Recent research tells us that natural homes for bees are becoming less in abundance, which means that planting a bee-friendly garden should become a priority when planning one. Interestingly enough, bee-friendly gardens also contribute to increasing bee varieties.
If you are considering planting a vegetable patch, another bonus you can look forward to is a bountiful harvest of vegetables, as much of the heavy work of pollinating vegetable crops is done by honey bees.
If you have a garden already and would like to start creating a bee-friendly haven, then doing so isn’t as complicated as you may think. Here are a few tips which will assist you in your quest to positively impact the environment:
Choose plants that attract bees: This is fairly self-explanatory but there are certain plants that are more attractive to bees than others. These plants include the likes of basil, sage, thyme, lavender, watermelons, cucumbers and pumpkin.
Group the same plants together: If you have the space, try to plant at least one square metre of the same type of plant together.
Pick plants with long blooming cycles: This will keep the bees coming back to your garden.
Let your plants flower: Leave the flowers on your plants, this will allow the honeybees to get the pollen and nectar they need.
Fresh water source: Any shallow water source will do; a bird bath, a waterfall, a pool or even newly watered potted plants are good for bees.
No pesticides or other chemicals: Most chemicals are toxic to bees, so when in doubt, rather leave it out.
Weeds: Flowering weeds are very important food sources for bees.
Source: www.lifeisagarden.co.za