With a half acre site dedicated to making pollinators happy, the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven is a great place to explore varieties of plants appropriate for local gardens and ideal for bees of all stripes. While the flora has been picked to attract bees, the profusion of blooms is also attractive to humans, many of whom are taking personal steps to foster healthy relations between food and native species, and to combat pollinator loss and promote drought-resilience in the face of climate woes.
At the height of buzz about Colony Collapse Disorder, Häagen-Dazs granted $125,000 to the UC Davis Department of Entomology to establish a bee-friendly demonstration garden and in support of bee research. The Haven, both educational and lovely (thanks also in part to artwork and landscape design supported by other donors), is a great resource for creating a local landscape that is both aesthetically pleasing and responsive to environmental and social concerns. 
This Friday, October 3rd, the Haven will hold its last open house of the year. Special activities will be held between 5:30 and 7:00 pm. The Haven’s website states:
Specimens of the garden’s most common bees will be available for viewing and tips on identifying bees will be presented. A guided tour at 6pm will focus on fall- and winter-blooming bee plants and several styles of bee houses will be available for purchase to support the garden.
- UC Davis Bee Biology website archive (new site under construction)
- UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology’s page on the Haven
- Häagen-Dazs’ efforts to help bees and more information on honey bee havens
Directions to the Häagen-Dazs Honeybee Haven:
From Hutchison Drive, turn south on Hopkins Road.
Left on Bee Biology Drive – the garden is at the end on the right.
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