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Native Bees in the Willamette Valley
© Jen Bergh 2011
PNW Native Bees
Estimated 879 species in 5 families
• Andrenidae – mining bees• Colletidae – plasterer bees• Halictidae – sweat bees• Megachilidae – leaf cutter bees• Apidae – bumblebees, sunflower bees
Solitary to socialSpecialist and generalist feedersPollinate crops and native plants
[1] Michener CD. 2007. [2] Stephen WP. 1969. [13] Danforth et al. 2006.
Bumble Bees
11+ species of Bumble Bee in the Willamette Valley
Social beesColonies with 1 queen and many workersNest in rodent burrows, soil, bird houses, homes
Generalist feedersEconomically important pollinators• Blueberries• Red clover
[1] Michener CD. 2007. [2] Stephen WP. 1969.
Bombus mixtus females
Queen
Workers
Bombus vosnesenskii
Solitary Bees
[15] Photo: Aaron Schusteff, USFWS, NPS, Sankax, Erik Blosser.
Digger Bees Long-horned Bees Sunflower Bees
Small Carpenter Bees
Sweat Bees Mason Bees Leafcutter Bees
Soil and stem nesters, generalist & specialist feeders, important pollinators of native plants
Preserving Native Bee Populations
Native bees provide the ecosystem services of pollination
Bees need:• Flowering plants for pollen, nectar, and plant resin resources• Sequential bloom of favored plants: February to October• Nesting habitat
Ideas to help sustain and enhance local bee communities:• Plant bee friendly, long blooming plants• Leave patches of bare ground in your garden• Leave the weeds: clover, dandelion, English daisy, yarrow, thistle• Preserve any nests you discover: compost piles, dead wood, dried out plant material• Apply chemicals at night
Plants for BeesA new resource under development
Jen Bergh and Sujaya RaoDepartment of Crop and Soil Science, Oregon State UniversityThe Pacific Northwest Bee Plants Online Database
Goal: Describe plants and propose landscape schemes that provide season-long floral resources
Target Users: gardeners, commercial growers, landscape professionals, and land managers
Features: Searchable database with hundreds of forbs, natives and cultivated plant speciesFilter searches to specific goals:
Plants by color, size or other characteristic (eg., annual, perennial, native, cultivated)Plants by landscape style (eg., meadow, native, woodland, cottage garden, Mediterranean,
xeric)Plants by water requirements….and more!
For more information or to be notified when the database is available: jennifer.bergh@oregonstate.edu or sujaya@oregonstate.edu© Jen Bergh 2011
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