We spend a lot of time on this show talking about what we plant — the natives, the pollinator favorites, the plants that do the heavy lifting in a healthy garden. But today, I want to flip that around and talk about who’s actually using all that habitat that we work so hard to create. […]
There are around 4,000 species of wild, native bees in North America, though imported, domesticated honeybees seem to be the bees that get all the attention when it comes to conservation. To help us learn about native bees and their value, joining me on the podcast this week is entomologist and wild bee expert Dr. […]
Pollinator Week kicks off on June 19th, so I welcomed Kelly Bills, the executive director of Pollinator Partnership, to the podcast to talk about all the great work the organization does and how gardeners can get involved during Pollinator Week and year-round. Kelly has been with Pollinator Partnership, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, for […]
When it comes to bees, everyone’s familiar with the iconic honeybee, but what many don’t realize is that honeybees are not native to North America. The 4,000 or so native bee species in the United States behave much differently than honeybee colonies and are generally not well understood. To educate us on the diversity of […]
While many people understand that native plants are important, there’s often a large gap in understanding which pollinators rely on them. So understanding how to attract, observe, and identify these essential insects is vital to our role in helping them survive and promote biological diversity within the species. To discuss the importance of bees, wasps, […]
Save the bees! That’s a statement becoming more commonly heard these days. The decline in honeybee populations has been a hot topic in recent years, but there is another story to be told. Our greatest ally in the home garden and food production across the U.S. isn’t the honeybee at all – it’s actually the […]
Does your garden or landscape attract pollinators? Attracting – and protecting – pollinators is something many of us have become more concerned about in recent years and for good reason. The combination of wide-scale pesticide use and habitat loss are two of the biggest culprits to the problem. While it’s unfortunate that we are facing […]
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