Building Buzz: Community Efforts to Support Native Bees (Ep. 50)

In a world where wild and native bees face increasing threats, it’s crucial to come together and protect these vital pollinators. With their integral role in maintaining biodiversity, our buzzing friends need the support of communities everywhere. Today, we’re talking about fun ways to aid our neighborhood bees through the inspiring initiatives of Environment America.

This episode is part of Podcasthon, a global event supporting charities worldwide through podcasts. Our guest is Caroline Wagar, a federal legislative associate with Environment America. Among their top priorities is the “Save the Bees” campaign, which aims to halt the decline of wild bee populations through advocating for pollinator habitat programs and banning bee-killing pesticides. 

Caroline mentioned a couple of resources, including how to avoid bee-killing pesticides and an inspiring article from The Cool Down, about one person’s tiny pollinator space in the midst of a big city. If you are interested in learning more about pesticide legislation around the world; check out these resources from the UK, EU, and Australia. 

Good to know

We’ve discussed pesticides and their effects on bees in past episodes. In episode 33, we looked at pesticides in agricultural practices and their impact on bumble bees; we talked about how insecticides affect bees’ sleep and how pesticide exposure affects bee health in episode 19. 

Transcript

[00:00:00] Welcome to the Bee’s Knees, a podcast wild about native bees. Wild and native bees are under threat worldwide. In each episode, we look at actionable things we can do to support these adorable little guys whose pollination work is crucial for maintaining biodiversity. I’m Jacy Meyer and I thank you for being here.

This year. I’m thrilled to be part of Podcasthon , a global charity podcast event, bringing together hundreds of different podcasts throughout the month, each dedicated to their favorite charities. In this special episode, I’m excited to support Environment America, an organization close to my heart for their incredible work in protecting our natural world.

Today, we’ll explore the amazing initiatives they undertake and gain expert advice on how we can creatively and joyfully help our neighborhood bees. Let’s go. Can you please introduce us to Environment America and your [00:01:00] work surrounding native bees?

Yeah, so my name is Caroline. I’m a federal legislative associate with Environment America.

We’re a non profit policy and action group, and we just have one mission, and that’s to protect the natural world. So we advocate for wildlife and wild places, both for their own sake and the awe that they bring us. We also work to reduce plastic pollution, so nothing we use for five minutes pollutes our oceans for hundreds of years.

And we champion renewable energy and energy conservation so we can power our lives with less pollution. One of our top priorities is our Save the Bees campaign. So we’re working to stop the decline of our wild bee populations and support them by advocating for pollinator habitat programs. Bans on bee killing pesticides, and encouraging the use of more native plants.

We are a grassroots organization, so we’re totally people powered. Um, we have our federal [00:02:00] office here in D. C., as well as 30 state groups across the country.

I’m excited to pick your brain about all your wild bee knowledge. So, to kick us off, what are the most effective steps we can take to make our gardens pollinator friendly, but also what common mistakes should we avoid?

Yeah, for sure. So, first one, which may seem obvious, is to make sure that your garden doesn’t have bee killing pesticides, particularly neonicotinoids, or neonics for short. So, we do have a tip guide on our website. Environmentamerica. org that you can check out. It’s just called how to avoid bee killing pesticides.

So it basically the tip guide includes the common ingredients that contain the most deadly pesticides for bees. Products of course aren’t going to advertise that they contain these bee killing chemicals. So it’s really important to know what you’re looking for. Another thing to be aware of is that a lot of times the plants or seeds that you’re [00:03:00] buying could be actually coated with bee killing pesticides.

Our group has worked with big companies like Home Depot and convince them to phase out plants and seeds that are coated with neonics. But unfortunately that’s not the case in every state. And there’s no way to know by looking at it, whether a seed has been coated with neonics. So make sure you’re asking the right questions, asking your local plant nursery and garden center, and if you’re unsure, just avoid buying it.

Another tip is that, you know, bees love a variety, so it’s important to make sure that you remove any invasive plants because they’ll make it really difficult for other plants in your garden to thrive. So you can do this by definitely looking up what plants are native to your region. The National Wildlife Federation has a great native plant finder.

You can also consult your native plant society. A lot of areas have those and they’re really helpful. Generally, there are often a lot of Different varieties of plants. So you might be thinking that you’re getting native, but [00:04:00] it’s actually maybe a hybrid non native. This has been an especially big issue with milkweed.

I know that this is a bee group, but lots of us are also thinking about ways to help monarchs and other pollinator. That’s at risk of extinction and. Milkweed, as we know, is the only plant that monarch caterpillars eat, so it’s extremely important for monarchs. Another thing is just having a variety of blooming seasons, so making sure your plants are blooming at different times of the year so that our bees are cared for year round.

And the final thing I’ll say is To leave sticks and leaves and things like that on the ground, these are actually really important for bees to be able to find shelter and habitat. Um, a lot of our native bees and ground nesting bees rely on these natural shelters. And when people rake their leaves and they take away all those sticks that, that bees love, they lose that vital shelter.

So I live in the city. And unfortunately do not have space for a garden. Could you share some tips on how [00:05:00] people living in urban areas can support wild bees in small spaces? I’m thinking about creating impact on their balconies or perhaps with a community garden.

Yeah, this is a great question because I have had a lot of family and friends.

You know, when they find out what I do asking, well, I live in the middle of downtown DC, or I’m in a tiny apartment in New York city. I don’t have a yard. I don’t have room for a garden. How can I still help? So a lot of times in cities, there are those community gardens. So that’s just a great place to start.

But you know, say you don’t have a community garden. You don’t have a yard, uh, something as simple as having a planter on your balcony with just a few wildflowers that our native bees love is a great start. Another option is if your building allows you to put plants on the roof. My sister actually lives in an apartment.

In Baltimore, Maryland, which is very much a concrete city. There’s no green spaces around. She doesn’t have a balcony, so she asked her landlord and [00:06:00] they actually let people put planters on the roof. So something as simple as asking your landlord, if you can put a couple pots up there with some native plants that our bees love can really make a difference.

You know, a lot of times people say, how much of a difference can a square foot really make? So I was reading this article on this website, The Cool Down, which I love. It’s just a small media outlet. They do lots of articles on native plants, urban gardening, pollinator friendly gardens. So this article was about a gentleman that lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, again, big concrete city.

So a few years ago, he actually got permission from the city to take out a three feet by three feet chunk out of the sidewalk in front of his house. In that space, he planted a native tree and a couple of wildflowers. And now this. Tiny nine square foot garden actually has 10 different species that bloom from spring to fall.

And he’s noticed a lot of different pollinators, native bees, leaf mining insects, really [00:07:00] enjoying the space. So it’s important to think about that when you have such a small space, you’re in an urban area, it’s really all about connectivity. It doesn’t matter if your tiny garden can support a million bees.

What matters is that now a bee passing through New York City Has a place to stop along the way. If just a couple people in every block in a major city does just a tiny little pollinator garden, that adds up to a lot of support and can really make a difference, not to mention, you know, it brings you a lot of joy in a place where you don’t normally see gardens and flowers and greenery.

These small gardens are really a welcome site.

Could you share some creative ideas for involving our neighbors and perhaps the wider community in supporting pollinators?

Yeah, totally. So one idea for how to get your community involved is with something called seed swaps. So you can organize an event at your local library, community center, or in your home, invite people in the neighborhood and in your [00:08:00] community to just come and share different plants.

People can bring cuttings, seeds, transplants. Anything they have and trade with your neighbors and community to really diversify your garden. And it’s just also just a really fun way to get to know your neighbors. Another way to get the community involved is with seed libraries. I don’t know if you had those growing up, but those take a book, leave a book, mini libraries.

It looks like a mailbox and there’s just some books and it has a little sign, but you can do that for seeds. So either putting a mini seed library right outside your house or asking your local library or community center. to get involved and place it in a more central location. And you can encourage people to swap seeds and again, really get a chance to diversify your garden.

And you know, with these different events, don’t be afraid to tell your neighbors about it, post about it on your neighborhood listserv, make flyers, put them up on telephone poles, knock on doors, inviting people to participate in these different events. You know, it’s not just a great way to [00:09:00] improve your garden.

It’s It’s a good way to connect with people and really get to know the people in your community. And for people that don’t have gardens or just aren’t interested in gardening, they can still get involved, inviting people over to write a letter to your representative, urging them to support bee friendly legislation, even hosting a neighborhood garden crawl.

These are really fun where you get together and you walk around your community and look at different gardens together. You can really get the whole community involved.

Those are some fantastic ideas. Thank you so much. So talking about advocating for bee friendly legislation, we have people from all over the world listening, but are there kind of some general pressing issues that we should all think about speaking up about?

Yeah, so I would say, First, when it comes to advocating for legislation, the most important thing is to really speak from your heart and your own personal experience about why you care about native bees. You know, you don’t [00:10:00] have to be a policy expert or a scientist, but legislators really care what their constituents think.

And these personal stories are really the most memorable. But if you are in the U. S. There are some specific pieces of legislation and opportunities to make a difference. So there’s the Monarch and Pollinator Highway Program, which is a federal grant program that provides funds for state departments of transportation to have pollinator programs and plant pollinator friendly habitat along roads and highways.

And I just love this program because it’s taking this unused land that we normally just either leave bare or maybe Bermuda grass or something and it’s Taking that and turning it into this beautiful haven for native bees and butterflies and other pollinators. So, something that everyone can do is, uh, just look up who represents your district in the House of Representatives, and they’ll have contact information or an online form on their website, and you can just reach out to them directly [00:11:00] and urge them to fund this program.

Another piece of legislation in the House of Representatives, is Is requiring federal agencies to consider and prioritize native plants in their landscaping, you know, over the years, the U S and around the world, we’ve gotten really, really good at planting invasive plants gotten super good at it. So now it’s time to get good at planting native plants and non invasive plants that can support our bees and contribute to a healthy ecosystem.

So again, just finding out who your representative is in Congress and reaching out to them. You can write a letter to them, urging them to support this bill.

So if you could encourage people to do just one thing to support native bees, what would it be?

Yeah, that’s a hard question, but I do think above all else, you know, the most important thing is to get other people involved.

You could be the best gardener that does everything to support our native bees. [00:12:00] You’re out there fighting for bee legislation, but it’s just you. So it’s hard to make a really big difference, you know, the crisis our native bees are facing is going to take all of us. So no matter how small the contribution, if we can get everyone involved in fighting for change, we really have a good shot at making a difference for our native bees.

So I find the best way to recruit people is just to talk about your story. You know, why you’re passionate about this issue. If you’re really passionate about protecting and supporting native bees, and you just love talking to people about different ways to get involved, people are really drawn to that.

So, I encourage everyone to just really be a leader, be an advocate, and get people excited about saving native bees.

I’m buzzing with ideas after that fantastic discussion with Caroline. From putting planters on apartment building roofs to hosting a seed swap, there are so many creative ways to support our neighborhood bees.

Caroline also shared various online [00:13:00] resources and articles, and you can find all the links on our website, thebeesknees. website. There, you’ll also find a link to Podcasthon , where you can explore more wonderful podcasts supporting amazing nonprofits from around the world. While Caroline focused on legislation and laws in the U.

S., Pesticide banning discussions are happening globally. I’ve included links for more information on pesticide regulations in the UK, EU, and Australia. We’ve also previously discussed pesticides on the show, so if you want to dive deeper into this pressing issue, check out our list of past episodes. Thank you so much for listening and for sharing your love of native bees.

Caroline’s actionable advice was to do just that, tell your story, and inspire others to get involved. Until next time, be inspiring.