How you can support wild bees by installing a BeeHome on your property

In the bee world, honey bees tend to get all the hype. We get it – they’re social, domesticated, and responsible for making the honey we all love so much. But did you know honey bees are just one of 20,000 bee species? Today, let’s shine the light on the wild bees who play an essential role in our food systems and who deserve some serious love and support.

WHAT ARE WILD BEES?

Unlike honey bees, which have been domesticated by beekeepers, wild bees are just that: wild. These undomesticated bees are often solitary, meaning they do not live as part of a colony. They nest in the ground or in cavities (like hollow logs or plant stems) and often do not produce honey.

Wild bees are very efficient pollinators – sometimes even more efficient than honey bees. For example, just one mason bee can do the pollination work of over 100 honey bees!

Leaf cutter bee

Mason bee

Wool carder bee

WHY DO WILD BEES NEED SUPPORT?

All pollinators are facing the same main issue: loss of habitat and lack of available food resources. The vast expansion of urban centers and increasing prevalence of monocultures have resulted in a lack of biodiversity and a loss of much of these bees’ natural habitat.

Over the last decade at Alvéole, we’ve watched thousands of people connect with honey bees, fall in love, and become full-fledged ambassadors for the protection of these creatures. Now it’s time to extend that same love and awareness to wild bees!

MEET THE EXPERTS IN WILD BEE HOSPITALITY

Wild bees deserve the best of the best, so we partnered with the experts. Based in Switzerland, Wildbiene + Partner supports the survival of wild bees through extensive educational work and creating solitary bee habitats, including the BeeHomes we install on rooftops and other unused spaces on properties.

WHAT IS A BEEHOME AND HOW CAN THEY HELP?

One way to support wild bees is by installing a BeeHome on your property, a place for solitary bees to lay their eggs. These structures can help in a few ways.

Offer wild bees a safe place to nest

BeeHomes are made up of many hollow wooden tubes where wild bees can lay their eggs, keeping them safe until the cocoons hatch.

As part of Alvéole’s BeeHome service, mason bee cocoons are harvested at the end of the season. They are cleaned of any parasites and stored in a safe place before being sent back in the spring. This process significantly increases the chance of those future wild bees’ survival.

Bring visibility to these often invisible bees

They tend to receive less attention than honey bees, but once you get up close with wild bees, they are impossible not to love. The BeeHome’s observation drawer allows you to take a peek right inside the nesting tubes without disturbing the bees.

Alvéole clients are key players in spreading the wild bee love. Through team building activities and educational workshops, the wild bee fan club is multiplying!

Track your building’s impact

Each time your Alvéole beekeeper inspects your BeeHome, you’ll receive an update on the number of tubes nested in and the different bee species spotted. At the end of the season, you’ll receive a report detailing the bees’ health and recommendations you can take to make your property an even better home for bees in the years to come.

Make urban spaces greener

Alvéole is part of the 1% for the Planet movement, meaning 1% of our annual revenue goes back to environmental nonprofits who are implementing urban greening initiatives in each city where our bees (honey and wild alike) are buzzing. In other words, every BeeHome installed will financially contribute to the planting of more wildflowers for all pollinators in cities.