African Wildlife and Environment Issue 68

FAUNA, FLORA & WILDLIFE

FAUNA, FLORA & WILDLIFE

The world of SOLITARY BEES

When I ask people if they know about bees, everyone says yes, the answer usually being “they live as a group or colony, they have a queen, make honey and sting like crazy”. This is the response from 99% of the population.

Peter Webb

Woodchip mulch

Living organisms and the soil The number of interactions between soil organisms and the soil is astounding in healthy soil. This includes the microscopic life such as bacteria and fungi as well as macroscopic creatures, for example earthworms, centipedes, a vast number of insect species, spiders, arthropods, reptiles and mammals. A hands-off approach Once the garden has been completed, it is best to adopt a ‘no digging’ policy, to allow as many creatures, from microbes to small mammals, to establish their homes in the soil. The more life there is in the soil, the healthier it will be. Their burrows aerate the soil, providing oxygen to plants’ roots, while some such as earthworms refine the soil by eating and processing decaying plant material and excreting it as mineral rich castings. By digging, these burrows are destroyed, and the delicate balance of microorganisms is upset. Turning soil will also break the fine roots that plants use to take up nutrients from the top few centimetres of soil. The more life the garden can sustain, the less the gardener needs to interfere to maintain a healthy balance in it. These organisms create that balance in a sustainable way, through feeding off the dead and decaying matter in the soil, and some organisms feeding off of others. Evenmore feeding opportunities are created for predators, including birds and small mammals when these are present in the garden.

Compost provides a ready source of plant and animal derived matter that is already at an advanced stage of being broken down. This means that, if it has not been heated to destroy weed seeds, it is full of beneficial bacteria and fungi that will then inhabit the garden soil and work on any organic matter that is present in the soil. Most plants will not thrive unless these bacteria and fungi are present in the soil. It is important to the soil life to choose a mulch that originates from living plant material, such as wood chips or a good mix of deciduous tree leaves, twigs and garden clippings that form a porous layer between the air and the soil. Grass clippings and leaves that are hard and leathery and don’t break down easily are not good, as they can become matted and inhibit passage of gases, moisture and living organisms into and out of the soil. Fertiliser The addition of fertiliser will enhance the yield of produce from soil, but unless the soil has a healthy number of microorganisms to assist in making minerals available to the plants, one can be locked into adding fertiliser year after year. A true wildlife garden should be self-sustaining, with little or no input from the gardener. As trees drop their leaves, flowers, fruit, twigs and sometimes branches, and birds and other creatures drop excrement or die, and insects shed their exoskeletons, these are broken down by hungry soil organisms to release the essential minerals into the soil.

Lipotiches sp.

Carder bee

Megachile sp.

Golden Sweat Bee

non-stinging Mopani bee that also make honey. The Mopani bees are found in the warmer northern areas of the country. In your garden alone, there are probably more species of the Solitary bee group, than there are of Honey bees in the country. In South Africa we have approximately 1 000 known species of Solitary bees. They are literally everywhere, collecting pollen as fast as they can to provide to their young. I know you are saying “how is this possible, why have I not seen them?” The only answer I can offer is that you may not ever have been aware of them and hence probably do not have the mental image. Guaranteed when you do find them, the realization

When asked if they know about Solitary bees there is a general shake of the head or a look of total confusion. I can safely say that everyone I talk to is totally unaware that there are other bees flying around doing a fantastic job of pollinating our flowers and crops. A few years ago I was completely unaware of them as well and the vital role they play in the greater scheme of things. It really is all about education; being made aware of something that has never come up on your radar and sharing it. It’s simple, and once in the know, it’s a whole new world never to be forgotten. Believe it or not, in South Africa we have two species of Honey bees and a few species of the

Linda Da Luca Random Harvest www.rh.co.za

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27 | African Wildlife & Environment | 68 (2018)