are easier for bees to access than pom pom or ball varieties) also pack a colourful punch.
Provide access to water
Whether you have a pond in your garden or a saucer on your balcony, make sure bees can get in and out of it easily, because they can’t swim and they will drown. Put some stones or pebbles in strategic positions so that they can easily access water and can exit it too.
Herbs can also create an abundance of colour and fragrance which will be a magnet for bees. Lavender, borage, sage, thyme and rosemary provide pretty flowers, add flavour to your cooking and will keep bees happy. Bulbs can also do their bit, so think ahead because you’ll need to plant the spring-flowering ones in autumn.Then, in late winter and early spring, bees will go mad for the early nectar and pollen from crocuses, winter aconites and irises, when much of the garden has yet to come to life.
Don’t use chemicals
Avoid chemicals at all costs, even if aphids are running amok. You can usually just squirt them off with soapy water or, wearing a pair of gloves, run your fingers down the stems where you see them to keep them at bay. Pesticides can be deadly for bees which are feeding on sprayed plants.
Avoid double varieties
Go for single,open-flowered types such as daisy-like flowers, because with double varieties some of the pollen and nectar has been lost as more petals have been established. Some plants which have been heavily hybridised to produce more blousy, bigger blooms have in the process made it impossible for bees to access the nectar or pollen, if indeed there is any pollen because some sterile hybrids don’t produce any.
Consider a wild patch
The ‘rewilding’ debate continues, but if you have space, just leave a patch at the back of the garden to do its thing – weeds, wildflowers and long grass will all provide food and shelter for bees.
Provide shelter
Solitary bees need ideal nesting sites to lay eggs, and are attracted to holes in wood, so you could either buy a bee house or make your own from hollow bamboo canes tied with string and inserted into a secure frame. All the adults generally die off before winter comes, the females leaving their eggs sealed inside a nest in a cavity or burrow, provided with food stores of pollen and nectar.
Keep bees happy in autumn and winter
While ivy may be seen as a bugbear to some gardeners, it’s manna from heaven to bees, with its nectar-rich flowers in autumn. Single-flowered hellebores, with their pretty, nodding blooms, provide much needed nectar in winter, as do winter-flowering clematis, bright yellow scented mahonia flowers, and willows, whose catkins provide plenty of pollen for bees.
Leave some weeds
While many gardeners still dig out all visible weeds, there’s a growing movement to leaving some in the grass or flowerbed as a great source of pollen and nectar.Top nectar producers include dandelions and ragwort. Leaving clovers in lawns will also benefit bees.
Honeybees are the only bee species in the UK that overcome winter as a colony, whereas with bumblebees, only the queen survives winter. Queen bumblebees hibernate underground in loose soil or banks of earth, burrowing into soft earth or under logs and stones to escape the frost. So don’t tidy up too much. Leave piles of twigs and branches where they are as easy shelters for hibernation.
Become a beekeeper
There’s a growing interest in beekeeping, but if you’re a beginner, seek advice to understand the safety and basic knowledge of beekeeping.You can do an online course or contact one of over 270 beekeeping area associations who serve their local community with support and education. For details of beekeeping experiences and training courses, visit The British Beekeepers Association.
mccarthyholden.co.uk | 105
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online