The Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven is a unique outdoor museum where visitors can observe and learn about bees and the plants that support them. Located next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis, it was planted in Fall 2009 thanks to a generous gift from Häagen-Dazs. The garden is open year-round, from dawn to dusk. Admission is free. For more details to ensure an enjoyable visit, please see our “Planning Your Visit” page.
WHY DOES THE HAVEN MATTER?
Like to eat? Thank a bee! Bees are responsible for pollinating about 1/3 of all the food we eat, including most of the fruits, nuts, and vegetable that make our diets tasty and nutritious. Bees also pollinate many of our wild plants that in turn provide food and habitat for other wildlife.
Yet many bee species (California has about 1600 native bee species) are in decline. While we don’t know all the reasons why this is occurring, one thing is clear: bees need flowers. We can all plant bee gardens, from a few flower pots to several acres. The Haven is a unique location where visitors can see bees and learn what they can do to help.
Can’t make it to the garden? Visit our blog, The Bee Gardener, use the resources on this site, or use the links under “Follow Us” to connect to our social media pages.
GARDEN NEWS AND EVENTS
Updated plant list now available! The list of plants in the Haven has been updated to reflect new additions in Fall 2014. Download the list here.
The Haven’s 2014 annual report is now available.
Our 2015 guided tour season is winding down. Tours end October 15, but it’s not too early to plan for next year. Click here to request a tour. The garden remains open year-round from dawn to dusk for self-guided tours.
2015 events at the Haven:
Click here for a complete list of events in 2015. Upcoming events include:
October 2. Fall Open House, 5:30 to 7pm. Learn about integrated pest management for bee gardeners. UC IPM will be there with lots of valuable information about bee-friendly pest control in the garden. For more details, click here.
DONATE TO THE HAVEN
The garden is funded entirely through donations. Please consider making a gift to help us in our important work of bee pollinator education and outreach. Thank you. Click here to donate to the garden.
HISTORY OF THE HAVEN
The Haven was planted in the spring of 2009 thanks to a generous donation from Häagen-Dazs. Pollination is essential for the production of many of their ice cream ingredients; as they learned more about declining bee populations and bee health concerns, they sought a way to provide support for the entomologists working to address these issues. The Haven brought this vision to life.
Working in partnership, the UC Davis Department of Entomology and the California Center for Urban Horticulture (CCUH) developed the plan for realizing the vision of Häagen-Dazs. Led by Missy Gable of CCUH, the group (David Fujino, CCUH; Lynn Kimsey, UC Davis Entomology; Aaron Majors, Cagwin & Dorward Landscape Contractors; Diane McIntyre, Häagen-Dazs; Heath Schenker, UC Davis Environmental Design; Jacob Voit, Cagwin & Dorward Landscape Contractors; and Ellen Zagory, UC Davis Arboretum) developed and judged a design competition, garnered donations, and made the garden happen.
The winning garden design was created by the team of Sausalito-area landscape architects Donald Sibbett and Ann F. Baker; interpretative planner Jessica Brainard; and exhibit designer Chika Kurotaki. While areas of the garden were redesigned in 2013 and 2014 by UC Davis Landscape Architecture student Eric Xu and garden director Christine Casey, the original designers’ concept that linked garden themes to bee biology remains strong. View the original garden plan here.
Garden artwork was created by students in Entomology 001: Art, Science, and the World of Insects. This course is part of the University’s Art/Science Fusion Program. The bee sculpture at the garden entrance, known as “Miss Bee Haven,” was created by artist Donna Billick with installation funded by Wells Fargo. Area residents and school children created the panels for the sculpture’s pedestal.
A grand opening celebration was held on September 11, 2010. The self-guided tour signs, placed in the garden in 2011, were created by biology teacher Sarah Huber. In 2013 the Sacramento Bee named the Haven one of the region’s top ten public gardens.
The garden is supported exclusively by donations and volunteers. We gratefully acknowledge their support. Donors of $1000 or more are listed here. Garden volunteers, past and present, are listed here.
Contact us: firstname.lastname@example.org
A friendly reminder from our risk management folks: there are bees in the garden! If in your excitement to view our bees up close you should forget the Haven’s walk-only-on-the-path policy you might step on a bee. And if she reminds you she’s there by stinging you, please take a bee sting flyer from the box on the shed. You can also view the flyer here.