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- Use heirloom varieties, which tend to have more fragrance, pollen and nectar.
- Plant a variety
of native flowering plants in your garden. Bees tend to prefer pink, purple, and yellow flowers and need food from early
spring to late fall.
- Leave grass, hay and old logs to provide nesting habitat
- Stay away from pesticides
and insecticides
- Support organic agriculture
- Don't worry about removing colonies on your property unless it
is in a high traffic area.
Keep an eye out for declining species: Some bumblebees have recently suffered dramatic declines and are becoming extremely hard to find.
If you find a Franklin's or Rusty-Patched bumblebee, please contact me (scolla@yorku.ca) or the Xerces society (bumblebees@xerces.org) Below are some resources to help you with your seach.
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| Photo of the rusty patched bumble bee by Johanna James-Heinz (from www.xerces.org) |
Xerces Society pocket guide for Bombus affinis (Rusty-patched bumblebee)identification
Xerces Society -Bumblebees in Decline
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