The
Southside Master Gardener Association will have a display on native and honey
bees at the Halifax Farmers Market on July 11 from 9 AM to noon. You will also be given the opportunity to
make and take home a native bee house at no cost. All supplies will be provided.
Honey bees
were brought here by the colonists so they are not considered native. Honey bees have elaborate hives and an
intricate social system. Because a hive
can consist of hundreds of female bees, she will sting if provoked. Males or drones are only around for a short
time to mate with the queen. Males
cannot sting.
This native bee is a leafcutter bee. It cut small bites out of plant leaves to seal its brood cells. Native bees are docile so chances of getting stung are slim. Learn more about bees at the Halifax Farmers Market on July 11.
Native bees
for the most part are solitary bees.
This means that the female is solely responsible for the continuation of
the species. The only native bee that is
social is the bumblebee. They have small
hives with a queen. At the end of the
season, all the bumble bees die except a queen who will go dormant in the
winter, emerge in the spring and start a new hive. The solitary female bees are very
docile. They either cannot sting or are
very reluctant to since this would mean the end of her life with unfinished
business. After mating, the female bee
creates cells in a hollow structure which can be hollow plant stems or holes in
trees made by birds or insects. Within
the cell, the egg is surrounded by what is termed bee bread. This bee bread is made of pollen and nectar
the female has collected. Then she
closes the cell with mud or chewed up plant parts. Generally unfertilized eggs are laid close to
the nest entrance. These become the
males who emerge first. Just like men
tend to hang around the Ladies Room when they are looking for some action, the
males hang around the nest awaiting a female to emerge for mating.
Solitary
bees have a complete metamorphosis consisting of four stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. We only see the adult stage since the others
take place in the brood nest. The egg
remains in this stage for about three weeks before hatching into a grub like
larva. At this stage the larva will eat
the bee bread and continue to grow until time to form into a pupa. During this stage the pupa will take on adult
features and be wrapped in a protective covering for eight to nine months. When emerging the bee will be a fully
functional adult ready to eat, mate and build her own brood nests.
You can attract these docile bees to your garden by
providing native plants. Courthouse
Plants will be setting up along side the Master Gardeners. Jason Weaver said he started his Courthouse
Plants business from his love of birds.
He thought about what do birds need to thrive and the answer is
insects. What brings in insects – native
plants. Native plants are simply defined
as plants that were here when the colonists came. Unlike non-native plants, especially invasive
aliens, native plants perform ecosystem services to wildlife. A real plus about natives is that they are
perfectly suited to our clay soils and our hot summers. They don’t want to be fertilized and don’t
need irrigation. For the most part, deer
don’t like them. But they are beautiful
additions to our gardens.
So come out and make a simple
bee house that the female may use to lay her eggs. All supplies needed will be provided and
there is no charge to participate. This
is fun for both adults and kids. While
there, purchase some native plants which are often difficult to find in our
local nurseries or big box stores. The
market has vendors with fresh produce, eggs, local honey and many craft items
inside the building. The Halifax Market
is open from 8 to 1 and the Master Gardeners will be there from 9 to noon. Hope to see you there!
