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Bee Gardens
Bees are in search of a quick sip of nectar, some tasty pollen and maybe
some building materials to take back to their nests. All the while, bees
are pollinating flowers, which allows for fertilization, which then
creates the fruits, seeds and nuts that we eat.
General Bloom Guidelines
Native pollinators tend to be attracted to blue, purple and yellow
flowers. Flowers with short tubes or no tubes at all are more likely to
attract a variety of bees.
Short-tongued bees and hover flies are attracted to small shallow
flowers such as Brassicas (cabbage family),
Umbelliferaes (carrot family), and Compositae (sunflower family).
Long-tongued bumble bees are attracted to flowers with deep corollas
and hidden nectar spurs such as larkspur, columbine, snapdragon,
bergamot, delphinium, bell shaped flowers, mint and Solanaceae (tomato
family).
Leaf Cutter bees are attracted to beans and peas (legume family).
Bees are generally not attracted to double bloom varieties; they usually
produce showy flowers with less pollen than single bloom varieties.
Heirloom varieties are preferred.
Mason Bees Like:
Plants that bloom in April to early June. They prefer blooms that are
most abundant in May because that is when they are collecting nectar
and pollen for their nests. If you are trying to pollinate fruit trees,
don't have flowers that are blooming at the same time around the area of
the fruit trees. However, you will need flowers available for the bees
after the fruit trees are done blooming.
Bumble and Honey Bees Like:
Plants that bloom for spring and summer because bumble and honey bees
are active the entire growing season and will need a constant supply
of food. The most important consideration in creating a bee garden is
how to use a maximum number of native annual and perennial wildflowers, which naturally grow in your region and provide continuous bloom. Native plants have evolved and adapted to the local climate and soils and they require less water and fertilizer than showy exotic plants. Heirloom plants and seeds are older varieties of plants that generally produce more pollen and nectar for bees. Plant breeders often breed exotics for aesthetics and not for the plant's capabilities of producing pollen and nectar.
Daffodils, dahlias and many other flowers look pretty, but provide no
food for our busy pollinators.
Use Native Plants
By planting bee-attracting plants and flowers, you can also attract a
diverse array of other pollinators and wildlife. Butterflies, wasps,
flies, hummingbirds and other pollinators will give you a bountiful
harvest of fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts. Keep an eye out, and
enjoy the comings and goings of pollinators in your backyard!
Follow These Easy Steps to Ensure Pollinator Habita
CONSTRUCT AND INSTALL NESTS for pollinators in your backyard. There are many designs for nesting boxes for species such as mason bees and hunting wasps.
LEARN TO IDENTIFY BENEFICIAL INSECTS and their nest sites and let them flourish in your garden. This allows for a balanced population of
spiders, ladybugs, bees and other beneficial insects to fight against
the pests in your yard.
PROVIDE A WATER SOURCE, like a birdbath, small pond or a dripping faucet which insects can access. Bees need to drink clean water too!
PROVIDE MUD for mason bee nests by digging a hole as wide as a shovel, past the organic layer and into the mineral layer of the soil. The
mineral soil can be easily packed by the mason bee.
LEAVE DEAD WOOD in your backyard. Dead wood provides shelter and
nesting space for many beneficial insects, including leaf cutter bees
and mason bees. They make their homes in old beetle burrows. Entire
trees or even branches will suit this purpose.
KEEP SOME EMPTY SPACE in your yard. For bees that keep underground nests, it is important to keep a small patch of uncultivated and undisturbed ground which is accessible to them.
FLOWER FOOD FOR BENEFICIAL INSECTS can be added to your yard by planting high nectar-producing plants each year. Native plants are great for indigenous pollinators! Let plants go to flower to attract
pollinators in your yard.
REDUCE PESTICIDE USE. Look towards other options first. Organic
controls such as soap sprays and pest control techniques with natural
parasites are good starters. Some pesticides are less persistent and
have been proven safer for pollinators. Follow the application
instructions. Apply at night when bees are safe in their nests and use
as little as possible.
ESTABLISH GREEN CORRIDORS. Work with your neighbours to include several backyards in a bee habitat creation plan, giving bees a larger area to nest and forage in.
Simple Tasks to Encourage Pollinators Do More:
Apart from bountiful flowers in continuous bloom, all bees require
places to hide from predators, to locate a mate and to establish nests.
Pollinators need you to help provide safe havens from predators,
parasites and chemical pesticides.
The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. ~George Bernard Shaw
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If warm weather has jump-started your spring bulbs don't worry. Often a warm winter, moisture, and a few warm days will start them growing. If just their noses are out of the ground, they don't need protecting.
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