Have you ever wondered what bees eat in the winter time in California?  I bet those of you who have planted bee friendly gardens know the answer!  After the crop pollination season is over, bees and other important pollinators are on the search for food.  Insects that pollinate include flies, wasps, butterflies, moths, beetles, honeybees, and native bees.

A garden for pollinators needs water, food (nectar and pollen), and bare soil without a covering of mulch for ground-nesting native bees. That’s right! Some bees live under ground.  All habitat gardens really need to be pesticide-free.  California bees love the plants in the following list, and farmers are moving toward including these plants in their orchard rows and around their property to provide forage for hungry pollinators in the fall and winter months.

Fall and winter plants

Gold Coin
Coreopsis
Gaillardia
Glossy Abelia

Pincushion Flower
Manzanita –
Lavender
Rosemary
Shrub Mallow
New Zealand Tea Tree
Myrtle
Blue Mist

Euryops

Scarlet Sage

English Ivy

Winter
Rosemary

Euryops

Late Winter – Early Spring

Ceanothus

California Poppy

Yarrow

Pride of Madeira

Penstemon

Manzanita

Salvia

Spanish Lavender

Wisteria

A more complete list of plants bees love can be found at http://www.helpabee.org/best-bee-plants-for-california.html

I’ll “bee” back next month!

Buzz Bee Bearkley