Look for blooms with stripes leading to the inside of the flower. Want a quick cheat sheet of the best bee-friendly plants? You can often identify if a plant is a good source of pollen or nectar simply be examining the color and appearance of the blooms.Find pollen and nectar producing plants that will bloom throughout the year, particularly during those hot summer and cooler fall months. Here in Texas we are fortunate to have a strong spring flow, and generally a decent fall nectar flow as well. Many parts of the northern United States only have one nectar flow per year, occurring in the spring. Think consecutively, not concurrently. Your goal is to extend the ‘nectar flow’-the period of time in which nectar is available for honeybees.Fall is generally the best season to plant most flowers, so put this on your to-do list now before winter arrives! When choosing plants, ensure you choose natives and those plants best fit for your growing region, helping to ensure your plants thrive! Check out the Xerces society and their downloadable pollinator-friendly plant lists by region. Some plants are booming sources of nectar or pollen, and others may have none at all. It’s critical that honeybees have access to as much nectar and pollen as possible. However, not all blooms are created equal. Pollen is combined with nectar and secretions from the bees to create what is known as “bee bread,” which is then fed to honeybee larvae. Nectar is what sustains adult bees, and it’s ultimately what they use to create the honey we all enjoy. Honeybees require two sources of food to survive: nectar and pollen. If you plan to plant herbs for next year, plant one for you and one for the pollinators! Choose your plants wisely I bet you take great care to cut the flowering tops, thereby ensuring the plant expends its energy on the tasty leaves, rather than flowers and seeds. Take stock of your herb inventory-can you dedicate a few of those herb bushes to the honeybees instead? Most herbs are a fantastic source of food and are quite beautiful in their blooming periods. Got lots of herbs growing in your home garden? Check out my video on how you can create your own bee water source in your yard. Bees can drown in extremely shallow water, and giving them a flotation device will help ensure their safety. Something as simple as a chicken feeder, or better yet, a bird bath, will suffice! Make sure that you place stones or floating objects (such as sturdy branches) in the water. Honeybees need water, and down here in Central Texas it’s not always easy for bees to find decent water sources. You can do a lot for your local honeybees and pollinators right in your own backyard!Ĭultivating a hospitable and bee-friendly yard for the honeybees is something we can all do, no matter what size space you have available.įollow the suggestions below, and by springtime next year you will have lots of new pollinating guests. So you’ve heard that we should save the bees, but you aren’t sure how to help? My Milkshake Brings All the Bees to the Yard
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