Armed with hammer, nails, hooks and hollow tubes, 22 people
cobbled together bee boxes they hope will become home to native bees. The
production line took up every flat surface in the Environment Hamilton offices.
“We can’t keep
up with the demand,” says Jen Baker with the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club. The
club, along with Environment Hamilton, and the Hamilton Community Foundation is
offering the bee box building workshops, as part of the Pollinators Paradise
Project (hamiltonpollinatorparadise.org). Every time they offer a class, it
sells out.
Mary
Johnston is cutting the hollow tubes where bees will lay their eggs, and
pushing them into the small bee box. Though she has a good population of bees
on her property, she liked the idea of doing more. “I’m interested in doing
anything I can to attract bees and butterflies to my garden.” Most of the people at the workshop had
noticed a sad decline in all types of bees in their gardens. Loss of habitat is
an obvious reason for reduced bee populations, and bee keepers are convinced, the
use of chemical herbicides and pesticides particularly systemic ones have
contributed to bee deaths.
The bee boxes
are designed to attract our native solitary bees. Solitary bees lead a solitary
life, do not make honey, and don’t swarm or tend to sting. What they do that’s
so vital is pollinate flowering plants. If you like to eat, then fostering a
healthy bee population is essential. We all know the bumble bees and the honey
bee, but the native solitary bees often do their work unseen and unnoticed. A
third of Ontario native bees, including carpenter bees, mason bees, and
leaf-cutter bees nest in wood, including hollow stems.
Ron Roscoe is
just about finished with his bee box. The former Hamilton Fincup says he has
always had an interest in the outdoors, “I’d like to see more bees than wasps
in my garden.”
The bee boxes
do best when placed in an east facing location, the morning sun helps warm the
bees up for flight. The hollow stems from plants such as teasel, reeds,
grasses, and Queen Anne’s lace should be packed tight. If the bees do lay eggs they will block
the end of the tube-a sign of success. Then it’s important the garden is home
to a diverse selection of flowering plants to feed the bees.
As the bee box
builders were told by Stefan Weber, “Native bees need native plants.” Weber of St. Williams Nursery and
Ecology Centre (stwilliamsnursery.com) suggested a variety of plants from
serviceberry trees, to fall witch hazel, hepatica, lupins and evening primrose,
to provide, food, cover and nesting material for native bees. St. Williams will
be part of an Earth Day Native Plant Sale April 18th at the Royal
Botanical Gardens Parking lot on Plains Road Burlington. It’s just one of
several more events planned by the Pollinators Paradise Project.
It’s also
important I would add, to not be a fanatic about cleaning up the garden. Leave
some areas where the hollow stems of plants sit undisturbed, and even bare
patches where the bees that nest in the ground can do their work.
Jim and Angie
Small of Binbrook came in for the bee box workshop, motivated by what’s
happening on their land according to Angie.
“Our plants
used to just be humming with bees, now if we see one we say ‘Oh my God, there’s
a bee.’”
