Bee Friendly, Play Nice!

A miracle happened the other day in the form of two little bee hives perched solidly in the overgrown backyard.  Steven, of swarm catching fame, delivered them last week and I've been sitting a few feet away from the entrances on sunny days like a silent air traffic control, watching them zoom this way and that.  I also check on them in the morning to see if they've begun their day's work (even before I start the coffee!).  Oddly enough, my responsibilities regarding these hives end here, as Steven comes once a month or so to check on them, add a story to their hive, or harvest their honey.  This is the miracle part.  The bees pollinate my cucumbers and in return I take their honey and give a jar or two to the skeptic neighbors.  (Well, Steven harvests the honey, I just eat it and give it away.)  Could I be any happier?!

Since they've arrived, I find myself thinking of plants they and their native counterparts prefer and am considering planting a few things to keep them busy in my own garden before they must venture out beyond.  I pulled out my copy of the Pollinator Conservation Handbook (review here) and refreshed my memory.

-Like many folks I know, bees seem to have a favorite color:  blue.  Now not all blue-flowered plants support bees and not all bees only go for blue flowers, but as a starting point this can be helpful.

-In mild climates like ours, bees need a constant source of nectar.  Planning the garden based on year-round flowers not only makes it look prettier to you, but it's also tastier to the bees.

-Those showy hybridized plants at the big-box store typically don't produce much or any pollen or nectar.  Best to stick with the classics.

-Pesticides kill those bugs ruining your plants.  They also kill every other bug that comes in contact with it.  Try to use pesticide as a last-resort (or not at all).

-Planting the same plant close together is more effective than spacing them out in various parts of the garden.

Here's a plant list I've put together of CA native plants that bees seem to like very much:

Shrub/Tree:
for Sun:
Ceanothus, any Ceanothus
Manzanitas give yummy soft pink flowers just after Christmas.
Rhus ovata or integrifolia (ovata's leaves and habit fit better in a garden setting)
Rhamnus californica or Coffeeberry
Trictostema lanatum, Wooly Blue Curls

Manzanita 'St. Helena'

for Shade:

Manzanitas give yummy soft pink flowers just after Christmas. (some are more shade tolerant than others)
Rhus ovata or integrifolia (ovata's leaves and habit fit better in a garden setting)
Rhamnus californica or Coffeeberry
Cream Bush or Holodiscus discolor

Perrenials: 
for Sun:
All the Salvias (Sages), although spathacea or Hummingbird Sage markets to a different audience
All the Eriogonums, or Buckwheats.  Honeybees love the grande rubescens while the hoverflies and smaller native bees are big fans of St. Catherine's lace.
Penstemon heterophyllus for the bumbles
Erigeron glaucus W.R. attracts all sorts of lovely creatures, bees included
Grindelia's provide late season sources of nectar (Gumplant)

 Heuchera flowering away

for Shade:
Scrophularia (Common name is Bee Plant.  Hmm....)
Heucheras or Alum Roots
Oxalis oregana, or Redwood Sorrel
Prunella vulgaris, or Self Heal
Salvia 'Bee's Bliss' will grow in part shade

Carpenter Bee snacking on a Collinsia heterophylla

Annuals: 
for Sun:
Collinsia heterophylla, Chinese Houses (Carpenter bees especially love this one)
Phacelia (seriously, tanacetifolia's common name is "Bee's Friend."), but other Phacelias help just as well.
Clarkias, or Farewell to Summer might bring you the Clarkia bee
California poppies give the Bumble bees something to do
Gilia capitata, Globe Gilia is a bee magnet! 
Lupines!  Lots of Lupines!
You've heard of Clover honey, right?
 
for Shade:
Collinsia heterophylla, Chinese Houses (Carpenter bees especially love this one)
Limnanthes douglasii or Meadowfoam or Poached Egg Plant

If anyone has others, please add them to the comments.  Also, here's a few links that could be quite helpful or will at least help you procrastinate a little longer:

Urban Bee Gardens- a guide for planting to help out the bees in the Bay Area


Pollinator Pathway in Seattle- cool corridor planting project!

Las Pilitas' bumblebee page- they're such helpful folks!

Stick Cheesy "Bee" Play on Words Here

With many thanks to Larner Seeds, I am happy to have finally found a book regarding the preservation of California native bees: the Pollinator Conservation Handbook. The Xerxes Society and The Bee Works teamed up to help out us gardeners who aren't fluent in entomologese. Sure, it's an instructional book, but it's quite entertaining- explaining (almost) all you need to know to begin your pollinator crusade. It introduces the unique characteristics of our local pollinators and explains what habitats they require. And because it focuses on all native pollinators, it can quickly make a bee geek into a beetle nerd. After reading this book, I impulsively purchased three insect identification books and I'm endlessly spouting off my new knowledge, audience or no. Did you know that most native bees live in the soil? (all I hear are crickets...)
My only burning question after completing the book relates to the question of mulch vs. bee habitat. Mulch is a miracle worker in the garden, conserving water, supressing weeds and slowly enriching the soil as it breaks down. However, the ground that you're covering is also critical bee habitat. Oh, the dilemma! I found an article in the latest issue of Bay Nature that suggests leaving 50% of your garden bare and the remaining mulched. It's a place to start, however my last month of pulling weeds has informed me that most folks want to mimimize that sort of thing entirely. (If I had done it before they all flowered and spread themselves throughout the greater Oakland area, my job wouldn't have been nearly as difficult, but I digress...) I'm sure there's a more nuanced solution out there- any suggestions?


The photo shows my newest, favoritest bee at the moment: the black carpenter bee.