Create a Pollinator-Friendly Habitat in Your Own Yard!

When landscaping for pollinators, there’s a (very understandable) tendency  to focus on flowers. Flowers provide essential pollen and nectar for  bees and other insects, and also add vibrant color and ornate beauty to  our yards and parks. However, flowers, alone, aren’t enough to meet the  basic needs of pollinators. In order to help insects to build and  sustain successful populations in our residential and developed  landscapes, we also need to provide shelter for these animals, specifically by increasing the availability and quality of their nesting and overwintering habitat.

So, where DO insects make their homes? Given the astounding diversity  in insects (even within “pollinators” and other more-narrow groupings),  the answer isn’t simple. That said, there are a few running themes that  are useful for gardeners, landscapers and wildlife enthusiasts to know  about. Most bees and solitary (i.e., non-aggressive) wasps create small  nests beneath the soil, or within dead plant stems or branches. Some  bees and many other insects find or build cozy cavities within tree  snags or logs, with different insects settling in and moving out as the  wood transforms through various stages of decay. Other insects such as  butterflies, moths, fireflies, lady beetles, and ground beetles seek  shelter in places that offer protection from predators and the elements,  such as leaf litter and piles of rock or brush. Similarly, bumble bee  nests are often found under woody plants, tall grasses, brush piles,  rock piles, or hidden among vegetation.

Moving Beyond Flowers

While flowering plants provide pollinators with food, insects also  require  suitable  shelter  for  nesting  and  overwintering.  Most  bees  and  wasps  create  small  nests  beneath  the  soil  or  within dead plant stems or cavities in wood. Other beneficial insects such as butterflies, wasps, moths, fireflies, lady beetles, and ground beetles seek shelter in places that offer protection from predators and the elements, such as leaf litter and brush piles.The More, The BetterThe  primary  habitat  features  used  by  pollinators  and  other  insects   for   shelter   include   stems   and   branches   of   trees,   shrubs, and wildflowers; leaf litter; undisturbed ground; bare ground; dead wood; brush piles; and rock piles. Retaining and incorporating as many of these features as possible into your landscape (rather than “cleaning” them away) will help attract and support a diversity of bees and other beneficial insects.Why Natural Is BestThe  availability  of  nesting  and  overwintering  habitat  is  one  of  the  most  important  factors  influencing  populations  of  native   bees   and   other   beneficial   insects.   Yet,   traditional   landscaping practices rarely leave enough natural resources to support pollinators and other wildlife. This guide focuses on a variety of natural nesting habitat features that can be readily incorporated  into  most  landscapes.  Compared  to  artificial  nesting  options  such  as  bee  blocks  and  bee  hotels,  natural  nesting  habitat  features  often  better  mimic  the  natural  nest  site  density  of  insects,  and  also  break  down  naturally  with  time,  limiting  disease  and  parasite  issues.  Moreover,  natural  nesting features often provide multiple conservation benefits. An  appropriately  managed  wildflower  planting,  for  example,  can  provide  nesting  sites,  pollen,  and  nectar  for  bees;  host  plants and overwintering habitat for butterflies; and abundant food for songbirds.