Many gardeners aim to attract honeybees, but native bees are the real heroes of North America's ecosystem. North America has over 4,000 native bee species and each of them has their own unique superpower. Some are excellent at soil aeration, others are able to pollinate even in cold weather, and some are best at precision pollinating which is critical for fruit production.
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Check PriceNative bees are visitors to your garden for good reason! Each native bee species has its own specialization and helps certain plants in your garden. Let's see what 11 of these amazing species do!
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1. Bumblebees: The Best Buzz Pollinators
The fuzzy chunky bees are engaging in something called ‘buzz pollination’. This means they are able to release 10 times more pollen than a normal pollinator. They grab hold of the tomato and pepper flowers, and stimulate their flight muscles at exactly 400 hertz, which causes the flower to shake and pollen is released. Since other pollinators cannot access these flowers, the bumblebees are responsible for the existence of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and blueberries.
2. Mason Bees: Winners of The Cold Weather
Mason bees are the first pollinators to wake up for spring. While the temperature is a chilly 54 degrees and our honey bees are still sleeping, these little workers start their busy days. Unlike honey bees, mason bees can pollinate the blossoms of fruit trees. In fact, a single mason bee can do the pollinating work of 100 honey bees! That is how we know that our apple, cherry, and plum trees are receiving the proper pollination.
3. Carpenter Bees: Amazing Wood Tunneling Beasts
Yes, they do drill into wood, but carpenter bees are wonderful pollinators of open-faced flowers. They focus on large flowers like sunflowers, salvias, and passion vines. They drill perfectly round holes into bare, untreated wood and avoid painted wood. So, when you paint your deck, untouched wood will be left as a home for them.
4. Sweat Bees Have Exceptional Skills In Memory And Metallic Objects
These little blue and green metallic bees have great memory! They help pollinate the same flowers they visit every day! They enjoy wildflowers, goldenrod, and asters. Although they're called sweat bees, they aren't aggressive and are very gentle.
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5. Sandbienen: Freunde des Rosengartens
Leafcutter bees cut out circular sections from certain rose bushes. Although this looks damaging, it helps the rose bushes because air flow improves and the rose flowers get better pollination. Besides amazing pollination, leafcutter bees use the rose leaves to create waterproof nurseries to raise their young. Leafcutter bees also like cosmo, dahlia, and zinnia.
6. Mining Bees: Engineer's of the Subterranean World
To create their nests and tunnels, these bees build and maintain channels for moving air and water. They help the water and soil flow better in every garden and yard. When they catalyze early spring soil aeration and pollination of dandelions, trees, and flowers, it’s even more helpful. The tunneling and nesting of these bees also benefit the roots of your plants!
7. Squash-Bienen: Spezialisten für Gemüsegarten-Tiere
Cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, and melons have their own species of squash bee that has evolved together with them. The life cycles of these bees are timed to fit with the flowering of these crops, and they exclusively pollinate these plants. These specialists are responsible for the rich harvests in North American vegetable gardens.
8. Wool Carder Bees: Fluffy Greenery Cleaners
Male wool carder bees protect areas with fuzzy-leafed plants like lambs ear because they collect plant materials to give to their mates for nest building. As great pollinators for the mint family, they help with the management of pest insects associated with the plants.
9. Long-Horned Bees: Obsessive About Sunflowers
Some kinds of small native bees also live in the flowers of sunflowers. The bees actually sleep inside the flowers and when they wake up, they collect pollen and leave. When working in the sun all day, the bees use their long antennae to guide them and help them move through the flowers. These bees can be found on sunflowers, coneflowers, and black eyed susans.
10. Alkali-bi: Arbeider Super Salt-Tolerant
These incredible bees construct their nests in soils so alkaline that it obliterates other species of bees. They can even withstand working in temperatures greater than 100 °F. In addition, they are great pollinators of crops such as alfalfa and other crops. A single female pollenating bee can visit 4,000 flowers in one day. Due to their heat tolerance, they are significant in dry and warm climatic conditions.
11. Yellow-Faced Bumblebees: The High Altitude Champions
These bumblebees have evolved behavioral adaptations to survive in high elevations that other bees cannot, and they provide assistance to pollinate wildflowers and crops in the higher elevations of mountains. The bumblebees' thick fur and flight capabilities allows them to withstand and survive the cold and windy conditions that would otherwise keep other pollinators stuck.
All native bees provide different services to the ecosystem of your yard. If you plant several types of native flowers, avoid using pesticides, and leave some natural areas for nesting, you will be supporting a whole array of specialized pollinators and will increase the resilience of your garden more than if you supported only one species.
