With spring flowers come bees
Garden Week Four 4/17/2018
With spring flowers come bees
Honey Bees? Bumble Bees? Sweat Bees? Mason, Carpenter or other Solitary Bees?
Why do you want bees in your garden…that is other than to pollinate? The strongest defense against pests of all kinds is a healthy garden and lawn. Which means the more beneficial flowers, lawn and beneficial critters in your garden and yard, the less room there is for the bad guys. Weeds. Thrips. Voles. Just to name a few. When we have healthy plants, with the help of our friendly pollinators, we encourage healthy environments for those other beneficial critters, and less weeds by limiting room for them to grow.
So, what are our friendly bees looking for? Food and shelter. What do bees eat? Nectar and pollen. The nectar is a sugary liquid created by plants to attract bees and other insects known as pollinators. When pollinators stop by for their meal, they pick up the pollen, which is found in male flowers. Then, when the pollinator stops by female flowers, fertilization occurs. And viola, the female flower is now able to create seeds. In some cases, this will mean fruit or vegetables, and in others, more flowers for next year. The bees then carry the nectar back to create honey. They also carry pollen back to feed the baby bees, as pollen is packed with protein necessary for the growth of the baby bees.
The theories of what to plant to attract bees are endless. A good rule of thumb, is to have several varieties of plants flowering throughout the season. As we are coming into spring, let’s look at some of the plants which bees will enjoy. Last week we discussed bulbs, like the Crocus. These are great flowers for attracting our first buzzing friends. You may also consider:
Yarrow: A compact bundle of little flowers ranging from yellow, red, white and pink.
Flax: Commonly found in blue but can come in a wide variety of color including whites, red and yellows.
Firecracker Penstemon: A plant which produces long shoots full of bright red trumpet-like flowers. I remember growing up see these flowers from purples to reds and whites, and full of bees!
Flowers don’t have to be just on flowering plants, they can be on shrubs and trees alike. You may consider:
Lilac: Who doesn’t love the smell of Lilacs in the spring? These flowering bushes can produce an abundance of white to the classic lilac purple bundles of tiny flowers.
Siberian Pea Shrub: Which have lovely yellow flowers resembling those found on the vegetable pea plants. These are some of my favorite flowering bushes because I love the leaves as well as the flowers.
No matter what you are planting remember that local bees and flowering plants have a long history and are well suited to work together. Check out these sites for suggestions on native plants to help our pollinator friends. https://www.wildflower.org/collections/printable.php?collection=ID and http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/nrcstechnote_plantsintermtnwest.pdf
So what kind of shelter do our little friend look for? Honey bees as you know are often domesticated, in the sense that we work in conjunction with honey bees to raise honey. Bee boxes, as we often know and see them today, have been developed over thousands of years. Look for a story in Friday’s Outdoor section on what to do when you find a hive where it may not belong. But where do all the other bees live? Most of the other Bee types will steal or take a previously made holes of a vole or other small underground critter. They may make their home in the hollow of a tree or any dried hollow reed or similar plant. Carpenter bees will borrow holes into wood and be quite the pest. Others still, will dig their hole into the ground where flooding is less likely. Bearing this in mind, you may help to attract our friendly pollinator bees by providing refuge for them. There are many varieties of Solitary “Bee houses”. These are often made up of a collection of reeds in an attractive configuration. While others still will resemble a birdhouse with holes just the right size for bees. You can make your own by bundling reeds or drilling holes into wood and mounting them at least a yard off the ground, facing full-sun, and in a secure location. Bees will not take up habitation if the wind is blowing the house around or is cold.
Wait! Don’t forget to water your bees. Yes, even bees need water. Birdbaths or Bee watering holes can bee a lovely feature in your garden. Not to mention a great location to Bee Watch!
Happy Gardening!
Crocus: Look at all that lovely pollen!
A little-known fact about Bumble bees.
Some flowers are particular in choosing to be pollinated by special bees. The Bumble bee. We’ve all heard the sound of a Bumble bee. That quick vibrating sound, especially when collecting pollen. The reason is that some plants keep their pollen inside of their anthers or end structure on the stamen of the male flower. The Bumble bee cuts the anther then vibrates to shake the pollen free.
So, next time you here a bumble bee buzzing in your back, remember it is doing its job.
Nice work Bumble bees!
