After our Do Good Date with Asheville Greenworks, we decided what better way to continue our Earth Day celebration than by bringing all you need to know to DIY your own DO Good Date Night!
We have collected all the details you need to build your very own bee hotel and plant a garden that welcomes native pollinators. Why is this important? We have some fast facts for you!
- North Carolina is home to more than 500 species of native bees.
- Most native bees are solitary, which means they do not have a hive and look for homes in hollow spaces, like stems, bamboo, and wood.
- It is unlikely for native bees to sting unless they are trapped in your clothing or squished. However, most native bees don’t even have stingers.
- Bees are the most successful pollinator in North America and we need them to pollinate our plants. About one-third of our food is dependent on pollinators, and bee species are responsible for the majority of this work. From apples to broccoli, we need bees to both, directly and indirectly, pollinate for these foods to grow.
- Native bees, which are more adapted to the environment they evolved in, tend to have a higher rate of pollination—and in some cases are vastly more successful. Honey bees are incredible at pollinating a wide array of crops in many different locations and can be transported with relative ease, but native bees will often outperform them on a “bee-per-bee”
Build Your Own Bee Hotel:
To build a bee hotel, all you need is wood to make a box and a few items you can likely find for free to create cozy spaces for solitary bees to call home. While constructing your box, aim to make it no deeper than 6 inches. The height and width do not matter.
Once you have a structure, fill it with logs and pieces of wood that have drilled holes in them, bamboo, pine cones and anything with hollow spaces the bees can make a home in.
Painting is not necessary, but if you are feeling creative like we were, decorate the outside of your bee hotel. Make sure to leave the inside unpainted so the bees have a clean and safe environment.
Check out our creations for inspiration!
Plant A Native Pollinator Friendly Garden:
Now that you have a bee hotel or two for your yard, consider planting flowers that these pollinators enjoy. Visit Asheville Greenworks site for a comprehensive list. There are many choices, making the garden unique and personalized to your liking.
Here are a few flowers both pollinator bees and our team love!
Local Plant Suppliers
Wondering where you can find these plants? Visit any of these nurseries to get all the plants you need to create the garden of your dreams! Here are a few we recommend visiting.
Located at 3377 Sweeten Creek Road in Arden, B.B. Barns is a large gardening and landscape company with a vast selection of plants, products, and gifts.
Open Monday-Saturday 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
828.650.7300
A local source of native plants since 1995, this nursery does not hold normal hours. Please call or email for current hours and directions to the Nursery.
828.683.9330
Located in Weaverville, this nursery sells local perennials that are grown from locally harvest seeds.
828.707.2972
Want to learn more about Bee City USA, get more involved or meet Asheville Greenworks Urban Habitats Education Coordinator, Peter Menzies visit here. Thank you, Asheville GreenWorks for partnering with us on our Earth Day Do Good Date. We cannot wait to collaborate with you in the future. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to make sure you don’t miss our next event with Asheville GreenWorks. Now, go do some good!
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