How to Help Your Local Bees (& Other Pollinators too!)
In recent years, with more people realizing the effects of climate change and harmful pesticides, there’s been a growing push to “Save the Honey Bees”. And while honey bees are important for helping pollinate plants and crops, all pollinators are at risk. Pollinators aren’t just bees, they can be any insect or animal that transports pollen from one plant to another, fertilizing the plants in the process. While there are a variety of bee species that pollinate flowers and plants, other pollinators include butterflies, bats, hummingbirds, beetles, flies, and many more.
These pollinators are responsible for fertilizing over 75% of flowering plants in the world, and almost 75% of all crops that we consume (US Fish & Wildlife). Without pollinators, we wouldn’t have blueberries, cherries, nuts, almonds, figs, agave, squash, coffee, or chocolate. Pollinator.org provides a more in depth list of the species that pollinate the foods we eat. It’s hard not to find a dietary staple that’s dependent on pollinators, even the meat and dairy industry relies heavily on pollinators.
With pollinators being so essential to the health of humans and the planet, here are a few things you can do to give them a helping hand.
Go Organic
Switching to organic produce, grains, & other ingredients can do wonders for helping bees and pollinator populations. Pesticides can damage floral food supplies, lead to habitat loss, increase exposure to diseases, and hinder pollinator reproduction (Xerces Society). Certified Organic produce harshly restricts the use of harmful pesticides and chemical fertilizers while growing the food. This organic produce has added environmental benefits, as these harsh chemicals are washed off into the ground soil, often making their way into streams, rivers, lakes, and other waterways. Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency has found that a wide variety of chemicals used on crops and in food production are eventually consumed by humans.
You can also see if there are any Bee Friendly Farms in your area & purchase produce from them. This certification ensures that the farms are creating a healthy environment for their pollinators by “planting pollinator food resources, providing nesting habitat, and incorporating an integrated pest management strategy” (Pollinator.org). Check out their online database to find a Bee Friendly Farm, Partner, or Garden near you.
Plant a Bee Friendly Garden
If you enjoy gardening and have a yard or patio available, consider creating a bee friendly garden. Catering your outdoor space for pollinators can help your garden thrive, and watching the bees & pollinators enjoying it is a great way to relax and appreciate nature.
Similar to buying organic produce, skip the pesticides in your own garden. If necessary, find some natural and non-toxic alternatives to harsh chemical pesticides and insecticides, such as utilizing ladybugs to treat an aphid infestation, or using lavender and rosemary as a mosquito repellant. Not only can these natural solutions resolve the pest problem, they’re better for the plants and wildlife as well.
Start by choosing some flowers and plants that will attract bees & pollinators, and plant them for the right season. Some plants bloom in early spring, while others blossom in summer or fall. By planting a variety of plants that pollinators can enjoy year round, you’re helping provide a reliable food source for them. Consider gardening with plants native to your region, as these are better suited to withstand the environment as well as support the local wildlife. You can use this Resource Center from the Xerces Society to find the best native plants to grow in your specific region.
Some of the best plants for bees & other pollinators that can thrive in many different environments include: Rosemary, Lavender, Sage, Oregano, Thyme, Poppies, Sunflowers, Catnip, Lupins, and most species of wildflowers. Milkweed is also a vitally important plant for Monarch Butterflies, as this species relies solely on milkweed plants nesting and laying their eggs. As natural milkweed populations are shrinking, consider purchasing seeds and planting a variety of milkweed plants suitable for your region to help out the Monarch Butterflies. Please note that milkweed plants are toxic to dogs, cats, and horses, so please plan accordingly and plant them in a pet-free location.
Build a Bee Bath
Just like any other animals, bees and pollinators need water to survive. While larger birds and bats typically have an easier time finding water, bees and smaller insects are much more vulnerable when searching for water. If you know anyone with a pool, they’ll tell you just how many bees are found floating in pools. They’ll often try to fly down to drink some of the water, but will drown as they have no place to land. One way to help prevent this problem is by building your own bee bath!
Bee baths are extremely simple to make, and you likely have all the equipment you need to start already. First you’ll need a semi-flat, shallow dish to hold the water. This can be anything like a plant saucer, a birdbath, ceramic pie dish, or even an old plate or shallow bowl. If you live in a hot climate, avoid using anything metal like a metal pie dish, these can heat up very quickly when sitting in the sun all day.
Next, find something to fill your dish with. This can be some small rocks, larger pebbles or gravel, round or craft marbles, seashells, twigs, or pieces of broken terracotta pots. This gives the bees a landing spot to safely have a drink. *Please note that you shouldn’t take seashells home from the beach, they often provide shelter for small organisms and are part of the natural ecosystem. But if you happen to have some at home already, this is a good way to put them to use.*
Finally, place your fillings into the dish and fill it up with water. Only add in enough water to partially cover the stones or fillings, leaving the tops dry for the bees to land on. Find a place in your garden or patio near flowers or that bees hang around, ideally in partial shade if possible, and leave the dish there. It’s a good idea to elevate the dish so that it’s closer to the flowering plants where the bees can discover it. This can be done by stacking the dish on top of an unused flower pot, empty aluminum can, or on some bricks. The dish will need to be refilled every few days depending on how quickly the water evaporated, making sure to rinse out any leaves or debris that’s collected in the dish. Don’t worry if you don’t see any bees drinking from the bee bath immediately, it may take them some time to find it, just be sure to keep it filled!
Other Ways to Help Bees & Pollinators
If you’re not into gardening or don’t have the space to host pollinators yourself, you can still support other beekeepers! Check out your local farmers market for a honey vendor, they likely have multiple bee hives that they care a lot about, and purchasing honey from them will help support their small business and the bees that they’re raising. Eating honey from a local hive can actually help build immunity to pollen from certain plants and reduce allergy symptoms.
Find a community garden in your area and adopt a plot there, or talk to plot owners about adding bee & pollinator friendly plants to their area. Or even talk to your local town government about starting a community garden. These can be great educational resources for kids, schools, and daycares, and can help convert unused land into beautiful gardens.
Support an organization that’s helping promote education and conservation of pollinators. Planet Bee Foundation hosts hands-on, educational workshops for schools, businesses, and camps to promote environmental awareness & honey bee conservation. The Xerces Society of Invertebrate Conservation is an international organization aimed at protecting endangered species, pollinators, and invertebrate’s natural habitats. Save Our Monarchs is an organization dedicated to protecting and restoring Monarch Butterfly and Milkweed populations through supporting education awareness and promoting individual actions. These are just a few of our favorite organizations, look into local groups near you and learn how you can help out.
Looking for a more hands on and direct way to help pollinators? Consider getting your own beehive! It’s a wonderful way to see honey bees at work up close, while providing them with a safe place to build their hive. And as bees are known for their hard work, self-sustaining and engineering capabilities, beehives require almost no maintenance from you. Just be sure to check your town’s regulations on owning a beehive, and that it’s placed in an appropriate location with adequate sunlight. Alternatively, you can provide a nesting area for other pollinators. Install a bee hotel, which is a home for solitary bees to nest and lay eggs, or a bat box, which provides a place for bats to birth and raise their young.
