It’s true, your happy little garden will be even happier if you can draw more
bees in its direction. And you’ll be happier, when you can sit back and watch
the bees working, knowing you did your part to help them thrive. The truth is,
we all sort of helped mess up a really good thing. Between GMO plants and
over-stressing bees by trafficking them to and from large crops in need of
pollination, bees are now at risk of collapsing not just a single hive, but many
hives across the planet. Think of the good you could be doing by giving local
bees a safe place to find nectar, pollen, water and space - all of which are
critical for bees in keeping their hives healthy. Together, we can all make
small changes for a big result. Here is a list of ideas to help them out:
Build a hive.
Nowadays, you don't need to be a crazy-obsessive bee expert to
care for bees. There are all kinds of books and online sources to provide you
with a step-by-step guide to beekeeping. Pinterest has tons of different hive
plans, tips and tricks! Otherwise, look into the local chapter of beekeepers
and see if any of them would be willing to care for a hive if you foot the bill,
and provide the space. You can work out keeping a jar or two of liquid gold for
the effort and the reward of knowing you did your part... Sweet!
Plant bee-friendly flowers.
Planting flowers that bees love around your
yard and garden (or even in that empty lot down the road), can provide more
locations for bees to do their thing! Some especially bee-friendly flowers
include: Clover, Chamomile, Thyme, Pennyroyal, Cosmos, Lavender, Chives,
Crocus, and Primrose. Try to find and plant local, wild, and organic seeds
since hybrid seeds are sterile and provide no real nutrition for the bees.
Provide water.
Bees drink like us, but they also get wet and turn into little
AC units in the hives. A bird bath with a small branch or a pine cone for
getting in and out works great, or fill a dish with a layer of marbles on the
bottom, and fill with water halfway up the marbles. This also gives the bees a
safe place to land while they have a drink. Whichever you choose, fill your
hydration station with water days ahead to let the chemicals from the tap
water fade out. The buzz is they will like it more.
Keep it light.
Bees like places that are light in color (it is believed that they
are programmed to stay away from things that are the same color as a bear or a
honeybadger), so make sure the surroundings are calm and light in color
where you are wanting to “bee” watching bees.
Have fun and take pictures of them in your garden, we would love to see
them! Email your images to almanac@rcherbals.com.
sajeera on May 16, 2022
great.inspired.thanking you