Backyard Bees

Whether you keep a hive or just garden for native bees, pollinators turn a good garden into a great one.

Two ways to keep bees

• Honey bees: a managed hive for honey and pollination. It's a real commitment (equipment, inspections, varroa mite management, local rules), so take a class and join a local club first.
• Native bees: mason bees, leafcutters and the hundreds of US native species are superb pollinators and need almost nothing but flowers, nesting habitat and no pesticides.

Garden for bees

• Plant a long season of flowers (see flowers in the library): alyssum, cosmos, zinnia, sunflower, borage, salvias.
• Leave some bare ground and hollow stems for native nesters; add a bee hotel.
• Provide a shallow water source with landing stones.
• Avoid insecticides, especially on blooming plants, and spray only in the evening if you must.