Consider a bee garden

With all the buzz about creating butterfly gardens, it seems as though our other flying friends have been left out in the cold. As a result of wide-spread pesticide use, aggravated by a virus that attacks their immune system, populations of honey bees have been reduced by one-third over the past several years. Called “Colony Collapse” this phenomenon may have even an impact on some of your favorite fruits and vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, and blueberries–commercial crops which depend on the pollination of these hardworking bees for their survival. (Not to mention delicious Tupelo honey.) So, when you start planning your garden, you may consider adding in a few features to attract our little buzzing buddies.

Go Native!

Try planting native flowering plants or wildflowers. These plants will require less work (i.e. fertilizers and pesticides), and the pollen and nectar in native wildflowers will provide more nutrition than the weaker pollen in hybridized plants available for purchase at most garden centers. The great thing about these native plants is that they are many of the same plants you’d put in a butterfly garden. Get the most out of your garden by letting it do double duty. For a great resource on native wildflowers, please visit: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP061

Be sure to add variety to your garden. After all, variety is the spice of life–and bees love variety. Bees can differentiate colors so be sure to vary the color, shape, and the flowering schedule of your plants.

Get Wet!

Just like us, bees need water so, make sure you provide a source of water for your bees. You may already have a this in the form of a birdbath or fountain. Here’s a link to a great (and cheap) birdbath project: Birdbath Project

Bee a Builder!

Lastly, what do we all need? A home, of course. Bees need a home, too. Leave some open areas in your garden for bees that nest in the ground. You can also create a great place to nest by leaving fallen trees on your property. Don’t have fallen trees? You can build a bee house!

To build a bee house, drill holes of various sizes (5/16″ in diameter and 5″ deep works best for mason bees) in untreated lumber and mount them facing in a southerly direction. You’ll want to mount them in an area that gets some cover, and you can cover them with chicken wire to keep birds out. Make sure not to use pesticides in the area and don’t move the houses until after November.

Too lazy to build your own? Gardner’s Supply Company has a great(and attractive) bee house for just $14.95.

Note: After writing this article, I saw two news stories about bees on the same day from CNN and BBC. Apparently, bumble bees in the UK are now going after aphids in order to find nectar!

And, for some fun entertainment, click on the link below:

Bee Boy Dance Crew