Beware wildflower mixes. Frstly, they tend to turn into ineradicable weeds.
Second, HONEYbees have a thing called "flower constancy", where a given bee
will concentrate on one kind of flower all day. That makes them good for
pollinating crops, but they seem to ignore mixed flowers like meadows -
unless there are a LOT of highly visible blooms (like: you sometimes see a
field yellow with daffodils), they ignore them. They look for a solid block
of one bloom. So trees and bushes are more attractive than single flowers.
Having said that, I have hundreds of snowdrops near the hives. Sedum is
very attractive to them - it does sort of spread out though, swamping
nearby plants, unless you prop it. Wallflower "Bowles Mauve" flowers or
months and is a favourite.
These are region-specific reccs. I have sandy soil. These plants may be
poor choices in, say, Kent.
I also note that honeybees ignore cold flowers. You see bumblebees forging
on flowers in shade right next to a hive which the honeybees are ignoring.
Paul
On Wed, 13 Nov 2019, 17:21 Eric Asher, <eric.asher@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Dear Juli,
Do look at
http://www.rosybee.com/
Oxnatbees had a day out there and Rosy's team know their stuff well. Based
locally, they really do bee counts per sq metre of plant to confirm their
findings.
From my semi-beginner perspective, plant selection also depends on the
season you want to plant for. Ivy is the last pollen/ nectar source of
the year for example.
Spring is important and your early flowering Crocuses may get visitors on
early Spring days.
Buddlea and Sedum were popular with our girls this year.
Do look at
https://friendsoftheearth.uk/bees/beefriendly-plants-every-season
<https://friendsoftheearth.uk/bees/beefriendly-plants-every-season>
Bee-friendly plants for every season | Friends of the Earth
<https://friendsoftheearth.uk/bees/beefriendly-plants-every-season>
Bees need 3 things to thrive - food, shelter and water. Use this guide to
discover which plants and trees to grow, and when they flower. Different
bees are active throughout the year, so you'll need flowering plants from
spring to winter. Bees forage from flowers rich in nectar and pollen.
friendsoftheearth.uk
Plant Lavender!!! bees love it AND as Gareth showed me this week, the
dried cuttings in a smoker really calm the girls down, if you have to
perform a hive intervention. We were applying woodpecker defying metal mesh
and the girls were so calm. But then, it was Gareth doing it. Do get an
opportunity to watch and listen how he speaks kindly to them. This is the
opposite of "snatch and grab" beekeeping.
Please remember that there are two types of beekeeping: one that is for
the convenience of the bees and one for that of the beekeeper.
Mazaltov!
Eric
------------------------------
*From:* oxnatbees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <oxnatbees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
on behalf of Juli Cohen <juliane.cohen@xxxxxxxxx>
*Sent:* 13 November 2019 16:33
*To:* oxnatbees@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <oxnatbees@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Subject:* [oxnatbees] Planting for bees
Hi all,
Getting bees gives me an excellent excuse to get some new plants / shrubs
for the garden. I would love some suggestions for plants that bees
particular love, that provide lots of pollen and nectar, and/or that make
for particular nice honey. Are there any plants you have personally found
to be very popular with your bees?
Thank you all,
Juli
