Mellifera is the hardest working – if somewhat accidental – horticulturist in your garden.
In her search for food, she will move from stamens to pistils, pollinating your plants and ensuring their survival. She is responsible for 70 percent of the world’s flowering botanicals and a large number of its fruits and vegetables. It is estimated that one of every three bites of food you take is due to her and those like her.
She is, literally, busy as a bee.
Apis Mellifera (the scientific classification is Latin for “bee” and “honey-bearing”) is also an insect in decline. Over the past several years, an alarming number of the pollinating wonders have either died or mysteriously abandoned their hives, a syndrome with the ominous-sounding name Colony Collapse Disorder.
No one is quite sure why. There are several likely culprits, such as improper use of pesticides, predatory mites and even starvation. As more and more acres of agriculture in the U.S. move toward crops like corn and wheat, bees suffer; these crops are primarily pollinated by wind and offer little to no nutrition for insects like honey bees.
But you can help in the worldwide effort to bolster the world’s smallest farm worker through a garden that attracts – and nourishes – insects like bees.
Amazingly, just two hives of bees can pollinate an entire mid-sized residential garden. By providing bees with attractive, natural-looking bee hotels around your property, everyone benefits.
How to practice long-term care of Bee-nificial pollinators and ensure survival:
- Create habitats for pollinators by supplying necessary water, food, shelter and places to raise their young.
- Plant in clumps, as clustering plants makes them easier to find and shortens the need for travel, reserving the energy of backyard pollinators.
- Plant a section of native plants and wildflowers to increase nectar and pollen sources for butterflies and bumblebees. You can find a list below.
- Choose a variety of plants that will bloom in rotation through the growing season. For example, crocus and wild lilac in the spring; snapdragons and foxglove in the summer; and zinnias and asters in the fall.
- Choose a variety of colors and shapes, as different pollinators are attracted to different types.
- Build or purchase a “bee condo,“ or leave dead trees or limbs for nesting habitats.
- Use bee-safe pesticides and follow the directions for use carefully.
Warner’s locally grown native plant selection, as well as all the other quality plants from our nursery, provide multiple food sources for all those buzzing bees that are providing for you.
Here’s a list of list of plants that will keep bees busy and your yard looking lovely too!
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By Misti Warner-Andersen
Happy Gardening,
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