Our native bees are in trouble, so it's more important than ever to provide a refuge for them in your yard.
The three most important things they need are: 1) native plants for nectar and pollen throughout the season
2) bare ground or wood for nesting (depending on the type of bee)
3) a safe, pesticide-free yard.
Native plants
There are lots of good native plants for bees, and most have benefits for other creatures, too. Here are just a few examples:
Shrubs and trees such as:
Pussy willows (
Salix discolor)
Pagoda dogwood (
Cornus alternifolia)
Flowering raspberry (
Rubus odoratus)
Herbaceous plants such as:
Milkweed (
Asclepias spp.)
Penstemon (
Penstemon spp)
Joe-pye weed (
Eupatorium purpureum)
Monarda (such as Beebalm) (
Monarda spp.)
Anise hyssop (
Agastache foeniculum)
Sunflower (
Helianthus annuus)
Goldenrod (
Solidago spp.)
Roses (
Rosa carolina), (
R. virginiana)
Coneflower (
Echinacea purpureum)
New England asters (
Aster spp.)
Nesting places
Nesting places are essential, but not easily found in our asphalt- and lawn-dominated landscapes.
Some bees, such as the bumblebee, need some patches of ground accessible for nesting. Others, such as the orchard mason bee, need wood, such as snags (dead trees) or even man-made nest blocks.
A safe, insecticide-free area
Bees are insects, so insecticides are bad news for bees (as well as other wildlife, pets, and people). Even organic pesticides can be harmful.
You can have a great landscape without pesticides, but if you must use pesticides, choose the least-toxic pesticides and apply them at night when bees aren't flying.
Remember
Native solitary bees aren't aggressive since they aren't defending nests. And native social bees, such as bumblebees, are busily going about their business and generally ignore people.
And the busy buzziness of bees in your yard can be a very enjoyable part of your habitat!For more information, visit The
Xerces Society:
-
Are neonicotinoids killing bees? -
Fact sheets, such as Northeast Plants for Bees, Bee nests, Bumblebee conservation, and others
-
Bring Back the Pollinators campaign 
The Xerces Society has also produced a very attractive sign you can
purchase and display.
An excellent guide to learning about and conserving pollinators is
Attracting Native Pollinators, available for purchase from Xerces. It's also available at the Onondaga Public Library. An excellent guide!
