How to Help Bumble Bees
The plight of honeybees is well publicized. But you don’t hear much about other bees that need our help, and that’s too bad because many other kinds of bees are also disappearing fast. In this column, I’m hoping to raise awareness about what’s happening to bumble bees, particularly the rusty patched bumble bee. It’s not too late to help.
Rusty patched bumble bee—Xerces Society, by Johanna James-Heinz
Of the 48 bumble bee species in North America, several are considered to be in decline for a variety of reasons. But in December of 2016, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared that the rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) was endangered because their numbers had declined by 87 percent over the past 20 years.
A happy bumble bee (not rusty patched) collecting pollen. —iStock
One of Minnesota’s declining bumble bee species, the rusty patched bumble bee was the first bee species in the continental U.S. to be declared endangered, but it probably won’t be the last. Minnesota is one of the few states where rusty patched bumble bees can still be found, and they are most commonly spotted in the Twin Cities area.
Reasons for the decline of bumble bees mirror those of other bees: pesticide use, climate change, habitat loss and disease have all seemingly contributed to their demise. The situation is dire, but there are positive things gardeners can do to help. A good place to start is to stop using pesticides, or at least limit their use. Next, if you have a big yard and can allow a small space or two to include a few little piles of leaves or brush, queen bumble bees will thank you for the nice places to nest.
Rusty patched bumble bee specimen in the National Collection at the Smithsonian.
Because bumble bees are out early in spring and are active before many plants are in bloom, consider adding some early-spring-flowering bulbs, perennials, shrubs and trees to your yard, like plums, hazelnut, witch hazel, willows, grape hyacinth, scilla (one of my favorite spring plants), snowdrops, crocus, hellebore and Virginia bluebells. Of course, there are many other plants that can be added to your gardens to help bumble bees and other pollinators too.
Unlike honeybees, bumble bees don’t have a lot of honey stored in their nests, so they depend on available flowers.The University of Minnesota’s bee lab has a lot of helpful information on bees on its website, including Plants for Minnesota Bees, which lists several flowering plants that bees like that are suited to most home landscapes. Remember to include plants that offer nectar and pollen because bees need both the protein from pollen and the carbohydrates from nectar to survive.
Rough blazingstar
—Courtesy of Prairie Nursery
In addition to planting bumble bee favorites like blueberries, tomatoes, borage, sage, oregano and thyme, here are some standouts to consider from the bee lab’s list, as well as other sources:
- Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
- Autumn joy sedum (Hylotelephium telephium)
- Beebalm (Monarda fistulosa)
- Catmint (Nepeta x fassenii)
- Cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum)
- Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum)
- Honeysuckle vine (Lonicera)
- Ironweed (Vernonia fasiculata)
- Partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata)
- Primroses (Primula vulgaris)
- Rough blazingstar (Liatris aspera)
- Sea holly (Eryngium maritimum)
- Stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida)
- Wild geranium (Geranium maculatum)
To learn more about bumble bees, including more information on why they are disappearing and what their needs are in terms of habitat, nesting and overwintering, have a look at this section of the Xerces Society’s website.
I’d also like to suggest two great books about pollinators by local authors: Pollinator Friendly Gardening by Rhonda Hayes and Pollinators of Native Plants by Heather Holm.
—A version of this story appeared in Northern Gardener magazine.
