10 Things to Know About Planting for Honeybees 🐝

1. PLANTING AROUND THE SEASONS

   March through September may be the main months for honeybees, but they will fly anytime the temperature is above 50°F (10°C), even in the middle of winter! Therefore, it’s important to consider early- and late-flowering plants. The responsibee thing to do is plant sequentially in order of season so that there is always something in bloom.

2. IT’S ALL ABOUT QUANTITY, QUALITY & VARIETY

   A honeybee will visit about 100 flowers in just one foraging trip, and she will make around 10-15 trips in a day (Yes, she– all worker bees are female. #girlpower!) That’s at least 1,000 flowers a day, but that’s conservative considering it’s said that a honeybee may visit up to 5,000 flowers if she’s having a productive day. So, it’s important to help our girls withstand the impact of disease and harmful environmental factors. How? By using plentiful supplies of varied forage.

3. KEEP CALM, MOW LESS and LOVE WEEDS

   Those lawn weeds we can't wait to get rid of actually provide valuable forage, so mow them less frequently and let some areas grow a little wilder. This will encourage useful plants to grow, such as daisies, clovers, trefoil and especially dandelions, which are crucial sources of nectar in early-season.

4. FLOWER FIDELITY

   Honeybees are so loyal that they’ll only visit one type of flower in a single foraging trip. Called “flower fidelity,” it’s what makes them such successful pollinators. Help save the bees’ energy and optimize each trip they make by planting drifts (big clumps) of single species plants.

5. BLUE IS THE BEES’ COLOR

   Hang in there, we’re about to get a little technical: The eyes of honeybees contain photoreceptors that see from yellow, blue and green all the way up into the ultraviolet (UV) scale. What does this mean!? Well, that blue, violet, purple and white flowers are especially attractive to bees. They can also identify orange blooms, but not red! The color red actually looks black to a bee, making red flowers unappealing. Some flowers also utilize UV light to alert bees. Sort of like a bullseye, the outer edges of the petals reflect UV light, while the nectar-rich centers absorb it to show a dark patch that make a perfect landing pad for bees.

6. KEEP IT SIMPLE

   Did you know that honeybees have shorter tongues than bumblebees and butterflies? That means they usually can’t feed from complicated flowers. Elaborate, highly bred showy flowers tend to result in little to no forage for the honeybees. When planting, it’s best to stay close to original or simpler wildflowers that have easily accessible nectar and pollen.

7. TO BEE NATIVE OR NOT TO BEE Native

   Some people prefer to only use native plants in their garden. This is because honeybees have evolved alongside certain flower species in every region. Those flowers are also perfectly acclimated to that particular region. However, with climate change, non-native species have now become increasingly important additions to pollinator forages, and the changing flora are becoming more and more accepted by honeybees.

8. GO ORGANIC

   Source your seeds, plant bulbs and potting compost from organic nurseries to ensure that they have not been treated with insecticides. Read up on organic gardening techniques and use as many wildlife-friendly alternatives to chemicals as possible. If you absolutely must resort to chemicals, carefully follow manufacturer’s instructions to prevent from overdosing.

9. THE BUSHES, THE BEES AND THE TREES

   Bees are natural tree dwellers and feeders, so if there’s space, it’s always best to start planting with a framework of durable, perennial bushes and trees. One flowering linden tree provides the exact same amount of forage as 32,300 sq ft (3000 sq m) of wildflower meadow– that’s about half the size of a football field!

10. WE ALL NEED A LITTLE WATER

    Bees don’t store water in the hive, they forage for it as needed. Often, they choose really surprising sources! So, if you don’t have a pond, just put out a bowl of pebbles filled with rainwater. When it’s hot outside, forager bees will carry the water back and sprinkle it over the brood cells (aka nests) so the worker bees can fan it to cool the area through evaporation.