Archive for the ‘Beneficial Insects’ Category

Build A Hotel To Invite Beneficial Insects

Insect hotels are intended for most (not all) sorts of pollinators. They’re easy to construct from new or recycled materials. These structures should be weatherproof as they serve as year-round shelters for bees, wasps, ladybugs, and others that may hibernate over winter. Insect hotels are essentially the same as “wildlife walls” as they invite multiple […]

Our Native Bumblebees In Trouble

In 2017 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recognized 10 more animal species as Endangered Species, giving them protections under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. These 10 species include 7 species of bees. Endangered status would afford the rusty-patched bumblebee protection under federal law. Honeybees, which are not native to the U.S., build and live […]

Hard Working Perennials For Your Late Summer Garden

Add several fall-flowering perennials to your garden that will add late season color and pizzazz . These are reliable tough perennials, and beneficial pollinators love them.  Visit garden centers in August to make your purchases. However, for these great plants to return next year and subsequent years, plants need to get their root systems established. […]

50+ Flowering Pollen/Nectar Plants For Bumblebees

Here are three key points in planning your pollination garden. To attract U.S. native bumblebees: First, add both early(*), mid-summer, and late(**) flowers in the mix for a three seasons long garden. Second, mass together many of the same kinds of flowers, not just one or two plants, so that bees will spot them easier and to visit the planting frequently. […]

Unique Life Cycle Of Bumble Bees

  Bumble bees (Bombus spp.) are highly beneficial insects that pollinate native wildflowers, fruits, vegetables, and many agricultural crops. They’re large robust insects with an easily identifiable black and yellow hairy abdomen. Hundreds of branched hairs pick up and transfer pollen from flowers. About 50 species of bumble bees inhabit North America. They share some common traits […]

Beware! Yellow Jackets

  Most humans fear and hate yellow jackets. They are actually wasps and important predators of several harmful insects. They’re easily identified by their distinctive markings along their abdomen. They tend to dart about rapidly, in a side-to-side flight pattern. Female yellow jackets are the ones capable of stinging. Wasps (Vespula spp.) are not bees; they’re brightly colored […]

Delightful Dragonflies And Damselflies

                Watch them flitter… Dragonflies and damselflies, also called “darning needles” and “dining needles”, are common spring/summer inhabitants in many U.S. gardens, particularly around water gardens, streams and other water features, where they reproduce. Adults lay eggs on the plants around the water’s edge; the nymphs hatch from the […]