Bees

Project Description:
This was a two-year study being conducted by Saint Louis University with support from Missouri Department of Conservation in St. Louis' 23rd Ward and Holly Hills neighborhoods.  2015-2017
Figure 1. Project hypothesis. Solid lines show known driving factors and dashed lines show information the project team will provide.

With Information about City-Wide Bee Diversity we will host Educational Bee Conservation Workshops to inform your Lawn-care & Planting Decisions. We have seeds, resources, yard signs, and access to experts to help. 

Lawn-care & Planting Decisions increase Floral Diversity which increases Bee Diversity of Target Sites which increases City-wide Diversity. 
Background:
  • ​1 in every 3 bites of food we eat is pollinated by a bee.
  • Bees are declining globally due to a combination of factors. 
  • However, in the midst of a pollinator health crisis, scientists are finding surprisingly high numbers of bee species in cities that are absent in nearby rural lands. 
  • Our team of faculty and students have been sampling 30 sites within St. Louis for the past 4 years. We have found that St. Louis has ~166 species of native and wild bees, including the well-known and loved European Honeybee.
  • The key contributor to pollinator health is floral resources (flower nectar and pollen). To improve urban bee species health and diversity is easy: Plant more flowers! 
  • Because most bees are tiny and require little habitat, this is an environmental problem where one person can make a difference. 
What we're studying: 
We are using long-term bee sampling data and science communication to explore: Can communities plant our way out of a pollinator health crisis? 
​
What we're doing:
Encouraging residents in two St. Louis neighborhoods to increase the number and variety of flowers in their yards, public places, and commercial properties to help urban bees.

How we will know it's working:
We are sampling bees weekly at the sites to monitor any measurable increases in bee species diversity and abundance (metrics of bee health) due to increased bee habitat.

These 2 neighborhoods: were selected as project sites because they have the lowest numbers of unique bee species of any of our 30 sites. This means they are well-positioned to have the greatest measurable increases in species due to voluntary management changes.

What to Do: Listed from highest impact 

1. Plant Flowers, shrubs, & trees that Attract Bees & Butterflies


The best predictor of bee and butterfly health (abundance & diversity) is number of flowers.
A variety of flowers that bloom throughout the season are best
Early blooming flowers are  critical for determining how many offspring native bees have per year. 

Plant Lists for St. Louis- Show these lists to your garden center staff. 
Plant Lists with Advice for Planting & Landscape Design 
Additional Resources from trusted Sources
Picture
Mary Meyers

2. Mowing: less = more flowers

3. Mulching: less = more nest sites
In addition to planting flowers, studies have shown that mowing your grass less frequently increases the number of bees visiting your yards flowers found in older grass mixes. 

One study (Lerman et al. 2018) found:
Mow one every week: 0% increase 
Mow once every two weeks: 60% increase in number of bees
Mow once every three weeks: 300% increase in number of bees 

We have yard signs available (free) for those who want to communicate to their neighbors that they are mowing less this year for the health of bees and to help with our study. Tell us if you want a sign in the comment box below. 

Bottom line: Mowing less = More flowers
A majority of bees are ground-nesting bees.
They require bare un-mulched soil to reproduce offspring.

One study found:
​Gardens with less mulched area had more diverse species of bees.
Less mulch = more bees

Leave some bare ground near plants you want pollinated. 
Leave bare ground in areas that get little foot traffic. 


Bottom line: Mulching less = More sites for ground nesters
Picture
Ryan Kaldari

4. Bee Condos & Keep Native Bees

   Notes on Native Bees
For those who want to create nesting habitat for cavity nesting bees, making "bee condos" is simple.  Drill holes into a block of wood, fallen log, or dead tree stump. 

1/4" or Smaller holes = 3" to 5" in length
1/4" or Larger holes= Greater than 5" in length

Line the hole with paper. See this 4 min. video for more tips. 

Our favorite videos: Building a bee condo.
To see a Bee Condo in action.
Nests for native bees- from Xerces
​Tunnel Nests for native bees- from Xerces
​
 Experienced woodworkers: 
Send us your pics of bee houses, bee condos, etc. 
​
Difference between Native bees & Honeybees:
The Bee Chronicles 2

Stinging: All bees do not sting—less than half of all bee species sting.
Of those, only females have stingers and among those, not all have a hive or colony to defend.
Bees will always be more interested in pollinating flowers than bothering to sting you.
​
​For more: 
Myth:All Bees Sting
Inviting Bees to Your Property: Pollinator Partnership
​

Workshop Slides

Download Slides Here  ----->

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Workshop Transcript

                                                                         Download Slides Here  ----->

​                                              View Transcript Below. 
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Two Ways to Contact Us:

    Stay Informed about the Project

    Feedback
Pollinator-friendly gardens attract pollinators. For example, I surveyed bees on green roofs and in city parks in Chicago.   I collected a new bee species to Illinois (a new state record!) from the middle of Millennium Park in the Lurie Garden, which is full of beautiful native prairie plants...
            If a small garden smack in the middle of Chicago can support such a rare species indicative of high-quality habitat, imagine the conservation potential if everyone had at least one patch of wildflowers blooming in their yard.  
--Rebecca Tonietto, Huffington Post

Study Site Maps:
If you live or work within the circles, we need your help. 

Project Site 1: Ward 23
Tilles Park Neighborhood, Lindenwood Park, Northampton, & Southampton

Send us your yard pictures!
Email to [email protected]

Pollinator-friendly Yards of Ward 23

Your Ward 23 pictures here. 

Ward 23 Project Flyer
project_flyer_ward23_2016_final.pdf
File Size: 499 kb
File Type: pdf
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Project Site 2: Holly Hills 

Send us your yard pictures!
Email to [email protected]

Pollinator-friendly Yards of Holly Hills.

Your Holly Hills pictures here.

Holly Hills Project Flyer
project_flyer_hh_2016_final.pdf
File Size: 347 kb
File Type: pdf
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Press
NewsWorks.org- "Wild bees are trading in rural life for the big city" 5 Jan 2017
http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/thepulse/item/100157-wild-bees-are-trading-in-rural-life-for-the-big-city

St. Louis Public Radio- "SLU scientists study wild bees to learn why they prefer cities as habitats" 29 Oct 2016 
http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/slu-scientists-study-wild-bees-learn-why-they-prefer-cities-habitats#stream/0

Science Daily- "Cities can serve as a refuge for insect pollinators" 3 Oct 2016
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161003104133.htm

Phys.org - "Scientists show cities can serve as a refuge for insect pollinators" 30 Sept 2016
http://phys.org/news/2016-09-scientists-cities-refuge-insect-pollinators.html

GrowerTalks Magazine. "The city as a refuge for insect pollinators"18 November 2016. 
http://www.ballpublishing.com/newterrain/Newsletter.aspx?article=2095

NewTerrain  “The city as a refuge for insect pollinators.” 15 Nov 2016
http://www.newterrain.us/urban-ecology/the-city-as-a-refuge-for-insect-pollinators/

Project Partners

Bees