Here’s a little piece of garden art that always starts a conversation - and raises questions I can’t answer, leading me to shrug stupidly and sputter disjointed bits of information. So I decided it’s time to stop embarassing myself and do a little Googling.
So, what you see is an artificial nest for orchard mason bees, pollinating bees that are native to the U.S. Solitary and therefore not hive-building, these bees lay their eggs in mud-walled cells like these drill holes, or straws packed in a coffee can that’s then mounted a few feet off the ground facing the morning sun. Although the person who sold me this nest-holder raved about the pollinating abilities of these bees, they can’t be managed directly by humans - say, hauled around to different farmers’ fields - and thus aren’t suitable to large-scale agricultural use. Even worse, most native pollinating bees nest in the ground, so any disturbance and they’re history. The use of pesticides has also reduced their numbers.
All of which helps in explaining why honeybees were brought here from Europe to pollinate crops for our growing population. But the recent destruction of about half the American honeybee population by a parasitic mite has highlighted the dangers of overreliance on any particular species. So I’m right there, offering these little drill holes to the wandering orchard mason bee looking for a nest site. I know it won’t make much difference in the scheme of things but hey, it’s something. And not a bad-looking garden ornament, either.
RANDOM HONEYBEE FACTS: The average honeybee hive holds 50,000 bees. It takes the nectar of about 2 million flowers to produce one pound of honey. Honeybees are used in the pollination of 130 agricultural crops in the U.S. and add $14 billion to crop yield and quality. 15 to 30 percent of our diet relies on honeybees.
FUN TREND: Reportedly, a "deeply cool and trendy" new hobby in British cities is beekeeping, on rooftops and in tiny backyards. One advocate describes it as a "fashionable thing to do something for the environment." Don’t look for this trend to jump the pond and land in Washington, D.C. any time soon, though. Beekeeping is banned in D.C. and many other stinger-fearing jurisdictions.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Xris (Flatbush Gardener) 06.25.06 at 12:30 pm
Do you actually get bees keeping house in your bee house? I’ve seen these offered in my various garden supply catalogs and always wondered whether they’re effective.
I don’t keep an orchard or anything, so I don’t “need” the bees. I don’t know why I’ve missed the point before that mason bees are native. I like to support my local native species.
As for local laws about keeping bees: I wonder if putting up houses for native wild bees would have the same problem? Since they’re not managed or fed or provided any other suport, they’re not being farmed. One could make the case that it’s an invertebrate equivalent of putting up a bluebird house.
I also want to put up a bat house!
Cindy Rae 06.26.06 at 12:08 am
I’ve had blue orchard bees for a couple of years now. They’re very entertaining (and a bit disconcerting) when they zip right past your nose as you sit on the deck.
I don’t have much fruit for them to pollinate, so I personally can’t speak to their efficacy. However, the blue orchard bee *is* used commercially to pollinate orchards in the U.S. and elsewhere. For example, most commercial almond orchards in Southern California use the orchard mason bee for pollinators.
You can order a can of bees from Knox Cellars — they have plenty of good info.
CindyRae
wildporch.blogspot.com
Nelumbo 06.26.06 at 12:50 am
For some reason, the idea of a urban roof-top beekeeper really cracks me up.
Interesting post!
Val 06.29.06 at 1:38 am
You and your commenters have certainly provided so much new information for me at least. I’m still trying to get my head around bees that aren’t social and don’t build hives.
Brya 06.30.06 at 5:03 pm
G’day from Down Under! Thanks for posting these fascinating bits about bees. It’s been estimated that if all the honeybees were wiped out, the Australian economy would suffer to the tune of two billion dollars!
As far as I know those destructive mites that plague American bees haven’t made their way down here yet. What is being done to combat this pest? Has the U.S. economy lost billions? Why aren’t we reading this on the front pages?
I found an interesting chart on the web. In what fruits and vegetables have honeybees shown to increase crop yields in New Zealand? Apples, kiwifruit, avocado, grapes, mandarin oranges (but oddly enough not regular oranges), passionfruit, pears, blackcurrants, blueberries, strawberries, apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, and plums are among the fruits that benefit from bee pollination.
In the vegetable family, asparagus, beans, carrots, cucumbers, onions all benefit, but not peas, potatoes, garlic, and peppers. After all, the bees are discriminating as to where they hang out and what they eat.
There’s no data on lettuce (I wonder why?). I’m afraid we’re not doing much gardening down here now, it’s winter. We’re planning ski trips and such. But when I do garden, I grow a lot of different types of lettuce. My personal favourite is Boston lettuce, a member of the butterhead group.
I also grow regular head lettuce, which is the most popular and common variety, as well as exotic ones Royal Red and Ruby, which are green leaf lettuce types. I’ve never noticed how honeybees interact with my lettuce plants, I must keep an eye out for them.
The cool temperatures of southern Australia are perfect for lettuce growing as is our soil pH of 6.5 to 7.0. Subfreezing temperatures, on the other hand, will seriously injure or kill a lettuce crop.
I’ve had really good results using a 100% organic fertilizer made by a company called Advanced Nutrients. They’re quite popular down here, because their Iguana Juice Grow and Bloom just cannot be beat where results are concerned. My lettuce is crisp, healthy, and huge, as opposed to my neighbour’s, who relies solely on compost to feed her lettuce plants.
I also use it in my flower garden, augmented by Scorpion Juice, which inoculates my plants against all sorts of pathogens. Bug Away is another Advanced product that comes in handy when the little critters try to invade your garden. And it doesn’t hurt bees or ladybugs, or any helpful insects. You never spray the flowers, in any case.
Thanks for your great insights in your blog postings. Keep up the good work!
thomas 01.04.08 at 4:51 pm
I have blue orchard mason bees. I had to ’stock’ my backyard and buy some to get them started.
Couple tips.
1) You can’t have a bee house mounted like that. They can’t move around (in the wind or for whatever reason). Once you get bees, the babies fall off their pollen mound and die since they can’t get back on top.
2) If you buy some bees, get some straw inserts for your bee house to keep the holes clean. These bees have their own mites and problems… and swapping straws each year helps keep them under some control.