #2: Bees live in colonies
Most native bees are solitary! There are some pollinator groups of bees like bumble bees, that are highly social and have ‘queens’ in their colonies. This social structure is one that most people are familiar with. However, other pollinator groups like sweat bees, mining bees and hairy-belly bees are solitary bees, or in the case of sweat bees, may be semi-social depending on circumstances. Sweat bees, mining bees and sometimes hairy-belly bees will nest in the ground rather than in hives or colonies.
Myth #3: Bees are the only pollinators in B.C.
Any animal that visits flowers to eat pollen or nectar (or may unintentionally transport pollen) can be a pollinator, defined as moving pollen from one flower to the next. Bees, flies, wasps, butterflies and hummingbirds are the main pollinators in B.C., but many other animals can also be pollinators such as bats, small mammals, or birds!
Myth #4: Native bees need a water source
Native bee species get all their hydration from flowers and do not need a water source provided for them. Providing water may only attract non-native honeybees to your yard, which may compete with native bee species for pollen and nectar in the area.
How to plant a bee-friendly garden
The biggest threats to pollinators are habitat loss, pesticides, disease, climate change and the presence of invasive species. Native bees and other pollinators need our help! By considering their nesting and foraging needs, we can plant pollinator-friendly gardens. Pollinator-friendly gardens will have flowers blooming for an extended period, will include flowers of different colours, shapes and sizes (bees have excellent colour vision!) and never use pesticides.
The types of plants and flowers that may be successful in your garden may change depending on where you live in B.C. These native plants are great options to consider:
- Yarrow
- Pearly everlasting
- Fireweed
- Red-osier dogwood
- Beach strawberry
- Salal
- Common avens
- Black twinberry
- Arctic lupine
- Tall Oregon-grape
- Red-flowering currant
- Baldhip rose
- Nootka rose
- Thimbleberry
- Salmonberry
- Trailing blackberry
- Canada goldenrod
- Snowberry
Some other common garden plants and flowers that attract bees include honeysuckle, sunflowers and black-eyed Susans, California lilac, bellflower, rhododendrons, lavender, asters, sunflowers and marigolds. Even the less industrious gardener can help make a difference by leaving dandelions, milkweed and goldenrod for bees to feed. Short on time? Check with your local plant store for a native wildflower seed mix you can plant and watch the pollinators all season long!
Are bee houses helpful?
The best way to support native bee populations is to plant species of flowers and plants that support them. Bee houses can be helpful if they are regularly cleaned and are appropriately sized and placed for your local species!
Solitary bees are often cavity-nesting and build their nests in available holes. Depending on the species, different diameters may be preferred – spring mason bees may prefer 8mm diameter holes, while summer leafcutter bees may prefer 6mm diameter holes. Place assorted sizes in your bee house to accommodate multiple species and see which size gets used most often!
You can use materials like natural reeds or bee-safe cardboard to make tubes of different diameters that can be placed in a commercially available bee house. Providing a bee house also comes with responsibility – any bee houses you create will need to be cleaned in the fall when not in use. If not cleaned regularly, you risk spreading disease or attracting other insects that may eat bee larvae. Cleaning can be done by cutting reeds open and cleaning out any nesting material that is left over. The WeeBee House is the only commercially available bee house native bee experts recommend and that is designed to be cleaned regularly.
Where you decide to place your bee house also matters! Houses should be mounted to a solid object so they do not swing or fall, placed in locations that are south or southeast-facing to receive direct sunlight in the morning, placed approximately 5ft high to protect from predators and be near a nectar or pollen source.
The world of native bee species in B.C. is vast, and by learning more about these important species and sharing these resources, you are helping with their conservation. Implementing a bee-friendly garden is an incredible way to help our native bees. If you don’t have a garden, spreading the word about the importance of bees and their foraging and nesting needs also helps!