The bees typically provision each ‘brood cell’ (chamber) in the nest with a ball of nectar and pollen on which their larvae feed and develop. The so-called ‘carpenter’ bees ( Xylocopa spp.) excavate their own tunnels in dead wood, but can be deterred from damaging wooden structures by applying paints or stains. Preferred nesting sites vary: some native bees nest in the ground, excavating tunnels that may reach a foot or more below the soil surface, while others use existing holes in dead wood or hollow plant stems, eventually plugging the entrance with mud or finely chewed plant material.
Some species show intermediate, ‘gregarious’ nesting behavior, whereby each female forms their own nest but in close proximity to the nests of other females of the same species. Most native bees, in contrast, are either ‘solitary’ species that nest and raise their brood alone or form only relatively small colonies (e.g., bumble bees ( Bombus spp.)). Large-scale fruit and nut growers often rent hives of honeybees to ensure pollination of their plants, and the fact that honeybees can form large ‘social’ colonies makes them well-adapted to transport and intensive management of this type. The familiar European honeybee ( Apis mellifera), as its name suggests, is not native to the US, but is a semi-domesticated species introduced to provide honey and pollinate crops. Native bees and how they differ from honeybees Information on techniques for enhancing bee habitat is also included. This publication, funded by the Western Integrated Pest Management Center, is intended as an introductory guide to the main groups of native bees that you might expect to see visiting such plants. New Mexico State University and the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s NM Plant Materials Center are collaborating in testing more than 200 species of (mostly native) plants for their survival, ease of cultivation, and ability to attract and sustain pollinators and other beneficial insects. Research indicates that native bees can often fill the ‘pollination gap’ when honeybees are scarce, and there is increasing interest in growing flowering plants to help sustain our native bees, honeybees, and other beneficial insects.
In recent years, however, honeybee populations have declined in many parts of the world due to the phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder. Honeybees and wild native bees pollinate approximately 75% of the fruits and vegetables grown in the US. Dreesen, Natural Resources Conservation Service Plant Materials Center, Los Lunas, NM Grasswitz, New Mexico State University, Agricultural Science Center, Los Lunas, NMĭavid R.
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