5 ways to incorporate bees in permaculture without beekeeping

I hear from folks who want the benefits of bees, but don’t have the time, budget, or interest in managing hives. Here are a few ways to benefit from pollinators without managing hives.

Using natural materials and capitalizing on borders, like a split rail fence, can create habitat for bees without the need for hive management.

One of the things that charmed me when we bought our home was the split rail fence. More than a decade ago, we first visited our home in November and didn’t close until February. During that winter the fence represented the character of moving to a rural setting. A few weeks after we moved in, we quickly learned that the 400’ fence line also served as a home to countless carpenter bees. (We also learned from neighbors that the original owners had paid workers $0.50 per post to install the fence back when the home was built in the 1970s. What a deal!)

At the time we moved in I had no interest in gardening and I was actually afraid of bees. When checking the mail, I would run past the hovering carpenter bees in fear that they would come after me. We also have one that lives somewhere near our front deck and hovers a few feet from the front door. A descendent of that bee still hovers by the front door each spring. Now I know better and don’t bother running. Instead I say ‘hi’ to the bee when coming in and out of the house.

I’ll start the list of bees-without-beekeeping methods with fencing since this approach has provided habitat for powerful pollinators on our property not only for the decade that we’ve lived in it, but also for nearly 50 years.

1. Fencing or strategic borders. Structure wooden fencing without pressure-treated materials. Whether it’s a decorative fence for a garden bed, property border, or along a driveway, wooden fences can serve a visual divider between spaces while at the same time providing pollinator habitat. According to the U.S. Forest Service, carpenter bees live a few years and are not only excellent pollinators for flowers, but also vegetables, particularly tomatoes and eggplant. I often hear people talk about how carpenter bees are a nuisance, and they can be if they tunnel their nests into decks and homes. By giving them a more attractive home (fence line), they’ll have few reasons to choose other real estate.

2. Dead trees and logs. Leaving fallen trees, stumps, and large branches near (or even incorporated into) a garden essentially creates wild pollinator hotels. Mason bees, carpenter bees, bumble bees, and other pollinators can thrive with this habitat. Among the many types of bumble bees, some prefer wooden cavities while others create nests in grass, birdhouses, or in the ground.

3. Don’t disturb the ground. As mentioned, many types of bumble bees create ground nests. At the same time, yellow jackets and some other wasps use the ground too. Practicing no-till, minimizing mowing, and avoiding chemical inputs not only helps to build soil health, but it also allows for ecological benefits. Solitary ground-nesting bees may move in. If something undesirable like yellow jackets or ground hornets moves in, maintaining the practice of not disturbing the soil can help prevent harm to people and pets. It also allows you to observe and identify where the nest is located and which species moved in so that you can decide how to manage them. I planned to sit on a log near one of my apiaries last year, but took a few moments to observe the space before I sat down. Fortunately, taking a minute to check the undisturbed land allowed me to see a yellow jacket nest entrance where the ground met one part of the log. It was exactly where I had planned to sit. Making the choice not to disturb the landscape helps prevent agitating colonies and learn their locations. (Depending on where you’re located and where a yellow jacket colony moves in, you might be able to safely leave it. Yellow jackets are an important food source for skunk, moles, and bear.)

4. Diverse perennial forage. One of the best things anyone can do for pollinators is to focus on biodiversity. Even among the many species of bumble bees, some are able to access nectar in long blooms, while others aren’t anatomically equipped to reach nectar in those types of flowers. Offering diverse forage attracts and supports diverse foragers. In addition to biodiversity, focusing on perennial forage is not only less effort for the landowner, but provides wildlife with a recurring food source.

5. Rent mason bees. Only one organization rents mason bees and they’re logically named Rent Mason Bees (RMB). Available for backyard residential folks and commercial 100+ acre operations, RMB sends a mason bee kit in early spring, then you send the kit back at the end of the season. They take care of cleaning the materials and storing the cocooned, hibernating bees. This can be a helpful service for folks establishing a permaculture landscape. While waiting for local species to take up residence in created habitats, renting mason bees can help the landscape thrive and grow. One mason bee does the work of 10,000 honey bees. Mason bees are highly-effective, non-venomous, low-maintenance pollinators. You could also build and maintain a mason bee hotel and strategically site it around the garden or larger property.

Hopefully one or more of these methods will appeal to you if you’re not interested in being a beekeeper, or just need to take a break from it. Let me know how you’re making space for pollinators in your landscape.