Honeybees: Nature’s Pollinators and How to Attract Them to Your Garden
Honeybees play a vital role in our ecosystem by pollinating plants, ensuring the survival of many food crops. In the United States alone, over 150 crops depend on honeybees for pollination, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains. Honeybees also pollinate forage crops that feed livestock.
However, honeybee colonies have been declining in recent years, posing a threat to our food supply and the environment. Gardeners can help slow this decline by creating a bee-friendly habitat in their gardens.
Plants that Attract Honeybees
Many plants are attractive to honeybees, providing them with nectar and pollen. Some of the best plants for attracting honeybees include:
- Purple coneflower: This perennial produces colorful, daisy-like blooms that attract bees in late summer.
- Anise hyssop: This annual plant is a favorite of bees during midsummer and self-seeds every year.
- Salvia: This perennial produces masses of tube-shaped flowers from spring through fall, available in various colors.
- Borage: This annual plant produces blue or white flowers that attract honeybees and other beneficial insects.
- Bachelor’s button: This old-fashioned plant is drought-tolerant and produces vibrant blue flowers.
- Bee balm: This perennial is a magnet for honeybees and other pollinators, blooming in a variety of colors.
- Black-eyed Susan: This easy-to-grow perennial produces bright yellow, daisy-like blooms with a contrasting dark center.
- Butterfly weed: This plant attracts monarch butterflies and other beneficial insects, including honeybees.
- Alyssum: This small plant produces masses of tiny, sweet-scented flowers that are extremely bee-friendly.
- Leonotis: This tall, shrubby plant produces fuzzy, orange, tube-shaped blooms that attract honeybees from late spring through autumn.
Creating a Bee-Friendly Garden
To create a bee-friendly garden, consider the following tips:
- Choose a variety of plants: Offer honeybees a diverse range of plants that bloom throughout the growing season.
- Plant in groups: Group plants together to create a larger target for bees.
- Provide water: Place a shallow dish of water in your garden to provide bees with a place to drink.
- Avoid pesticides: Pesticides can harm honeybees and other beneficial insects. Opt for organic pest control methods instead.
- Consider native plants: Native plants are often well-adapted to your local climate and provide a natural food source for bees.
The Importance of Honeybees
Honeybees are essential for maintaining a healthy ecosystem and ensuring the production of many of our favorite foods. By creating a bee-friendly garden, you can help support these important pollinators and contribute to the health of our planet.
Additional Tips for Attracting Honeybees
- Avoid using double or semi-double flowers: These flowers often have fewer nectar and pollen than single flowers.
- Plant herbs and vegetables: Herbs such as lavender, rosemary, and thyme are attractive to honeybees, as are vegetables like squash, cucumbers, and zucchini.
- Provide nesting sites: Honeybees need a place to nest and raise their young. Consider providing a bee house or planting bee-friendly shrubs and trees.
