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