Bee Prepared

The title of this article is not a typo, because I hope we’ll all prepare to encourage our wonderful pollinator bees this spring. We love our spring and summer wildflowers and blooming perennials, and pollinators are a flower’s best friend. In fact, the main purpose of a flower on a plant is to attract pollinators and insure reproduction. In addition to our beautiful flowers over 150 species of grain and fruit crops depend on this process. Flying insects accomplish the vast majority of this important task, and bees are exceptionally suited for the job. Their fuzzy surface helps pollen grains adhere to their bodies and their legs have evolved to carry pollen.

We’re all aware of the imported European honeybee and if, like most Texans, you spent your youth playing outside, you likely know of its sting. But you might not know about our native bees. It is estimated that there are 4,000 bee species in the U. S., and 800 of those live in Tex as. You’ve likely seen a bumble bee but may not know about carpenter bees, sweat bees, mason bees and others. And here’s some good news – native bees generally don’t sting or they have a mild sting, and they live solitary lives not gathering in hives. Just today I bought a mason bee house at a local feed store.

I was interested to read recently that Austin is now an official Bee City USA affiliate. Bee City Affiliates work to sustain pollinators, partic ularly bees, by planting native plants, decreasing the use of pesticides, and providing nest sites. You can find out more at beecityusa.org. Also, our local nurseries carry native plants and there will be someone there who can help you learn more. There are many excellent lists of pollinator plants. One is found at wildflower.org. Good luck with your pollinator efforts this spring!

Becky Denton, Hays County Master Naturalists