Friendly bees exist, and they can be a fascinating component of your wildlife porch, balcony, or deck. You may need to reconsider your memories or fears of bees, as most bees are beneficial, relatively harmless, and can be attracted inexpensively.

Quick Tip

Try a canister of friendly, solitary orchard bees, a.k.a. mason bees.

Bee Fears and Memories

Maybe you were stung as a child. Maybe your only exposure to bees was that story about Africanized killer bees on the evening news. Or maybe you're skittish around that "bee" that keeps trying to crawl into your soda can.

Bum Rap

That "bee" trying to crawl into your soda can is most likely a yellowjacket, an omnivorous social wasp. The social honey bee doesn't attack unless it thinks it's in danger. And most bees aren't social bees like honey bees or bumblebees - they don't live in hives but rather lead solitary, unaggressive existences.

Bee Benefits

And bees work hard. Beyond honey and beeswax, they pollinate crops, providing us humans with fruits, berries, nuts, and other crops. In some cases, bee stingers can even alleviate arthritic pain.

Inexpensive and Easy

Although most of us can't manage a honey bee hive on the porch, we can still have bees dancing around our wildlife areas. They are inexpensive, require very little, and are easy to care for.

Most just need water, a little sugar water when pollen sources aren't available, and a place to lay their eggs for the next generation.

Bees tend to stay closed to where they hatched, rarely venturing more than a mile away and returning to their hatching location for water and egg-laying.