Though you may not think cities could be oases to insects, they can serve as important biological conservation areas. For invertebrates like bees, the growth of urban environments has led to a diversity of responses. Some bees benefit from increased cavities to nest in, while others become scarce with decreasing soil to nest in.
All, however, benefit from urban gardening and farming. With more than half of the world’s population already living in urban environments and bee populations declining worldwide, it has become important to support urban pollinator populations.
Urban gardens are particularly beneficial for bees because they provide a diversity of pollen and nectar resources. There are over 25,000 species of bees in the world, and California hosts 1,600 of them thanks to the variety of ecosystems making the state a global biodiversity hotspot.
Santa Monica, like the rest of Southern California, benefits from year-round floral resources which allow bee species to survive almost all year. Urban gardens make floral resources available in the winter for honey bees and bumble bees, which are active for a longer time than other wild bees. Some bumble bee species have queens active as early as February, and as late as November.
Even areas that historically have lacked green space can benefit from adding gardens, if only in balcony flower pots. Studies in Berkeley researching the impact of adding floral resources to cities have found that within one year of planting, a diverse population of bees will have already established itself in the area.
Santa Monica has five community gardens with another at 19th Street in the works. In addition to providing a composting co-op and edible food, these gardens serve as a refuge for urban insects. Information about urban agriculture efforts can be found at SantaMonica.gov.
By Sarah Caso, California
Climate Actions Corps Fellow
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