Bees and Pollinators

The way we garden and manage landscapes can help attract bees and other pollinators. Learn how to improve the health of pollinators. And discover beekeeping resources. This information is relevant for homeowners, gardeners, landscape professionals, producers, and commercial and backyard beekeepers.

Honey bees

Honey Bee Colony Maintenance Expenses: Supplemental Feed, Requeening and Medication

Success in pollination, honey production and other aspects of a beekeeping business depends on honey bee health. Strong, thriving colonies require many inputs from the beekeeper, including feed (carbohydrates and protein), medications and new queens when necessary.

Ellen Topitzhofer, Carolyn Breece, Ramesh Sagili | May 2020 | OSU Extension Catalog

Beekeeping Equipment Expenses: Woodenware and Other Components

Woodenware for a typical honey bee colony includes vertically stackable boxes with removable frames, a bottom board, lid and a queen excluder. The most common design is Langstroth equipment. Langstroth colony configuration varies ...

Ellen Topitzhofer, Carolyn Breece, Ramesh Sagili | May 2020 | OSU Extension Catalog

Revenue Sources for a Commercial Beekeeping Operation in the Pacific Northwest

Pollination services and honey production are the primary revenue sources for a beekeeping business based in the Pacific Northwest. Those starting a beekeeping operation should focus on two to three revenue sources initially and ...

Ellen Topitzhofer, Carolyn Breece, Ramesh Sagili | May 2020 | OSU Extension Catalog

Learn more about honey bees

Enhancing Urban and Suburban Landscapes to Protect Pollinators

The way we garden and manage the landscapes of the Northwest can help promote the health of bees, butterflies and other insects. Homeowners, gardeners, landscape professionals and volunteer groups all can work to attract a wide range of pollinators to their properties. This guide offers detailed plant lists, garden designs and advice on creating pollinator habitat. Once plants are in the ground, learn to keep them healthy without exposing pollinating insects to pesticides that are toxic to them.

Explore more

Photo by Karen Zimmerman (Cropped from original)

Native bees

Oregon Bee Atlas

Although we estimate there are 500 species of bees in Oregon, there has never been a concerted survey of the state’s bees. Without even a checklist of species, it is very difficult to know whether the health of Oregon ...

Program

PolliNation Podcast

For people making bold strides to improve the health of pollinators.

Podcast

What effect will the 2020 fires have on bees?

If 2020 couldn’t get any worse, it has. We are facing the worst series of fires in the state’s history. And it seemed to come out of nowhere. It was nice on Labor Day and then the smoke appeared. The skies are ...

Andony Melathopoulos, Brooke Edmunds, Jim Rivers | Sep 2020 | Article

More native bee resources

Mason bees

Nurturing Mason Bees in Your Backyard in Western Oregon

An overview of mason bee basic biology and life cycle, and detailed descriptions of what is needed to start keeping mason bees, including desirable plants, nesting sites and types of nests, and caring for the cocoons over fall and winter. There are many helpful color photos throughout.

Brooke Edmunds, Ramesh Sagili | Feb 2016 | OSU Extension Catalog

Find out more about mason bees

How to Reduce Bee Poisoning from Pesticides

Use this app to learn how a variety of wild and managed bees and their pollination activities are affected by pesticide application. Includes guidelines for how beekeepers, growers, and pesticide applicators can work together to prevent bee poisoning.

Download the free app

Pollinator habitat

Living on The Land: Providing Habitat for Native Pollinators

This publication is part of the Living on the Land series. It provides concise information on how to attract and support native pollinators by creating and maintaining the right habitat, including features like nesting sites, ...

Rachel Suits, Brian Tuck | Jan 2017 | OSU Extension Catalog

Resources for building bee pollinator habitat in managed forests.

Postcards showing where native bees nest in managed forests can be obtained from the Oregon Bee Project (oregonbeeproject.org).

Brad Withrow-Robinson, Lauren Grand, Max Bennett, Christine Buhl | Mar 2020 | Article

Pollinator Steward Program

Do you want to help pollinators on your farm, managed forest, rangeland, golf-course or community garden? Are you looking for practical training on how to build, maintain and establish pollinator habitat?

Program

Explore pollinator habitat resources

Latest News

New OSU volunteer program tackles statewide native bee inventory

the Master Melittologist program intensively trains volunteers on the meticulous work of locating and cataloging the bees that no one has seen before.

Kym Pokorny | Dec 17, 2020 | News story

Honeybee lives shortened after exposure to two widely used pesticides

Honeybee researchers in OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences found detrimental effects in honeybees exposed to Transform and Sivanto, which are both registered for use in the United States and were developed to be more compatible with bee health.

Chris Branam | Jun 16, 2020 | News story

Treat yourself – and pollinators – to annual native wildflowers

Put aside an area of the garden for the beauty of native wildflowers.

Kym Pokorny | Apr 10, 2020 | News story

Browse all resources

Explore more resources

Gardening Techniques

Sustainability

Integrated Pest Management

Upcoming Events

Mar 3

Mason Bees: 10-Minute University™ Noon-Time Chat

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm PST Online

Mar 6

Beevent 2021

Online

Apr 6

Saving All Our Pollinators

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm PDT Online

Aug 23 - Aug 27

2021 Bee School - Beginners

Corvallis, OR

Meet Our Experts

Gail Langellotto

Master Gardener Statewide Coordinator

Andony Melathopoulos

Pollinator Ecology/Ecotoxicology

Elizabeth Records

Education Program Assistant, Master Gardener volunteer coordinator

Ramesh Sagili

Apiculturist

Have a Question? Ask an Expert!

Ask an Expert is a way for you to get answers from the Oregon State University Extension Service. We have experts in family and health, community development, food and agriculture, coastal issues, forestry, programs for young people, and gardening.

Ask Us a Question

We are moving to the desert, can we still keep bees?

Q: We are moving to the alvord desert area and have kept bees in the past. I'm curious of your thoughts on how a honey bee hive would thrive in that high desert environment? Any thoughts or advice you have here would be great!

A: View answer | View all featured questions

See More Questions