Using The Best Flowers For Honey Bees To Create Your Bee Garden
When using the best flowers for bees to create your bee friendly garden, consider the location. The area you designate for your flower garden turns into a habitat for honey bees, as well as a food source.
A front lawn looks nice, but do you need that much grass? Consider tearing up a portion of your yard to create the ideal garden for pollinators.
When thinking about the best flowers for honey bees, opt for varieties that offer single flowers. Types with a double flower top look good, but they dont produce as much nectar, and bees and other pollinators struggle to reach the pollen.
To ensure your bee garden blooms as long as possible, use a variety of flowers. We recommend using at least three different types, so blooms appear at varying times from early spring until late fall.
The prolonged blooming period ensures plenty of pollen for honey bees, butterflies, and other pollinators and provides them with a steady food source. The purpose of a bee garden is to attract bees of all types and other pollinators. Avoid using chemical herbicides and pesticides as they are extremely toxic to bees. Will neem oil kill bees? Neem oil is an excellent option for bug control.
Use natural methods to control garden pests, such as ladybugs and praying mantises. Leave areas of your garden untouched to allow for nesting and burrowing. Piles of untreated wood, sticks, or bamboo in other areas allow stem and wood nesting bees a home.
Create An Ideal Pollinator Habitat By Growing The Plants And Flowers Bees Love Most Plant These Flowers That Attract Bees
Bees are extremely important garden bugs that pollinate many of our favorite edibles and ornamentals. Native plants are always a great choice for attracting native bees, but many ornamental flowers will also help feed and support the bee population. When selecting plants, be sure to choose flowers bees love that bloom at various times throughout your growing season. This will ensure that bees have a reason to return to your backyard month after month. Plant these flowers that attract bees.
RDA-GID
Wait But What About Native Pollinators
Around 35% of crops rely to some extent on bees. That said, theyre far from being the only pollinators we should care about. In North Carolina alone, there are over 500 species of native bees. And that number doesnt include other beneficial insects like butterflies and moths!
When you plant a garden full of native flowers, you help both honeybees and native pollinators. The more forage thats available, the less these species have to compete.
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Bees Are Attracted To Soybeans
Soybeans are another major crop that is attractive to honey bees. These plants are mostly self-pollinating and do not rely on bee pollination.
But, some varieties produce nectar that is high in sugar content. So honey bees do forage in soybean fields.
Some beekeepers report harvesting soybean honey from time to time, but there is always the danger of colonies being killed due to pesticide use. Other course, this is true in any agricultural setting and a special danger for migratory beekeepers.
Snapdragons Amazing Plant For Honey Production
The unique look of Snapdragon is what causes them to stand out in your landscape. The flowers look similar to a calfs nose, while the leaves of the plant spiral upwards on the stems.
The flower also resembles a mouth opening and closing when pressed in from the sides. In some areas, these are perennials, but most growing zones treat them as annuals.
When choosing a planting location, find a spot that offers full sun and well-draining soil. Very easy to care for, Snapdragons offer flowers in several colors, including peach, violet, red, pink, white, yellow, and purple.
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Planting A Bee Garden: 12 Flowers For The Bees
Originally published on
Planting a bee garden is a beautiful way to nurture our at-risk bee population, and it can benefit humans in a multitude of ways too. These specific flowers for bees help them survive, thrive, and continue to pollinate the food we grow. Many of these flowers have edible and medicinal properties that are useful to have on hand as well!
Top Honey Plants For Producing Honey
Honey bees gather nectar from millions of flowering plants. These honey plants help the colony produce food that is essential for their survival. Many beekeepers hope to collect excess honey from their hives. Choosing to include some of the best plants for honey production on your property, may stimulate the bees to produce an even larger crop.
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What Makes A Flower Or Garden Bee
There are a few things that go into picking the best flowers for bees:
1. Pick flowers with visible centers. Bees need easy access to the center florets so they can gather nectar.
2. Avoid using pesticides or any chemicals. Each year many bee colonies are destroyed or damaged by pesticides or harsh chemicals. Some of them kill bees immediately. Others may interfere with their navigational ability or impair their reproductive capacity. To be safe, avoid using pesticides in your garden.
3. Pay attention to blooming seasons. Plant a variety of flowers that bloom in the spring, summer, and fall. This ensures that your local bee population has access to nectar and pollen when they need it most.
4. Group plants together. Bees love a good selection of flowers. Think of it like a bee buffet.
5. Pick plants that thrive in your hardiness zone. Hardiness zones are what gardeners use to determine which plants do well in their location. Find your hardiness zone from the map below:
Once you know your zone, you can find plants that flourish in your area.
6. Take care of your plants. I know this goes without saying, but I couldnt go without saying it. Ensure your plants have plenty of access to water, sunlight, and ideal soil conditions for their plant type. Your bees will thank you.
7. Make sure the bees have access to water. No surprise here. Bees need water too. That said, bees cant swim, and theyll drown if the water bowl is too deep.
And finally?
The 16 Best Flowers For Bees
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Are you searching for the best flowers for bees?
Look no further.
Below, weve listed the 16 best flowers thatll have bees flocking to your garden.
But theres something you should know first.
You need to know what your hardiness zone is. Hardiness zones are what gardeners use to determine which plants thrive in their area.
Use this map to determine your zone:
For example, if you live in south Florida, your hardiness zone is colored red on the map. This means it corresponds with zone 10.
Keep your zone number in mind as we go through the list of the best flowers for bees.
Are you ready?
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What Is A Honey Plant
Any flower that produces nectar could be called a honey plant. But, in beekeeping terminology, the word honey plant refers to blooming plants known to produce abundant nectar.
The term Melliferous is often given to them meaning yielding or producing honey. The copious amounts of nectar allow our bees to make honey.
Flowers use nectar to lure pollinators like honeybees, butterflies, native bees and insects to the bloom. Pollination helps the plant produce seed. But, not every flower relies on bees.
Some flowers produce a small amount of nectar or even none at all even under good conditions. Other plants are major nectar sources that attract bees. Some of these are wildflowers that grow naturally.
These flowers are dependable as a good bee food source even if the weather isnt perfect. This helps honey bees and native bees benefit too. These bee-friendly plants include everything from small flowers to trees!
Special Bee Flower Projects
Now its your turn to choose get busy and choose some new plants for your garden. You are sure to find something that appeals to you and grows well in your region.
If you are looking for an annual plant with a lot of pizazz dont forget Sunflowers. Some varieties of sunflowers are good for bees. But do your homework some sunflowers are pollen-less.
Not every blooming plant is a friend to pollinators. A few plants plants produce nectar or pollen toxic to bees.
These rarely cause bee deaths but it is good to be aware of which ones to avoid. Some are actually good food sources under normal weather conditions but can be dangerous during a drought, etc.
Arent you tired of all that grass? Leave some natural areas for the beneficial insects when you can. If you have enough space , create a bee friendly garden.
A popular method for small spaces is to make a container garden with honey bees in mind. Herbs, coneflowers, bee balm and lavender do well in containers. Many annuals bloom well in pots too.
If you want a truly unique experience, go for the unusual. If you have a long growing season, grow some sponges. Enjoy growing luffa sponges and seeing the bees visit the big yellow blooms.
One easy way to increase the variety of flowers in an area is to make seed bombs with air dry clay.
Another similar project uses potting soil and red clay Wildflower Seed Balls. Both of these projects are a great way to introduce gardening to kids.
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Planting To Attract Pollinators
No one plant provides all the nutrients honey bees require. Bee colonies are healthiest when they have a variety of flowering plants from which to collect their food. Even when placed near a large monoculture crop, honey bees will actively seek wildflowers to make up for nutritional protein deficiencies found in a single crop pollen. Beekeepers, conservationists, farmers and other landowners are encouraged to maintain property with flowering plants that will support and benefit many species. Doing so will encourage honey bees, native bees and butterflies, birds, and other wildlife, and maintain an overall healthier landscape For beekeepers, encouraging a diversity of flowering plants also enhances the complex flavor of varietal honeys, and can give the honey from each apiary a unique flavor, color and aroma at different times fo the season. This practice also can also help maintain an environment with more plants in bloom for bees throughout the season.
Arkansas has numerous distinct ecoregions, with varying geology and soil conditions, altitudes and micro-climates. All of these factors affect which species of plants and animals naturally occur and thrive. Beekeepers can consult multiple references when considering what plants to add and encourage in their landscape, but should use caution to avoid introducing or spreadinginvasive plant species that can have significant negative effects on native plants and animals.
Plant Blooms For The Hot Dry Summer Months
Drought tolerant flowering plants are an excellent addition to any bee garden particularly if your summers tend to be long and hot. Any plants which have roots that dig down deep into the soil will resist well in warm climates.
There are plenty of flowering perennials to choose from such as Globe Thistle and Sea Holly or mediterranean flowering plants like Lavender and Star Jasmine.
- Blueweed, otherwise known as Vipers Bugloss blooms in both spring and the end of the summer. This flower provides a steady nectar source because the flowers are shaped in such a way that they protect the nectar from evaporation in the heat.
- Ornamental Onions are a great perennial plant which can flower from early summer through to fall.
- Butterfly weed is another species of milkweed and flowers from early summer to early autumn.
- Coneflowers also fare well during hot summers and last from year to year.
- Wand Flowers are very drought tolerant and is a bushy north american flower which grows in clumps .
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Why Plant Flowers To Attract Honey Bees
Bees are terrific pollinators. By transferring pollen from flower to flower they allow plants to reproduce and at the same time yield fruit. A vast amount of our food crops rely on pollination to produce a successful harvest.
However, its said that bee populations have been in decline for several years because of a number of factors including industrial agricultural methods, pesticides, climate change, loss of habitat, and various bee diseases.
And industrial agriculture techniques have had a big impact on the quantity and quality of wild flowers which bees would normally take advantage of. A large amount of native vegetation and wildflowers get plowed for planting crops causing wildflowers to be in serious decline. Some species have even disappeared!
As a result, the variety and extent of nectar sources for bees has significantly diminished in certain areas. This causes stress on bee colonies looking for forage and particularly at certain times of the year when blooming plants become even more rare.
Best Plants For Honey Bees
If you want your bees to stay healthy and happy, you should grow some of the best plants for honey bees. These include sainfoin, goldenrod, sunflowers, and cosmos. These plants are beneficial to the honey bees, and they can help keep the environment clean. Learn more about these plants. You can also try growing them in containers. Listed below are the best plants for honey bees.
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Flowering Trees That Feed Honey Bees
Blooming trees can provide large amounts of nectar in one season. Do you have space for a tree in your garden or perhaps room for flowering shrubs? If so, be sure to check the growing conditions and find one that grows well in your climate.
You may already have some native trees that provide food for bees. One of my favorites is the Tulip Poplar Tree. We have these growing wild along the mountain sides and the tree tops buzz each Spring.
Another tree that is native to many areas is the Red Maple. Red Maples bloom very early in the year and are important for colony buildup.
Dont forget to consider adding a tree to your area if space allows. They are especially beneficial if you add a tree that blooms at a different time than the local natives.
My list of flowering trees that feed bees will give you some great ideas. Most trees can be planted in late Summer or early Spring.
Flower Size And Shape
Youll notice that the bigger bee species tend to gather on larger plants and flowers simply due to their supportive properties, whilst smaller bees will often head for equally tiny plants. This is a similar scenario when it comes to the shape of a flower, with long tongued bees favouring tubular shaped flowers with deep throated blooms whilst short tongued species seek more easily accessible rewards.
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Which Flowers Are Best For Bees
Perennials offer the highest quality nectar and pollen but there are exceptions. Some bees are specialists, like the squash bee that prefers only squash, pumpkin, and gourd blossoms. The most effective pollinators are the generalists that get their food from a wide range of plants. This includes not only native trees and perennials but some non-natives like crimson and white clovers and annuals as well.
- Annuals have the advantage of blossoming all season long. Bees flock to alyssum, cleome, zinnias, sunflowers, salvia, calendula, and verbena.
- Your culinary herbs such as sage, thyme, borage, lavender, chives, dill, basil, oregano, rosemary, and mint can do double duty. Plant them throughout the vegetable garden, let some of them flower, and they will draw in the pollinators to your other plants.
Lavender is an aromatic perennial herb that flowers all summer-long. And its edible! See how to grow lavender.
Different Flowers Unique Honey
There exist countless honey varieties depending on the bees flower source. Each source can contribute to a unique sensory characteristic. Even the soil type, climate and region, etc. can contribute to honeys uniqueness.
What we are commonly used to is wildflower honey or million-flower honey, made from an unidentifiable diverse mix of flower sources. This is the beauty of honey, as it can vary in color, flavor, and texture depending on the seasons harvest, mirroring the wonderful unpredictability of nature.
But there is actually honey known as uni-floral, single-origin or varietal honey. This bee product is made from bees collecting nectar from primarily one kind of flower. Chestnut honey has a spicy and nutty flavor and can even taste bitter. It is gathered from flowers of the chestnut trees in Italy. Coffee honey is very dark, almost brown and has a rich coffee-toned taste. Its produced in coffee-growing countries like Ecuador and Colombia. Clover honey is popular and can be found everywhere. Its a light amber color, almost white and has a mild flavor.
Of course, making sure that bees harvest from only one kind of flower is almost impossible for hobbyist beekeepers. Bees forage within a three-mile radius to any direction, sometimes reaching twice this distance. Producing uni-floral honey would require acres of predominantly the same kind of flower surrounding the beehive.
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Do All Flowers Need Bees
Plants that require bee pollination lure insects in with color, odor and food. The fuzzy bee bodies collect pollen and move it from bloom to bloom. The result is pollination and the plant is now able to produce seed or fruit.
But, not all plants need insects for pollination . Some are pollinated by the wind. Pollinators may visit these plants but they are not required for seed production. Adding flowers that attract bees to your garden is a great way to increase yield in your vegetable garden.