Save the bees, save the wine

As a beekeeper I have a lot of conversations with people about pollination and pollinators. Most people I speak with love the idea of having a bee hive but they don’t know enough about it, don’t want to have a hive of their own due to allergies or fear of tiny humans getting into the hive, or they just don’t have the time to dedicate to learning a new hobby. The good news is that you don’t have to have a beehive in order to help save the bees (and our wine).

The fuzzy little honey bee gets most of the limelight when it comes to pollination but the truth is that she’s doing just (mostly) fine. Our other pollinators—which includes butterflies, birds, paper wasps (yes I know), beetles, moths, ants, bats, and thousands of native bees— don’t get a lot of love but they do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to our food and wine production.

Of all the pollinators found in the garden, the honey bees are the most common. They are the most visible and sexy because they produce that liquid gold that humans love. However there over 20,000 bee species worldwide, with 4,000 native to the United States. In Colorado, we’re blessed with 946 species of native bees. (Source: CSU Extension Office) It’s these girls (and some guys) that we need to be concerned about. TED Talk: Our rapid development of these native pollinators’ habitats is doing more damage to biodiversity than you may think.

You guys, we could lose chocolate! And wine!

You don’t need to be a beekeeper to save the bees

When I first moved into my urban oasis, my backyard was a water hog. So. Much. Bluegrass. While I loooooooove green grass I hate to pay the water bill. Year after year I’ve cut down the amount of grass and added in more natural areas for critters and crawlers to enjoy. When I became a beekeeper I started dreaming up fields of lavender, mint, sage, yarrow and other pollinator friendly, water wise plants.

This spring I plan to cut down my lawn even more and add in hundreds of flowering plants to attract and feed my local pollinators. You, too, can help save the bees and other native pollinators by converting lawn to flowering plants.

Plants For Lazy Gardeners & Pollinators

The list of plants for pollinator habitats are different for every part of Colorado. Our state ranges from desert to forest, plains to farmland. In my little corner of Colorado I want to ensure that my plants are 1) low maintenance for me (lazy gardener), and 2) bloom from early spring through summer and as late into the fall as possible to provide continual resources for pollinators. Native plants that would do the trick include:

Early-Season

• Blue Flax – Linum lewisii

• Pasque flower – Pulsatilla patens

Mid-Season

• Asters (many options available, check with local nursery

• Yarrow – Achillea millefolium

• Flowering trees including willows and black locust

Late-Season

• Rocky Mountain bee plant – Cleome serrulata

• Common sunflower – Helianthus annuus

• Goldenrod – Solidago spp.

• Late season flowering shrubs

• Rabbitbrush – Chrysothamnus nauseosus

Sources CSU Extension Office and Tagawa Gardens

These are just a few plants that I’m looking into for my garden transformation. By replacing lawn with flowering, low maintenance and low water, plants I should have more money and time left over to enjoy that wine. Cheers!

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