Create a Bee Sanctuary in Your Yard

Have you ever watched bees buzzing around flowers? Possibly you’ve noticed that not all bees are alike.

In fact, if you sit still and observe for a while, you’ll see bees that are metallic green or silvery black in color, bees that are incredibly fuzzy or hairy, and small and large bees.

What you’re seeing are the native bees of the Gilroy area, in addition to honeybees, which are European immigrants that have naturalized here. Believe it or not, there are about 100 native species of bees that can be found in south Santa Clara County.

OK, I hear you saying, and why should I care?

Because bees—both honeybees and native species—are critical in pollinating our fruits, vegetables and flowers. And these days, bee populations are in trouble, most likely due to pesticides, pollutants and habitat destruction.

If you don’t have pollinators, you don’t have good things to eat. That’s a fact of nature.

In fact, honeybee populations are down so significantly that it’s been a real worry for farmers who need their crops pollinated—apples, grapes, strawberries, cucumbers, pumpkins, avocados and almonds among those affected.

What some savvy gardeners are doing now is helping the environment by creating bee sanctuaries, actively encouraging bees to come to their gardens by choosing plants that attract bees and providing places where the insects can nest.

Also—and most importantly—these gardeners are growing their gardens organically, which insures a healthy place for all kinds of living things to visit. Bees, butterflies and birds will be much happier in a place that is pesticide-free.

Also recommended is hand-weeding and hand-watering when possible, in order to cause the least amount of disturbance to the bees.

As for your plants, anything with lots of blossoms will generally lure bees, and the greater diversity of plants you have, the more the bees will come calling.

First, though, rest assured that native bees are not prone to stinging and are mainly interested in your flowers, not taking a bite out of you.

Bees should not be confused with wasps or hornets, such as yellowjackets, which are aggressive and will go after people with little provocation. These carnivorous bee cousins don’t live on nectar and typically aren’t attracted to flowers; if they are cruising the garden, they’re searching for other insects to prey on.

Native bees do have some important differences from honeybees. Native bees are solitary, and they don’t create communal hives or make honey. Instead, they dig tiny tunnels in the soil as their nests, or in the case of carpenter bees, drill holes in wood.

The males of some species don’t have homes at all, but sleep wherever they can—often curled up inside a flower.

The most important factor in bringing bees to the garden is making sure something is in bloom in your yard at most times of the year. There are natives like black sage, ceanothus, coast buckwheat, tansy and California poppies, as well as non-native favorites like Pride of Madera, rosemary, borage and lavender.

One valuable source of information is the Urban Bee Project at UC Berkeley, which has studied the issue since the late 1990s. This website has tips on encouraging bees to take up residence in a garden and lots of clear, easy-to-understand information on why bees are important in the scheme of nature.

Another great resource is The Melissa Garden in Healdsburg, a bee sanctuary that is open for public viewing and garden workshops.

Both these websites have lists of bee-attracting plants and lots of great information. So go forth—and bee friendly!