Bee nice to the bees

By now we all know that domesticated honey bees are in trouble and disappearing fast. It's estimated that 1/3 of the human food supply depends on insect pollination, most of which is accomplished by bees, so they're pretty important if we want to keep eating honey, strawberries, pears, oh and wear clothes made of cotton - yep, bees pollinate cotton, too.

Plenty magazine has somes tips about how we can help the bees. You don't have to go out and start your own hive, just follow these easy steps to make your lawn and garden more hospitable to the little guys. They'll thank you for it.

Bee-tox: The first thing to do is to detox your lawn. Give your chem lawn type landscape service its walking papers. Pollinators are a fragile bunch, and many native bees nest in the ground, says Vaughan, so lawn company insecticides will really do them in. “Even organic services may use natural products like pyrethrins, which are labeled for organic use, but still kill pollinators,” says Vaughan. Think your modest little lawn isn’t big enough to make a difference? Think again. Urban gardens and backyards suck up even more insecticide than conventional farm land does.

Flower child: Think blossoms. Grow lots of different kinds of flowering plants on your property, so that at any given time from early spring right through to autumn there will be at least three or four species in bloom. Trees, shrubs, and wild flowers will all do just fine.

Bare all: Incorporate small areas of bare soil into your garden or lawn. Bees like to nest where there’s a little open space on the ground, and are more likely to move in and enjoy your prime real estate if they feel they’ve got room to breathe.

Tunnel vision: Some native bees nest not in the ground, but in hollowed out vertical structures, like tree trunks. Help these guys out by drilling narrow holes (5/16 inch or less) five inches down through blocks of wood, then setting the blocks out on your property. Home sweet home.

Let your lawn go: If you’re not too vain about the appearance of your lawn, leave a corner of it “undisturbed and untidy,” says Vaughan. Think tall grasses, piles of sticks, general horticultural chaos. The mess will invite mice to set up house, and when they leave, bees will move into the nice insulated little cavity-homes they’ve dug out.