Native Bees with Heather Holm

If you spend enough time around native plants, eventually you end up talking about bees.

Not honey bees.

Not the bees on cereal boxes or the ones that show up in children’s books.

The other bees.

The 500+ species of native bees that live in Minnesota.

In this episode of the podcast, I sat down with bee expert, photographer, and author Heather Holm to talk about native bees, native plants, pollinator conservation, and what homeowners can do to support healthier ecosystems right in their own yards.

What I appreciated most about the conversation is that Heather doesn’t approach the topic from one side or the other. She bridges the gap between plants and insects, helping us understand how deeply connected they really are.

And once you understand those connections, it changes how you look at your yard.

Native Plants and Native Bees Are Connected

One of the biggest takeaways from our conversation was how many native bees depend on specific native plants.

Minnesota is home to approximately 512 species of native bees. According to Heather, nearly 30% of those species have specialist relationships with certain plants. Some bees collect pollen only from goldenrods. Others specialize on dogwoods or other specific plant groups.

That means native plants aren’t just another food source.

For many bees, they are the food source.

Without those plants, entire bee species can struggle to survive.

This is one of the reasons native plants are so important. They don’t just provide flowers. They support relationships that have developed over thousands of years.

A Healthy Yard Creates a Healthy Food Web

When we talk about pollinators, most people think about flowers.

But the story is much bigger than that.

Native plants support insects. Insects support birds. Birds support larger food webs. Mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and countless other organisms all depend on those interactions in one way or another.

As Heather explained, native plants and insects form the foundation of complex food webs.

When we remove those plants and replace them with landscapes dominated by non-native shrubs, turfgrass, and ornamental plants that provide little ecological value, we weaken that foundation.

When we add native plants back into our landscapes, we begin rebuilding it.

Even a small urban yard can become part of that solution.

Do You Need a 100% Native Yard?

This is one of the most common questions homeowners ask.

The good news is no.

You do not need to rip everything out and start over.

Heather pointed to research from Doug Tallamy showing that landscapes containing roughly 70% native plants can still support the food webs that birds and insects need.

That doesn’t mean every hydrangea or hosta has to disappear.

It means moving the balance in a better direction.

For most homeowners, adding more native plants over time is a realistic and achievable goal.

At A Better Yard, we often talk about aiming for roughly 80% helpful plants as a long-term target. Not perfection. Progress.

What Native Bees Need From Your Yard

Flowers are important, but bees need more than flowers.

They also need places to live.

About 70% of Minnesota’s native bees nest in the ground. They create tunnels in well-drained soil and spend much of their lives underground.

The remaining 30% nest above ground in cavities.

That might mean:

Hollow stems
Standing dead trees
Old logs
Small holes in wood
Cut perennial stems

One of the easiest things homeowners can do is leave some plant stems standing when they cut back their gardens in spring.

Plants such as:

Goldenrod
Asters
Black-eyed Susan
Coneflowers

all have sturdy stems that can become nesting habitat for stem-nesting bees.

Sometimes helping pollinators isn’t about planting something new.

Sometimes it’s about leaving a little more of what already exists.

Rethinking Garden Cleanup

Many gardeners worry about the “right” time to cut back perennials.

Heather’s advice was refreshingly practical.

Leave plants standing through winter so birds can use the seeds. Then cut them down in spring and allow the material to remain in the garden.

When possible, leave some stem stubble behind.

The exact timing is often less important than maintaining some of that habitat.

That’s good news for lazy gardeners like me.

The less work I have to do, the better.

The Truth About Honey Bees and Native Bees

This was one of the most fascinating parts of our conversation.

Many people assume that all bees face the same challenges and that more honey bee hives automatically help pollinators.

The reality is more complicated.

Honey bees are not native to North America. They were introduced hundreds of years ago and are now managed much like livestock.

Native bees, on the other hand, are wildlife.

Research is increasingly showing that large numbers of honey bees can compete with native bees for pollen and nectar resources.

A single honey bee hive can contain tens of thousands of bees and collect enormous amounts of pollen throughout the growing season.

That doesn’t mean honey bees are bad.

It does mean we need to think carefully about where hives are placed and how they interact with native pollinator populations.

Helping Minnesota’s State Bee

Minnesota’s official state bee is the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee.

It’s also federally endangered.

That means Minnesota homeowners have a unique opportunity to directly support a species at risk of extinction.

The most effective thing you can do?

Plant a diversity of flowering plants that bloom throughout the growing season.

Early-season flowers, summer blooms, and fall nectar sources all matter.

Pollinators don’t need one great week of flowers.

They need a restaurant that’s open all season long.

Building a Better Yard for Pollinators

If you’re looking for a simple place to start, focus on these five things:

Add more native plants.
Plant flowers that bloom from spring through fall.
Reduce pesticide use whenever possible.
Leave some stems and nesting habitat behind.
Think about your yard as part of a larger ecosystem.

You don’t need to transform your entire property overnight.

Every native plant you add creates another opportunity for bees, butterflies, birds, and other wildlife.

And those small changes add up faster than most people realize.

Listen to the Full Podcast Episode

This article only scratches the surface of our conversation.

In the full episode, Heather Holm shares more about native bees, specialist pollinators, honey bee competition, nesting habitat, and how homeowners can make meaningful changes that support healthier ecosystems.

If you’re interested in native plants, pollinators, birds, or building a healthier yard, this is an episode worth listening to.

And if you’re ready to take the next step, consider joining the A Better Yard community or exploring a Rebel Garden installation. Both are designed to help homeowners create landscapes that feed birds and pollinators, save clean water, store carbon, and reduce unnecessary chemical use.

Because healthier ecosystems don’t start in nature preserves.

They start in neighborhoods.

One yard at a time.