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costa rican bee

By Glmory (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Native Bees Find Good Food in Urban Gardens

Bees are finding big meals in cities, according to a recent National Geographic article. “Foodie Bees: Insects Head Downtown for Dinner” explores recent research showing that urban hubs are attracting a lot of these small creatures.

The primary research comes from Gordon Frankie, from University of California Berkeley, who has been studying native bees in Costa Rica. His work, funded by National Geographic Society’s Committee for Research and Exploration, indicates that bees are finding some good grub in the city. However, even in urban gardens, the bees tend to prefer local plants over the imported variety. The article reports that some researchers and landscape designers in the U.S. are noticing similar trends amongst native bees and are working to improve city habitats for the hungry bugs. Read the article for tips on making your own garden bee-friendly.

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