Little things can be game-changers for bees

By Angela Bauer REPORTER

Those wondering what to do to help the bees — and other pollinators — thisspringcanstartbydoing practically nothing. “Don’t do your garden cleanup too early,” said Ken Johnson, horticulture educator with the University of Illinois Extension, serving Morgan, Cass, Greene,ScottandCalhoun counties. Bees and other pollinators still are overwintering—simplytrying to survive the coldest months — come spring and rely on that slightly unkempt yard for survival,Johnsonsaid.“Theyeat thatdebris,soletthatstick around until May,” Johnsonsaid.“Ifyoucleanitup too early, put it in an outof-the-way area” of the yard where bees, insects andthelikestillcanfindit. “Providing some areas (of the yard) where you’re not doing a lot of work and it’s undisturbed would be goodfornesting,”Johnson said. While people thinking of bees tend to think about honey bees, merrily buzzing around a hive in someone’sbackyard,nearly 4,000 species of native ground and twig-nesting beesarefoundintheUnitedStates,accordingtoPollinator Partnership at pollinator.org. “People are probably most familiar withhoneybees,”Johnson said. “But there are hundreds of other types. Native bee species are probably in the most danger.”

About 70% of bees native to Illinois are groundbased species, he said.

That means, while old flower stalks might not be theviewonewantsoftheir yard come spring, they have their advantages. “You can cut those down, but leave 24 inches of that stalk behind,” Johnson said. “Cavity-nesting bees will dig those out and nest.” Bumble bees, of which there are around 11 speciesinIllinois,alsolike to nest in abandoned burrows and compost piles, Johnson said. Early blooming plants, flowers and trees help provide nectar and pollen during that over-wintering period. “We do a pretty good jobofhavingflowersinthe summer, which is an important time,” Johnson said. “But March is also important, when we don’t have as much blooming.”

Tulips and daffodils are more than an early bright spot in an end-of-winter landscape. “Springblooming bulbs will provide resources (for bees and other pollinators), too,”Johnsonsaid.Similar resource-shortfall problemsariseinthefall,when summer flowers have given way to cooler fall temperatures, Johnson said. That makes it important for yards to have a variety of plants, not just those that flower in the heat of summer but those that bloom at the first sign of spring and withstand cooler temperatures to hold up into September or October, he said. Awareness of the problems bees are facing has increased, but awareness alone hasn’t erased those problems,Johnsonsaid.“Habitatlossisstillanissue,”he said. Pesticides also remainanissue,thoughpeople “are rethinking how they use pesticides,” he said. “There are other thingsyoucando…before spraying pesticides. If you do spray, find something less toxic.” Also, be mindfulthat“lesstoxic”doesn’t mean “not toxic.” “Try to get away from pesticide use,” Johnson said. “With bees, and pollinators in general, we need to be willing to accept some damagetoourplants.Cosmetic damage isn’t going to damage the tree. … People want to see butterflies in their yards, but the caterpillarsaregoingtochew onyourplants.Ifyouwant to support them, you have to allow that.” It’s about finding a balance, he said. “Itcomesdowntotheindividual and how much damage you are willing to accept,” he said. “If something chews it to the ground, it chews it to the ground. That’s fine with me. Other people … may not agree.” One thing to keepinmindisthatnature isanecosystemandnoone part of it survives without help from others. “One of the things with monarch (butterflies)isthatproviding habitats that benefit monarchs also benefits bees,” Johnson said. “… Actionsyoutaketobenefit beesorbutterfliesarebeneficial to other insects, too.”