Honeybee Haven

It's not news that the honeybee is in trouble. Due to predatory mites, disease, and habitat destruction, these essential garden pollinators are on the decline in many parts of the country. In fact, in many parts of the country, the situation is so bad that bees are actually trucked into farming communities to help pollinate food crops.

"Without bees, life as we know it would cease to exist," says master gardener Paul James. "And many of the foods we enjoy would no longer be available."

There are ways that you can protect honeybees and encourage them to come to your garden. One of the first steps you can take is to stop using pesticides altogether. Nearly all pesticides, whether organic or synthetic can be toxic to bees. If you find that you must treat your plants to prevent floral fatality, do so only late in the evening after the bees have returned to their hives, and focus the spray on the leaves, not the flowers. A second way to persuade bees to visit your yard is by planting as many flowering plants as possible, including a wide range of flower shapes, colors and sizes.

Figure A

There are certain wild bees such as solitary and mason bees that, while less efficient, do help pollinate the flowers. These particular bees are also more active than domestic honeybees on cool, rainy days. You can actually attract wild bees to your yard or garden with nesting boxes like this one (figure A). Simply hang the box on a fence, wall, or tree near your flower or vegetable garden, and in a few weeks you should begin to see bee tenants. However, bee houses are a lot like bat houses in that they don't consistently work. "Take comfort in knowing that if the bee house doesn't attract bees, it may attract lady beetles, and that's a good thing too," says James.

So if you thought bees were nothing but annoying pests that buzz around the garden to annoy people, think again. "We gardeners need to remember that we need to do everything we can to coax those little guys and gals into our garden," says James. "After all, without the bees, we wouldn't have anything in the garden to enjoy."