{"id":31586,"date":"2020-09-20T13:13:03","date_gmt":"2020-09-20T17:13:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/?p=31586"},"modified":"2020-10-07T11:32:58","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T15:32:58","slug":"creating-habitat-for-stem-nesting-bees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2020\/09\/20\/creating-habitat-for-stem-nesting-bees\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating Habitat for Stem-nesting Bees"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Photos<\/a>Did you know? About 30% of Maryland\u2019s native bees nest in tubes and tunnels. Very few of these species are able to excavate their own nests too. In a <\/span>previous Habichat<\/span><\/a>, we covered how to make nest blocks for bees. This article will cover how to create habitat for those that nest in stems of flowers and woody plants.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To help stem nesting bees, you should include pithy flower stalks and soft, pithy wood in your backyard as nesting locations. Pithy plants have spongy, soft tissue in the central stalk of the plant. Plants with hollow piths are also ideal for nesting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Plants that provide this habitat include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Hyssop (<\/span>Agastache foeniculum <\/span><\/i>)- non-native\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Swamp milkweed (<\/span>Asclepias incarnata<\/span><\/i>) – native<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Joe pyeweed (<\/span>Eutrochium purpureum<\/span><\/i>) – native<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Purple coneflower (<\/span>Echinacea purpurea <\/span><\/i>)- non-native<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Blazing star <\/span><\/a>(<\/span>Liatris<\/span><\/i> sp.) – native<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Wild bergamot<\/span><\/a> (<\/span>Monarda fistulosa<\/span><\/i>) – native<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Mountain mint<\/span><\/a> (<\/span>Pycnanthemum<\/span><\/i> sp.) – native<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Goldenrod<\/span><\/a> (<\/span>Solidago <\/span><\/i>sp.) – native<\/span><\/li>\n
  9. Culver\u2019s root (<\/span>Veronicastrum virginicum<\/span><\/i>) – native\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Simply adding these plants is the first step in this process. The next step is to allow the flower stalks to persist through the following spring. Here is a recommended timeline from Satyshur et al. (linked under references):\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Spring:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n