Enough pollinating bees means more and bigger fruits and vegetables for your garden. But heavy use of pesticides and monoculture system have hit bee population hard.

Like honeybees, native bees feed on nectar and collect pollen to feed their babies. In the process, they pollinate flowers and often do a better job on certain plants than honeybees.

There are many kinds of native bees, including Alkali bees, Bumblebees, Carpenter bees, Leafcutter bees, Mason bees, Shaggy fuzzyfoot bees, Squash bees, etc.

Native bees usually do not travel more than a quarter mile. A good way to protect and attract native bees to your property is to improve bee habitat.

1. Minimize the use of pesticides. Do not spray in the morning when bees are most active.

2. Grow native flowering plants to attract bees.

3. Grow crops such as squashes, sunflowers and strawberries every growing season to keep a stable population of bees.

4. Leave some areas such as field and road edge unmowed to provide habitat for ground-nesting bees.

5. Put out nesting boxes for bees.

Native bees not only improve harvest in your garden, they also pollinate forest trees and wildflowers.

To learn more about native bees, go to this site.