Cultivate a natural habitat for pollinator reproduction

Providing Forage and Nesting Areas for Your Garden

EVERY GARDEN SHOULD STRIVE TO PROVIDE ABUNDANT, NATIVE, AND PESTICIDE-FREE FORAGE AND NESTING AREAS

WHAT IS A NESTING SITE? :

An area in your garden that will either create or enhance the natural features to support reproduction. Keep reading to find out how you can provide the perfect habitat for reproduction in both nesting and non-nesting species! 

NESTING SPECIES​

SPECIES #1: BEES

DID YOU KNOW?

Some of the smallest bees fly only a hundred feet between foraging and nesting sites? This is what makes bees and wasps such unique pollinators; their foraging behaviors are directly linked to their nesting behaviors. Unlike other pollinators that collect nectar and pollen to feed themselves, bees and wasps also forage to provide food for their brood cells (the eggs of their young). To support these pollinators, it is necessary to provide both nesting and foraging resources within the same habitat patch

ALL ABOUT THE NEST

WHERE DO BEES NEST?:

With the exception of cuckoo bees, all bees build nests where they lay their eggs

WHAT IS IN THE NEST?:

Bees are known to stock their nests with a nutritious mix of pollen, nectar, and saliva before laying the eggs and then sealing the nest so that the offspring remain safe

EXAMPLES

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OF

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NESTING

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SITES

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 In your pollinator garden, keep an eye out for the types of environments pictured above and do your best to protect them, as they may already be existing nesting sites. Think about tree hollows, old logs, snags, piles of twigs and other garden “debris” as potential bee-friendly habitats. 

For more information on habitats for native bees, please click here

TYPES OF BEE NESTING STRATEGIES

Ground-Nesters

Hole-Nesters

Bees that nest underground, or in the rare case of some bumblebees, slightly above ground in mulch or debris piles

TYPES OF BEES: Digger bees, bumblebees, cuckoo bees, sweat bees, and miner bees

PREFERRED NESTING LOCATIONS: 

1. Bare, sunny, sandy, or loamy soil patches

2. Areas with little likelihood of flooding

 

 

HOW TO ATTRACT: Please click through the tabs below

Bees that nest in existing holes and those that create their own holes. 

TYPES OF BEES: Mason/leafcutter bees and carpenter bees

PREFERRED NESTING LOCATIONS:

        1. MASON & LEAFCUTTER BEES = They take                          advantage of holes made by other animals in dead                        wood(E.g holes made by woodpeckers, tunnels in                        stumps)

        2. CARPENTER BEES = They excavate their                                own tunnels with their powerful mandibles. Preferred                  wood is soft, unfinished, and unpainted. 

HOW TO ATTRACT: Please click through the tabs below

NON-NESTING SPECIES

Species #1: Butterflies

WHAT KIND OF PLANTS DO BUTTERFLIES NEED?:

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Desired host plants differ by species. Start by researching known butterfly species in your area, learn their host plants, and incorporate these into your garden. Here are two examples:

Monarch butterflies: This well known species only lays eggs on milkweed plants. 

The Grey Hairstreak butterfly: They are known to lay eggs on several different plant species including partridge pea, mallow, mint and oaks. 

WHAT KIND OF HABITATS DO BUTTERFLIES NEED?:

Unlike bees, most butterflies have different habitat requirements in summer and winter. Please click through the tabs below to learn about the habitat requirements of butterflies through the different seasons. 

HOW TO ATTRACT BUTTERFLIES TO YOUR GARDEN:

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In order to provide for butterflies of all life-stages, you must provide nectar plants for adults, host plants for the eggs and larvae, and appropriate areas for overwintering. Female butterflies select specific plants on which to lay their eggs. This ensures the merging caterpillars will have the correct food to eat. 

Links to Explore:

1. Click here to see the larval host plants on our “top 10 plants to include in an Atlanta pollinator garden.”

2. Click here to learn more about butterfly species known to occur in Atlanta.