• Main Street America Affiliate

    As a Main Street America Affiliate, the Town of Halifax is part of a national network of more than 1,200 neighborhoods and communities who share both a commitment to creating high-quality places and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development.  
  • Portal to the Past

    Occupying a site that has been used for court purposes since 1803, the Courthouse holds hundreds of thousands of documents relating to the people and property of Halifax County, Virginia. The court records go back to 1752, when Halifax County was cut off from Lunenburg. Read More
  • Historic Business District

    Photo: Downtown Halifax (Houston) circa 1910 Halifax County was formed from Lunenburg in 1752, and the Town of Halifax has been the county seat since 1777. The courthouse town of Banister, named after the neighboring river, grew around the new courthouse. Called Banister Town during the Civil War, the town became Houston in 1890 to entice a new railroad, and after WWI changed its name to Halifax. Read More
  • Wired to the World

    Our local businesses enjoy high-speed internet access, including fiber, and we want our visitors and residents to be able to stay connected while in town also; to that end, a number of businesses offer free hotspots. Read More
  • Outdoor Recreation

    Photo: Banister River below the Banister Lake Dam. Banister Lake, a reservoir formed by the Banister River dam, lies within the Town of Halifax and provides a great opportunity for recreation. Recreational activities on the lake include boating, fishing, and kayaking. Read More
  • Vibrant Arts Community

    Events such as the Halicraft Art Festival allow us to showcase the talent in our area. Halifax County enjoys an abundance of local professional artists, writers and performers who have an interest in development of the arts. Read More
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APRIL IS FAIR HOUSING MONTH

It is illegal to discriminate in residential housing on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status, disability, source of funds, sexual orientation, gender identity, or military status. If you believe you have been discriminated against, call 888-551-3247 or TTY VA Relay 7-1-1.

            Nowadays we hear a lot about honeybees but did you know that there are many other bees in your backyard that survive with minimal help from you. We all know the honey bees are at risk from mites, increased pesticide use and lack of available pollen. Some of these same things are now affecting our native solitary bees. Honeybees were brought from Europe by the colonists but solitary bees have been around for thousands of years. They were the primary pollinators before the arrival of the honeybee. They still perform a necessary service to us today.

            Unlike honeybees, solitary bees do not live in a colony. They make a tunnel like brood nests in the ground or in tree holes left by birds and insects. The brood nest consists of several brood cells. Each brood cell contains chunk of bee bread, named so because it has a loaf form, that contains pollen and nectar the female has collected. The female then lays a fertilized egg near or on the bee bread. Then she closes the cell with mud or chewed up plant parts. Depending on the species, there may be just one brood cell or several. Generally unfertilized eggs are laid close to the nest entrance. These become the males who emerge first. Just like men tend to hang around the Ladies Room when they are looking for some action, the males hang around the nest awaiting a female to emerge for mating.  

            Solitary bees have a complete metamorphosis consisting of four stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. We only see the adult stage since the others take place in the brood nest. The egg remains in this stage for about three weeks before hatching into a grub like larva. At this stage the larva will eat the bee bread and continue to grow until time to form into a pupa. During this stage the pupa will take on adult features and be wrapped in a protective covering for eight to nine months. When emerging the bee will be a fully functional adult ready to eat, mate and build her own brood nests.

            Because there is no one to rely on, the female adults are very docile. If they risked stinging, they would be unsuccessful at creating a brood for next year. As with all bees, males have no stingers. Therefore they are lovely creatures to have in our gardens. Solitary bees are either generalists or specialists. The generalists will go to whatever is in bloom so are the more resilient species. The specialists only feed on one type of plant. For example, the squash bee will only feed on plants in the squash family such as pumpkins, cucumbers and gourds.

            If you want to invite these fascinating insects into your gardens there are few things you can do. Create diversity in your landscape by providing nectar rich plants blooming at various times during the growing season. Good early season plants are False Blue Indigo, Baptisia australis, Redbuds Cercis canadensis and even those Violets we hate having in our lawns. Coral honeysuckle, Lonciera sempervirens, not to be confused with the invasive alien Japanese honeysuckle, Lavender, Lavendula and Threadleaf Coreopsis, Coreopsis verticillata are great for early summer. Late summer will find Oakleaf Hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia and Garden Phlox, Phlox paniculata in bloom and asters round out the season. Step two is to not be afraid to be a bit untidy. Brush piles, old tree stumps and open bare ground provide good nesting sites. Finally, don’t use pesticides which kill the good bugs right along with the bad ones. With a little patience in the landscape the good bugs will consume the bad ones anyway.

Caption for picture: The False Blue Indigo is a great plant to attract solitary bees in early in the season. Solitary bees are important pollinators for many fruits and vegetables.

 

 

 

 

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