If you are a gardener, then surely you must know the importance of having bees in your garden. Bees help increase crop yield and biodiversity, and even act as a natural pest control. Want to create a bee-friendly garden? Keep on reading!
1. Go for bee-friendly trees and flowers
According to Nestle Cereals, a bee-friendly garden should provide bees with their favorite meals – this means your garden should have flowers and trees that contain nectar and pollen. Bee-friendly flowers you can plant in your garden are Lavender, Borage, Black-eyed Susans, Sunflowers, etc. For trees, Apple, Cherry, Acacia, etc.
2. Do not use pesticides
Although pesticides are effective in controlling pests, they are deadly to bees. Pesticides are responsible for the decline in bees. So, if you want to create a bee-friendly garden, then it becomes a no-brainer to avoid using pesticides. Rather than using those harmful chemical compounds, use safer gardening methods like natural fertilizers.
3. Build a bee hotel
You know how you look for a hotel to stay in when you travel out of town? Bees also need hotels – that’s if you intend on keeping. According to Gardeners World, bee hotels attract solitary bees; these bees then lay their eggs in the hollow cavities and leave a small amount of food for the larvae. Enough to allow them to hatch, pupate, and leave the stems.
4. Create bee nests
Queen bumblebees need safe places to hide and hibernate during autumn and early winter. They usually hide in shrew holes and old voles. After hiding, they emerge in late winter and early spring, looking for places to nest. Creating safe, cozy nests in your garden will attract queen bumblebees looking for nests (homes) to hibernate in.
5. Provide a good source of water
Like humans, bees need to stay hydrated. This means that if you must create a bee-friendly garden, it should have a good water source to constantly stay hydrated and remain in your garden. To create one, you can get a tray, pour clean water, and add a few rocks so the bees have solid ground to land on and drink the water.
6. Create a protected sunny spot
According to The Micro Gardener, bees like to search for food in sheltered places unaffected by strong winds, heavy rains and have a strong coverage (or shade). With that said, place your pots or flowers in your own controlled garden microclimate. Although it’s important to have a covering, ensure that the spot you have some sun exposure.
7. Do not take out all your weeds
Weeds aren’t all that bad. They do have some important roles to play, especially in a bee-friendly garden. You can allow a patch of dandelions and thistles full of nectar to grow in your garden so they can attract bees. In addition to attracting bees, the hollow stems provide shelter and can act as a nest for the bees to stay in.
8. Do not grow plants with a lot of petals
Why? You wonder. Well, the reason is quite simple. Some of the best flowers that attract bees more often are those without many petals. In addition to plants with lots of petals, plants with double flowers can be difficult for the bees to navigate, so you shouldn’t plant them as well.
9. Grow climbers vertically
When creating a bee-friendly garden, you should be mindful of how you utilize the space for your garden because it makes it possible to plant more flowers and trees. You do this by planting flower species up fences, walls, and trellises. This creates room for more plants, improves your garden’s appeal, and makes it easy for the bees to access flowers to feed from.
