Where the Bees Lead
- Kris Ethington
- Sep 16
- 3 min read
Lessons in Stewardship from a Garden and a Beach
Guided by curiosity and care for our ecosystem, I’ve come to see my garden and our beaches as vital refuges for native pollinators. With nearly 40% of bee and butterfly species at risk of extinction, our cultivated landscapes and natural habitats play critical roles in supporting biodiversity.
Bumble Bee Colony at The Beach
In mid-July this year, I discovered a colony of Bombus vosnesenskii (Yellow-faced Bumble Bee) nesting in a dead log at the beach. During the next few weeks, I observed their activity and seasonal transitions. In summer, the queen switches from producing only workers, to producing males and reproductive females. These new females mate and become the colony foundresses next spring. Through late fall, they continue to forage, storing fat reserves to support them through winter diapause. Late season pollinator resources are crucial for next year’s queens.
Bumble Bee Behaviors in the Garden
Two years ago, I unintentionally disturbed an overwintering, Yellow-faced Bumble Bee (B. vosnesenskii), queen in my wooded landscape. I was developing a new bed in late October when I discovered a groggy queen climbing out of the soil and leaf litter I had disturbed. Though I moved her to safety, I still wonder about the biological impact of that disruption – was she able to dig a new safe location for her winter diapause.
Early July this year I observed another Yellow-faced Bumble Bee digging through needles and leaf litter below a mature fir tree in my yard. A possible explanation for this behavior may include that the bee had parasites (internal or external - as in mites), but as these behaviors often go undescribed or studied outside a lab, I was left to wonder and hope for more opportunities to learn about it in the future. I witnessed the bee emerge from the shallow cavity it dug and fly off.
By late August, even though I’d been working feverishly all month to get the more substantial plant changes completed before queens established their winter resting spots, I disrupted another queen B. vosnesenskii’s hibernaculum. Thankfully she was uncovered with my hand and not my shovel – only two feet from the crown of a Red Floweringing Currant (Ribes sanguineum) shrub I’d planted three years earlier. Unfortunately, she was not having my redistribution of disturbed soil. She woke up, warmed up, then flew away.
Each encounter deepens my understanding and shapes how I care for my landscape—from selecting native plants to adjusting seasonal maintenance.
Native Plants Support Pollinator Diversity
Research shows that native plants are four times more likely to attract native pollinators than exotics. Eight or more species of native flowering plants increases both abundance and diversity of native bees. I’ve cultivated a diverse mix of native flowering trees, shrubs, perennials, and forbs spanning the flowering seasons (early April-October). Through iNaturalist, I’ve documented nearly the same number of bee species in my garden as I’ve observed at our beaches - though the plant and bee communities differ.
In addition to plants and flowers, insect friendly garden maintenance is paramount to helping our insect communities rebound.
Leave the leaves fall through mid-April as many of our beneficial insects and pest controllers require the fallen leaf litter for winter protection and/or metamorphosis.
Allow leaf litter to return nutrients back into your soil and reduce the use of mulch, leaving more undisturbed bare ground beneath native shrubs and trees.
Limit/eliminate the use of chemicals that affect our ground dwelling insect communities.
As climate change and habitat loss accelerate, our landscapes can become lifelines. Insects are resilient. Collectively, our ecologically friendly landscapes can become safe havens, restoring not just biodiversity but our connection to the natural world.
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