A Spectacular Spring

What's The Buzz: Make Your Backyard Bee-Friendly This Summer

9 June 2017 by Terri Holmes

Bees do a lot for the environment and are visitors that should be welcomed to your yard and garden. These little workers pollinate and fertilize plants, flowers, and trees, creating much of the food that consumers eat. Bees help plants thrive and prosper, preventing them from dying-off.

Some tips for a bee-friendly backyard include:

Choose the right flowers. Choose the right flowers to attract bees to your yard. It is best to select those flowers that are native to the area, although wildflowers are also appealing to bees. When choosing the flowers for your garden, consider some that are especially-attractive to bees, including:

• Geraniums.
• Asters.
• Poppies.
• Anise hyssop.
• Echinacea.
• Black-eyed Susan.
• Clover.

Maintain a color-scheme. Use yellow, white, blue and purple in your garden's color scheme to attract bees. These colors are reported to be their favorites, and flat-shaped blooms will attract lots of bees.

Plant some herbs. Bees love herbs! Plant herbs like chicory, chives, lemon balm, lavender, marjoram, sage, rosemary, mint, and thyme. Plant these herbs spacious clusters, so that bees can rest while still finding the nectar that they need close-by.

Skip the pesticides. Avoid pesticides when trying to attract bees. This is toxic for bees and you can easily kill-off bees by using these chemicals on your lawn or garden.

Make sure to provide water. Provide some water for bees. Since bees can't swim, supply them with a shallow container filled with pebbles covered with fresh water. This will give them a spot to get a cool drink, while also ensuring that they don't drown.

Set up a habitat. Set up a small habitat for bees to make nests; not all bees live in hives. Create small piles of dry twigs, grass, and brush, for bees to build nests with.

Plant in cycles. Plant cyclically. Bees are around from spring until early-winter. Plant various things that will bloom at different times of the year to keep bees returning to your property.

Grow some veggies. Planning to grow a vegetable garden? Plant some veggies that bees like, such as berries, cucumbers, squash, and melons. Bees are also attracted to the smell of fruit trees, so consider adding a couple to your property.

Use these tips to attract bees to your yard and garden this summer, and benefit from these tiny but mighty pollinators! Talk with lawn care professionals for more suggestions related to your landscaping, and about how to make your property, lawn, and garden more appealing for bees!

Share