How to Help Bees
How to Help Bees: Simple Steps to Support Our Vital Pollinators
Supporting bees and local pollinators is un-bee-lievably easy—starting with something as simple as planting a flower! Bees play a crucial role in maintaining local ecosystems and supporting our food systems through their essential work as pollinators. Here’s how you can help these vital creatures thrive:
Plant Bee-Friendly Flowers: Create a bee haven in your garden by planting a variety of native flowers that bloom throughout the year. This ensures a continuous supply of nectar and pollen, providing bees with the nutrition they need.
Avoid Pesticides: Chemicals in pesticides can be harmful or even deadly to bees. Opt for natural pest control methods and organic gardening practices to keep your plants healthy without endangering pollinators.
Provide Habitats: Bees need safe places to live and nest. Leave patches of bare ground for ground-nesting bees and set up bee hotels for those that prefer above-ground nesting sites. Even a small log or a bundle of hollow stems can make a big difference.
Support Local Beekeepers: Purchasing honey and other bee products from local, sustainable beekeepers helps support practices that are beneficial to bee health. Local beekeepers often implement methods that protect and nurture their hives, contributing to overall bee conservation.
Educate and Advocate: Learn more about bees and their role in the environment, and share this knowledge with others. Support policies and initiatives that protect bees and their habitats. Advocacy can lead to significant positive changes at both local and broader levels.
Reduce Lawn Areas: Lawns provide little benefit to bees compared to flowering plants. Consider converting portions of your lawn into wildflower meadows or planting shrubs and trees that flower at different times of the year.
By taking these simple actions, you can make a meaningful impact on the health and survival of bee populations. Remember, every small step helps ensure that these indispensable pollinators continue to thrive and support our ecosystems and food systems.
Swarm? No Problem
Swarming is a natural process that occurs when honey bee and native bee colonies outgrow their hive. If you see a swarm, the best thing to do is contact a beekeeper association. Many bee-conscious groups will collect swarms to keep or relocate to a new home. Honey bee swarms present very little danger but may become aggressive if sprayed with water or otherwise disturbed. Just keep your distance and wait for help to arrive.
BEE Part of the Solution and Get Your Science On!
Ecologists and researchers interested in bees seek help with extensive community science projects. You can provide vital information to further their research and add to our knowledge of how to support struggling honey bee and native bee populations. Check them out and get involved!
Planet Bee's Community Science Programs - Learn how to create the perfect habitat for native bees right in your own backyard. Building a DIY native bee nest home is simple and has a huge impact on our fuzzy friends. These industrious pollinators typically inhabit tunnels in the ground or hollow stems of plants. Here, we guide you through constructing three types of native bee nests and offer valuable tips for monitoring and maintaining these nests year-round.
The Great Sunflower Project -This community science project aims to better understand pollinators and their conservation by counting bees as they pollinate flowers and inputting data.
NASA Honeybee Net Study- This study investigates the relationship between plant and animal life cycles by measuring the weight of honeybee hives throughout the year.
