INTRODUCTION
Every gardener knows that bees are a common sight in their garden. Not everyone, however, knows what a vital role these tiny, diligent workers play amidst their flowers and vegetables. With the exception of root vegetables and herbs, everything we grow in our gardens to eat is the product of the pollination of a flower. While many flowers are wind or bird pollinated, many of the plants we grow for food are pollinated by bees, and without adequate visits from these insects would either set no fruits at all, or set dramatically smaller, misshapen, poor quality fruits. Plants in the squash family in particular rely heavily on bees, due to their separate male and female flowers and subsequent lack of ability to self-pollinate – they even have their own specialist type of squash bee. Gardeners who want the best possible harvest would do well to make their gardens as welcoming as possible to bees! This could involve becoming a beekeeper if you are so inclined, or simply going to the effort to plant a few native wildflower species amidst the other plants in your garden. This guide will introduce you to some of the details of the bees’ life cycle, give ideas for plants that can be added to a garden to encourage bee visits, and introduce the practical facts about urban beekeeping.
BEE-FRIENDLY GARDENS AND URBAN BEEKEEPING
