Bees: All gardens need pollinators, and bees are among the best.

In California alone 42 different crops rely directly on bee pollination. Without them there would be very few flowers, fruits and vegetables. In addition to being great pollinators there are also parasitic or predatory bees that kill insect pests.

Tips for attracting bees to your garden:

1. Bees are looking for two things when they visit your plants: nectar and pollen. Encourage them by providing plants that have flowers that they can feed on.
2. For a continuous diet, plant with a succession of bloom times in mind. Also plant a variety of flowering plants. that way you will be providing food for a larger number of different bee species. (Butterflies and other pollinators will benefit as well)
3. Plant large drifts of one variety of flower or shrub. An area that is at least four feet in diameter is more beneficial than a plant here or there dotted throughout the garden.
4. Bees need shelter from windy locations and they prefer sunny locations, so keep that in mind when planting.
5. Use as many local native plants as possible, for the welfare of native bees.

Top Five Tehachapi  Native Plants to Attract Bees:

Wild Lilac- Ceanothus

Wild Buckwheat- Eriogonum

Currant- Ribes

Elderberry- Sambucus

Native wildflowers- Poppies and Lupines