Celebrating and Protecting Native Bees
By Cindy Watter
Editor's Note: This week marks National Pollinator Week, a time to celebrate and raise awareness about the crucial role pollinators play in our ecosystem. From June 17-23, we join in recognizing the importance of bees, butterflies, birds and other pollinators in supporting biodiversity and food production. In honor of this week, we are featuring an insightful article by Cindy Watter on how to protect and save California native bees. Dive into the fascinating world of these essential pollinators and discover practical ways you can contribute to their conservation efforts in Napa Valley and beyond.
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — Among the pleasures of being a UC Master Gardener are our monthly seminars. Not only are they varied and interesting, but it is always a pleasure when the local members present and I can learn from my intelligent colleagues. A few months ago, Natasha Mantle gave a talk on California native bees. Her presentation inspired me to learn more about our natives and why they are so important.
The native bee is a more efficient pollinator than the honey bee, which is a European import. Natives are active in cold or wet conditions and are more thorough pollinators. Their foraging territory is broader, and they are both generalists and specialists in their foraging. Some bees seek out particular plants, and others pollinate all plants. They also interact with honey bees.
Mantle told us about several California native bees. The leafcutter bee, for example, has sharp mandibles, so it can chew leaves and construct nests with leaf pulp. Female mason bees build nests in holes in wood. They also use mud to plug the holes in their nests. The blue orchard bee is particularly useful in pollinating almond trees.
The carpenter bee is fascinating to me. Truth to tell, the variety in my yard is so large it is the easiest variety of bee for me to see since I am nearsighted and not particularly stealthy. I often observe shiny inch-long black carpenter bees with beautiful transparent purple wings crawling over the passionflower and salvia in my yard. They chew on soft wood to form holes for nests. While some eastern carpenter bees might attack the built environment, western varieties prefer to nest in flowering plant stalks, such as agave. The females build the nests, which are complicated structures. Nest tunnels are built with sawdust in a spiral pattern. I haven’t found any yet in my yard, but I am still hunting.
Sweat bees are named after one of their attractants, human sweat. They will walk on a person’s arm, for example, lapping up sweat, until the host notices (they are quite small) and starts shrieking. Which leads me to stings. Bees do not want to sting you. I have only been stung once in my life, by a bee on which I stepped barefoot. Of course, if you are allergic to bee stings, you should be extra cautious anyway in your garden, wearing long sleeves and not running around shoeless.
Squash bees collect pollen from the Cucurbitaceae family, which includes squash and pumpkins. They prefer the pollen from those plants but will collect nectar from anywhere. The females make nests in the ground, but the males will sleep at night in a squash blossom.
Long-horned bees are named after the long antennae on the males. The males like to sleep on flowers —you can sometimes see a group of them on a sunflower — while the females prefer to nest in a crack in the ground.
Digger bees are generalists, collecting pollen from native plants as well as other plants such as tomatoes. They, too, nest in the soil.
Bumblebees also nest underground in abandoned animal burrows. Their extremely loud buzz helps them extract pollen from difficult sites.
Only 10% of bee species live in hives. Most bees are solitary and live in already-existing structures, such as a hole in the ground. UC Master Gardeners promote mulching, but if you want a good native bee habitat, leave some areas of your yard mulch-free.
Mantle gave us some examples of plants that are attractive to native bees: ceanothus, gallardia, Frikart’s aster, western redbud, Cascade Creek goldenrod, California poppy, nepeta, Germander sage, Russian sage and Goodwin Creek lavender. These are perfect for a water-wise garden, too.
A few years ago, there was great concern that bees were dying off. The syndrome was called Colony Collapse Disorder, which referred to honeybees, not native bees. Scientists studied the causes, which could be pathogens, pesticides or even stress. However, honeybees are a big business, and they are doing well now.
It is native bees that are in greater danger, according to Steve Blackledge of Environment America. Natives are losing habitat as well as suffering from climate change and a landscape that is loaded with pesticides. Several states have restricted pesticide use, and the 2021 federal infrastructure bill authorized funding to promote pollinator-friendly plants along roadsides. That money has not yet been spent. However, millions of Americans are transforming their yards into pollinator habitats now, which is a good sign, and maybe you should think about it, too. Pollinator Week 2024 is June 17-24.
Become a Master Gardener Volunteer. UC Master Gardeners of Napa County is now accepting applications for the class of 2025. Visit us here to read the informational brochure and register to attend a mandatory information session for applicants. Applications are due Sept. 25 at 5 p.m.
Workshop: Join the UC Master Gardeners of Napa County for a workshop on “Get Your Hands Dirty in the Pollinator Garden” on Saturday, June 29, from 10 a.m. to noon at Las Flores Community Center, 4300 Linda Vista Ave., Napa.
Help Desk: The Master Gardener Help Desk is available to answer your garden questions on Mondays and Fridays from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the University of California Cooperative Extension Office, 1710 Soscol Ave., Suite 4, Napa. Or send your questions to mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. Include your name, address, phone number, and a brief description. For best results attach a photo.
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Cindy Watter is a UC Master Gardener of Napa County.
Very essential and informative article ~ thanks once again for our enthusiastic NV Master Gardeners!
Wonderful article Cindy! I printed it out for reference when I'm in my yard. Great information!