by Marilyn Salvas and Melinda Dennis
by Pam Phillips As you may know, for the last several years, Friends of Bees, a working group of Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice, and the Environment (WCPJE) , have been meeting and collaborating with WCG’s Pollinator Pathways Committee. Together we have held the Life-Friendly Garden Tour, maintained public pollinator gardens, led pollinator walks, and more. Together we support Watertown's Mayor's Monarch Pledge . Together, we educate about and advocate for our native bees, Monarch butterflies and other pollinators. This year, Friends of Bees are making that togetherness official by merging with the Pollinator Pathways Committee. Twelve years ago, Watertown Citizens asked “What is happening to the bees?” and formed a new working group, Friends of Bees. Friends of Bees learned about the many challenges bees face, especially pesticides and habitat loss. Today, we welcome Friends of Bees to a new home with Watertown Community Gardens. The Life-Friendly Garden Tour, with its rich history of 28 chemical-free garden tours over nearly twenty years, will also be hosted by WCG. WCPJE has always served as an incubator for community groups. Over the years, many initiatives started and fostered under WCPJE later matured into independent organizations expanding the circle of like minded activists. Watertown Community Gardens was one such group. Friends of Bees thanks WCPJE for an abundance of enthusiasm and support as we branch off, while maintaining our role in the larger Watertown community. To stay in touch with Friends of Bees and the Life-Friendly Garden Tour please visit Watertown Community Gardens at our new website . When you sign up for the WCG newsletter , make sure to indicate your interest in pollinators and eco gardening. Details of the 2026 Life-Friendly Garden Tour will be shared in the WCG newsletter this summer. Keep buzzing!
By Linda Relson, with Pam Phillips Spring is a really exciting time to see the landscape coming back to life. On multiple occasions in the last couple of weeks, I've seen queen bumblebees, Bombus spp. , drinking nectar from cherry blossoms, and zooming along the ground looking for nesting sites. It’s a sure sign of the season and it lifts my spirits every time.
By Pam Phillips Have you been noticing more pollinators buzzing around your backyard as the weather warms up? Read this great piece by Pam Phillips of Friends of Bees to learn about which species of bees you can expect to see this time of year. You can find out more about Friends of Bees here . Spring has arrived, with the first green shoots, the first flowers, and the first bees. The bees you’re most likely to see this early are honeybees, bumblebee queens, and mining bees. Honeybees are awake all winter and will come out on warm days. You may have already seen them drinking nectar in snowdrops, crocuses, and dandelions. They also gather pollen from trees, even wind-pollinated trees, such as oaks, willows, and maples. The hive will feed this pollen to the brood when the queen begins laying eggs again. Bumblebee queens sleep underground over the winter, and emerge in early spring. You may notice unusually large bumblebees zigzagging around your garden, as if they are looking for something. They are! Queen bumblebees need a safe place to make their home, preferably a warm cavity that is very find to find, such as an old mouse nest. The queens drink nectar to fuel their hunt, often going high up into flowering trees, such as redbuds, cherries, and other fruit trees. They will also gather pollen, but not until they have found a home and started laying eggs. So if you see a big fat bumblebee carrying pollen on her legs, she’s a young queen with babies to feed. Once she has raised the first generation of workers, she will stay in the nest for the rest of her life.