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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThis gift\nleads to an interesting study of the bees themselves, and of ways to entice\nthem into using the hotel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some 4,000\nspecies of bees are native to North America. This column is not suitable for an\noverview of native bees, but it is worth noting at the outset that the familiar\nhoneybee (Apis mellifera) is not native to this part of the world, but\nemigrated from Europe to the United States. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Native bees\nare excellent pollinators, more efficient than honeybees in that work. An\nimportant difference between these groups: most native bees are solitary,\nnesting in cavities or the ground, while honeybees are social, nesting in\nhives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the Xerces Society<\/a> (which seeks to conserve bees and other invertebrates) about thirty percent of our 4,000 species of native bees nests in cavities that they find or create in nature. The other seventy percent nest in the ground. There are also few other native species, like the Western Bumblebee (Bombus occidentalis) that are social creatures that nest in larger cavities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n My native\nbee hotel would be of interest, hopefully, to cavity-nesting species that live\nin central California. My initial expectation was that this nest would attract\nmason bees, but the Xerces Society lists only a few species that are found\nprimarily in Washington and Oregon. There are many other species, however,\nincluding the Blue Orchard Mason Bee (Osmia lignaria),that might live in\nCalifornia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another\ncavity-nesting native bee species that could appear in my garden is the\ncarpenter bee (Xylocopa californica), which, according to Las Pilitas Nursery, will\nspend weeks digging a 1\/2 by 4\u2013to\u20136-inch hole into a tree for their nest site.\nWe might expect that carpenter bees would be attracted to a nest that is\nalready for occupancy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition,\nmany other species of native bees might welcome this native bee hotel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While there\nwill be variations in nesting by different native bee species, the common model\nhas the newly hatched female bee emerging from its nesting place in the early\nspring, and busily mating and seeking a cavity for its eggs. The bee gathers\npollen to stock the nest, then deposits an egg, and seals the nest with a wall\nof mud. The bee repeats this process so that a single cavity could include\nfive\u2013to\u2013eight chambers, each with its own egg and pollen stash. <\/p>\n\n\n\n During the\nsummer, the eggs develop into larvae, then into pupae, and finally into adults,\nwhich remain in the nest until the following spring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To support\nthis process, the hotel manager, i.e., the garden host, should install the nest\ncomplex in a east- or southeast-facing location, where it will enjoy morning\nsunlight. It could be three\u2013to\u2013six feet above ground for convenient\nobservation, and near a good supply of flowering plants (preferably California\nnatives) and mud for construction of nest chambers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I will plant\na selection of California native annuals near this nesting unit, for the bees\u2019\neasy access to pollen. I will also provide a supply of muddy clay soil, for the\nbees\u2019 use. My garden\u2019s clay occurs in a rather deep layer, so I will need to\nimport some clay soil, and keep it moist in a container, such as a large saucer\nfor a plant container. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A good\nsource of seeds for pollinator flowers is the Early Blooming Beekeeper\u2019s Mix,\noffered by Renee\u2019s Gardens. This mix includes twenty-two varieties, many of\nwhich are California native plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bee experts recommend\nmoving the nesting unit into a dark, unheated garage or shed during the winter\nmonths to protect the bees from predators. The gardener should then return the\nunit to the garden in the early spring, well before flowers bloom. As the days\nwarm, the gardener can watch for the new generation of bees as they emerge from\nthe nests. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I enjoy gifts that lead to interesting projects. For a gardener, there are many possibilities for such gifts, definitely including plants that would complement the landscape, or add something that is both compatible and unusual. This year, my most intriguing … Continue reading