What is Bee Habitable?
As you may have heard, bees are suffering population decline.
However, we are not talking about Honeybees, we are discussing Native Bees in your area. There are many reasons why native bees are suffering population decline worldwide.
The 3 main factors are Habitat loss, Disease, and Excessive use of pesticide on crops. Bee Habitable is a Program to help mitigate these factors.
Our priority is to first educate People, Gardeners, and Farmers alike to truly understand how bees are in decline. Second, we provide resources and products to help reestablish bee habitats.
And third, encourage people to understand the value of native bee diversity, this includes providing live selected species to acquire if needed.
Helping Native bees is not as difficult as you may think, if you are willing to learn new things and give up old practices, you can succeed in giving back to our bees, just as our bees have given to us.
An Introduction to Bee Habitable
Special Services and Products
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Bumble Bee Nest Removal
Free Relocation of Bumble Bee Nests
This free service is currently funded solely by donations. So please consider donating. We gently extract the nest and relocate it onto one of our sanctuaries. They are used for science in future developments of conservation and eco-friendly farming. Click the button below to learn more.
Wild Flower Pollinator Mix
Wildflower Mix for Pollinators
2-2-2
Contains small amounts of slow-release organic fertilizers to help the flowers bloom strong, and a mulch to keep the geminating seeds moist along with some Mycorrhizae and Ectomycorrhizae. The reason for so much seed types is for diversity and to increase the chances you will get something to bloom despite soil type and human error.
43 Potential Blooms
Tall Blue Corn Flower-Blue Flax-Siberian Wall Flower-Annual Candytuft-Blanket Flower-Perennial Lupine-Sulpher ‘Bright Lights’ Cosmos-Orange California, Poppy-Crimson Clover-Beauty Pacific Calendula-Annual Baby’s Breath-Blanket Indian-Corn Mixed Poppy-Prairie Cone Flower-Love Lies Bleeding-Plain Coreopsis-Tall Mixed Centaurea-Nasturium’ Jewel Mix-Bigleaf-Lupine-Lanced Leaved Coreopsis-Tall Spurred ‘Northern Lights’ Snapdragon-Five Spot Globe Gilia-Black Eyed Susan-Clarkia-Flax Scarlet-Tall white Sweet Alyssum-Pheasant’s Eye-Pot Marigold-Chinese Houses-Dwarf Morning Glory-Larkspur-Silene-Caliopsis-Sensation Cosmos-Annual Forget Me Not-Lavatera-Baby Snapdragon-Virgina Stock-Baby Blue Eyes-Flander Poppy-Annual Snapwort.
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Solitary Bee Homes
Made From Re-purposed Wood
What are Solitary Bees?
They are little bees that are not noticed very much. Each bee lives completely on their own with no colony.
Purpose?
These homes are designed to accommodate many species of solitary bee. No need to buy bees! They will just show up. The mother bee will fill the holes in the wood with mud, grass, sawdust, sap or anything the species likes. The babies are kept in the holes secured by the fillings from the mother.
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Bumble Bee links
These links take you too external sights not monitored by Wasp Away. They are information on Bumble Bees from other sources to give you a greater depth of understanding.
Conserving Bumble Bees. Guidelines for Creating and Managing Habitat for America’s Declining Pollinators. – Xerces Society publication. Includes nest plan in appendix.
Washington Bumble Bees in Home Yards and Gardens – WSU fact sheet FS 263e
Plants for Pollinators links – Plant lists by regions
Bumble Bee Conservation Trust – British bumble bee conservation
An Experimental Bumblebee House– “Scarabs” article, 2002, by Dave Pehling
Breeding Bumble Bees, Journal of Apicultural Research 5(3): 155 – 165 (1966), Plowright and Jay
A Guide To Rearing Bumble Bees – YouTube video by OSU Ph.D. student
Befriending Bumble Bees – A Guide to Raising Bumbles. U. of Minn.
Raising Bumble Bees at Home: A Guide to Getting Started – Dr. J. P. Strange, USDA-ARS, Pollinating Insect Research Unit
Conservation and Management of North American Bumble Bees (pdf) USDA & NatureServe. (Errata: the hole size for nests should be 3/4 inch, NOT 1/4 inch)
Bumble Bee Nest Box Plans – Tom Clothier and the B. C. Fruit Testers Association
Another nest box design from the Netherlands
The Bumblebee Pages – How You Can Help Bumblebees
“The Humble-Bee” – Sladen’s 1912 classic on rearing bumble bees
Native Bee Links
These links take you too external sights not monitored by Wasp Away. They are information on Solitary Bees from other sources to give you a greater depth of understanding.
An Introduction to Cavity-Nesting Bees in the Puget Sound Region – WSU. FS293E. 2018
Native Pollinators – Great links from the Strathcona Beekeepers Assoc. Mostly honey bees.
Native Bees, Solitary Bees and Wild Bees: What are they? – U. of Minnesota
Bee Basics: An Introduction to Our Native Bees – A USDA Forest Service and Pollinator Partnership Publication.
The Biology and External Morphology of Bees (pdf) With keys and a synopsis of Northwestern Genera (140 pp.)
Managing Alternative Pollinators – A Handbook for Beekeepers, Growers, and Conservationists (170 pages)
Enhancing Nest Sites For Native Bee Crop Pollinators – USDA AgroForestry Notes
Constructing Backyard Bee Hotels– LSU Ag Center
Blue Orchard Bee – Utah State University Extension
Gardening and Landscaping Practices for Nesting Native Bees – Utah State University.
Wild Bee Conservation – Xerces Society. Habitat, nesting, plants, protection.
Orchard Mason Bees (see the links at the bottom of the OMB page for additional information)
Other References:
How to Reduce Bee Poisoning from Pesticides – Oregon State University
Pollinator Conservation Resources – Pacific Northwest Region – Xerces Society
Farming for Bees: Guidelines for providing habitat– Xerces Society
How to Manage the Blue Orchard Bee – A SARE puplication
Pollinators – WSU Western Washington Tree Fruit & Alternative Fruits (some dead links)
Pacific Northwest Insect Management Handbook – Bee Protection
Trap-Nesting Wasps and Bees: Life Histories, Nests and Associates – K. Krombein, 1967