Urban Farm Hub

By Alex Jones

Recently I took the plunge into the world of beekeeping with a 3lb package of bees from a local store. I got honey bees to help with my fruit tree and vegetable pollination. With poor fruit pollination over the past couple of seasons I thought the bees could be the missing link. And to be honest, I really want the honey! So far it has been a fast pace learning curve with most of my time devoted to keeping my colony healthy.

3 lbs package of bees from a local store. (photo credit: Garrett Okrasinski)

Much of the national media attention has been directed towards honey bee decline with “colony collapse disorder” resulting from pesticides containing neonicotinoids. While honey bees are great pollinators that take care of 80% of plant pollination, they are non-native to North America. The other 20%, the native pollinators are also in decline.

Native pollinators like mason bees, bumble bees, and butterfly populations are declining due to pesticide use, but the main reason is loss of habitat. As our city grows, more and more land is occupied by buildings creating islands that separate pollinators from their homes and pollination sources. Some gardening techniques, like using weed barrier cloth and mulch, can reduce native pollinator’s ability to build hives.

One way to attract native pollinators is to build hives like the currently popular mason bee movement. Mason bee homes can be constructed in various ways to provide holes in which they can lay their eggs.

A Mason Bee heading home with pollen.

To support bumble bees, you can build nests using 4-inch PVC piping cut in to two-foot lengths. Simply drill 1/8 inch holes at the bottom end of the pipe and drill a large hole in the top side of the PVC.

Bumble Bee Hive without the top on.

Planting is the best way providing pollinators with a food source (as well as the added benefit of pollinating your plants at the same time). Picking plants that have not been treated with neonicotinoids are best. Native plants are preferable because they tend to be good food source and will be hardy in your garden. Bridging gaps so that pollinators are connected requires a bit more cooperation with your neighbors. Planting in a parking strip along a city block can be a good way to do this. This way our flowers and vegetables and most importantly, native pollinators, can all benefit.

Alex Jones is a geologist by study but a gardener by heart. Loving to be outdoors with his hands dirty, he is constantly learning and experimenting with his backyard in Ballard and his community garden plot. He recently became a “father” of two chickens, and thousands of bees.