How you can build a bee-friendly garden. What to know in Michigan as bees emerge

• Michigan gardeners can prepare for spring 2025 by building a bee-friendly garden.
• The vital pollinators are in need of conservation as their populations decline.

If you have a green thumb, it may be the perfect time to welcome back pollinators with your own bee-friendly garden.

Filling your garden with native plants that attract the vital pollinators can help sustain the environment, according to gardening store Deneweth's.

"As gardeners in Michigan, we have a unique opportunity to support our local ecosystems by planting native species. Native plants are not only adapted to our climate but also play a crucial role in supporting local wildlife, particularly pollinators like bees and butterflies," Deneweth's website says.

Michigan's native bee species are under threat from a variety of sources, including development, pesticides, parasites, diseases and other factors. Experts have been urging people to take steps to increase numbers because bees are responsible for pollinating much of the food people eat.

As of 2020, the U.S. Fish & WIldlife Service said, there are more than 70 species of pollinators currently listed as endangered or threatened.

Here's what to know.

What threats do bees face?

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service says bees are under threat from a variety of sources, including:

• Habitat that pollinators need in order to survive are shrinking. As native vegetation is replaced by roadways, manicured lawns, crops and non-native gardens, pollinators lose the food and nesting sites that are necessary for their survival. Remaining patches of prairie and meadow have become more disconnected.
• Invasive plants crowd out native ones, reducing food and shelter for pollinators. Disease-causing organisms — including viruses, fungi and bacteria — can spread from non-native to native pollinators.
• While pesticides can help control crop pests and  invasive species , improper use can harm pollinators and other wildlife. Use pesticides only when necessary.
• Flowers are blooming earlier as temperatures warm, costing some pollinators the opportunity to feed. Some insects feed only on specific plants; if these blooms die before insects arrive, the insects go hungry and fewer plants get pollinated. Rising temperatures may be contributing to a decline in bumblebees. Numbers of North American bumblebees have fallen nearly 50% since 1974.

Can I help bees thrive in the spring?

Honeybees will start to stir as early as March, according to B&K's Bees, but they may need help finding food.

"Make sure your hives have food, just because they are able to start finding some pollen does not mean there are any nectar sources quite yet, so they need sugar and they probably need it bad," B&K said. "March is a month where many beekeepers are tricked into thinking their hives have survived the winter, just to see them die out due to starvation."

What bees will I see first in the spring?

Two species that come to life early in the year are bumblebees and miner bees.

"Due to their larger size and fuzzy bodies, bumblebee queens are some of the first bees to emerge from their hibernation cavities," Milwaukee's Schlitz Audubon Nature Center said. "In early spring, you might notice a frenetic buzzing over bare patches in your garden. Look a little closer and you will likely see mining bees. Mining bees are solitary insects that sometimes nest in large aggregations."

How can I make my garden bee friendly?

To get started on planting your bee-friendly garden, aim for a diverse range of flowering plants, including native plants, the Michigan Pollinator Initiative at Michigan State University said.

Bee-friendly plants, according to The Nature Conservancy, Beverly Bees, Heritage Conservancy, Michigan Pollinator Initiative and Deneweth's include:

• Native wildflowers: black-eyed Susan, American lotus, blazing star, marsh marigold, Culver's root, wild bergamot, prairie smoke, New England aster, bladderwort, wild columbine, common trillium, bloodroot, wild lupine
• Trees: black cherry, red maple, black locust, willow, silky dogwood, eastern redbud, American wild plum, basswood, winged sumac, blackgum
• Fruits: blueberry, apple, raspberry, tomato, watermelon, strawberry, blackberry
• Herbs: basil, sage, thyme, oregano, mint
• Shrubs: elderberry, blackhaw, serviceberry, buttonbush, winterberry
• Flowers: sunflower, tulip, rose, cornflower
• Vegetables: cucumber, pumpkin, broccoli, squash

Bee-friendly gardening tips

Keep these tips from Home Depot, Gardeners' World and Flow Hive in mind to cultivate a bee-friendly environment in your garden:

• Avoid pesticides or use organic-approved pesticides
• Plant shrubs and trees
• Set up a bee box or bee nest in your garden or yard
• Reduce weeding, leave parts of your yard natural
• Maintain multiple water sources for your garden
• Provide tired bees a sugar water mixture

Why are bees important for the environment?

Bees play a key role in the ecosystem and food supply, feeding on nectar and pollen from flowers, the U.S. Forest Service said. The pollinators have been in decline amid factors like climate change, habitat destruction and fragmentation, pesticides, invasive species and disease, according to the National Wildlife Federation, prompting renewed conservation efforts.

When are bees active in Michigan?

Bees typically come out in the spring and stay active through the summer and fall, according to Save the Bee.

Which bees are common in Michigan?

Michigan is home to more than 400 bee species, the MSU Extension said. Common bee species in Michigan, according to the Michigan Pollinator Initiative, include:

• Bumblebees
• Cuckoo bees
• Carpenter bees
• Honey bees
• Dark sweat bees
• Long-horned bees
• Miner bees
• Cuckoo bees
• Green sweat bees

Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@freepress.com.