[belfast]

Bee Friendly Gardening
Bubble bees and honey bees need our help
"Garden to Help Beneficial Honey Bees
Bee on Blossoms, American Beekeeping Federation
As the honey bee population declines, there are simple steps you can take to help the bees, including buying local honey, growing flowers and more.

Recent news reports have said that more than 25% of the U.S. honey bee population has disappeared over the last few winters. The effects of this can be felt in many areas, including the growth of many nut, fruits and berry crops – important produce for farmers and food manufacturers alike.
Why Are Honey Bees Important?

Many U.S. crops depend on honey bees for pollination. As the honey bees gather pollen and nectar for their own survival, they pollinate crops such as apples, cranberries, melons and broccoli. Some crops, including blueberries and cherries, are 90 percent dependent on honey bee pollination and one crop in particular – almonds -- depends entirely on the honey bee for pollination at bloom time.
What’s Causing the Decline in Population?

Researchers say that the decline in the bee population can be traced back to the following.

* Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). More than 35 states across the continental United States and in two provinces in Canada, Belgium, and Spain have reported this condition. CCD is thought to have claimed the lives of billions of honeybees around the world.
* Varroa Mitesh. Accidentally introduced into the United States in 1987, these tiny brown parasites feed exclusively on honey bees.
* Viruses. Israeli AcuParalysis Virus (IAPV) has been linked with CCD.

* Chemical Exposure. Tests on pollen in CCD-affected hives show levels of 45 different types of insecticides, fungicides and herbicides.
* Lack of Nutrition. A limited supply of good pollen and nectar (due to drought) has had an effect on the decline of the honey bee population.

What Can I Do?

There are several things that home gardeners and concerned citizens can do to help the honey bee population. First, create a bee-friendly garden with plants that are attractive to honey bees. These include lavender, jasmine, rosemary, violets, thyme, blue bells, wisteria, cone flowers and sunflowers – common (and in some cases, local and native) perennials and herbs that can be grown easily and with little maintenance. The plants will also add beauty and diversity to your garden."
the rest of the article is in the link below
https://insectsspiders.suite101.com/a...ndly_gardening



https://insectsspiders.suite101.com/a...ndly_gardening

Buzzworthy Plants That Attract Bees
"Buzz up!

It isn't difficult to make your yard, garden or even patio space a haven for beneficial bees. You'll be helping these important insects, as well as bringing more nature to your backdoor.

The greater the plant diversity, the more bees you will attract and support. Always try to choose as many native plants as possible, and consult with nursery staff or other experts to find vegetation that will thrive in your specific conditions.

Here is a partial list of tried-and-true bee attractors:

Annuals

Asters
Calliopsis
Clover
Marigolds
Poppies
Sunflowers
Zinnias

Perennials

Buttercups
Clematis
Cosmos
Crocuses
Dahlias
Echinacea
English Ivy
Foxglove
Geraniums
Germander
Globe Thistle
Hollyhocks
Hyacinth
Rock Cress
Roses
Sedum
Snowdrops
Squills
Tansy
Yellow Hyssop

Garden Plants

Blackberries
Cantaloupe
Cucumbers
Gourds
Peppers
Pumpkins
Raspberries
Squash
Strawberries
Watermelons
Wild Garlic

Herbs

Bee Balm
Borage
Catnip
Coriander/Cilantro
Fennel
Lavender
Mints
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme

Shrubs

Blueberry
Butterfly Bush
Button Bush
Honeysuckle
Indigo
Privet

Trees

Alder
American Holly
Basswood
Black Gum
Black Locust
Buckeyes
Catalpa
Eastern Redbud
Fruit Trees (especially Crabapples)
Golden Rain Tree
Hawthorns
Hazels
Linden
Magnolia
Maples
Mountain Ash
Sycamore
Tulip
Poplar
Willows"
rest of the article in the link below

https://www.thedailygreen.com/going-green/tips/2790

Making a Wildlife Garden
https://www.enfo.ie/Making%20A%20Wild...rden%20pdf.pdf

[Miss Blunted]

I planted cone flower, hollyhock and strawberries this year....and bought a lot of benadryl, haha....my boyfriend's allergic. Planting anything is a give back...good thread.

[belfast]

more tips for people in the British Isles
"Great flowers start with pollination, and for that you need bees.
Plants for bees
Make a bee-line

Great flowers start with pollination, and for that you need bees. Find out how to get the busiest garden insects to work for you.
Gardens are extremely important for bumblebees, and vice versa. Bees need flowers for sustenance, and flowers need bees for pollination. But it's important the flowers you grow provide the food bees need.
Preferred flowers

Most double flowers are of little use, because they're too elaborate. Some are bred without male and female parts, while others have so many petals bees can't get to the nectar and pollen to collect it. This is the main reason why single dahlias are popular with many bees, while doubles are usually ignored.

The single-flowered rose family, which includes crab apple, hawthorn and potentilla, seem to be irresistible to our buzzing friends, as are the flowers of fennel, angelica and cow parsley, and sedums.

Tubular-shaped flowers, such as foxgloves, snapdragons, penstemons and heathers, are also all-favourite feeding places for bees.

Plants for life

It's vital you provide flowers throughout the bumblebee's life-cycle, from March to September. It's also a good idea to have at least two nectar- or pollen-rich plants in flower at any one time during this period. The nectar feeds the adult bee, while the pollen is collected to feed the young. Of course, the more flowers you have, the more attractive your garden is to bees, so you can never have too many!

Try the following to attract more bumblebees into your garden:


Spring flowers
Bluebell, bugle, crab apple, daffodil, flowering cherry and currant, forget-me-not (Myosotis), hawthorn, hellebore (Helleborus corsicus,
H. foetidus), pulmonaria, pussy willow, rhododendron, rosemary, viburnum, thrift (Armeria maritima).

Geranium flower
Early-summer flowers

Aquilegia, astilbe, campanula, comfrey, everlasting sweet pea (Lathyrus latifolius), fennel, foxglove, geranium, potentilla, snapdragon, stachys, teasel, thyme, verbascum.

Bee on dahlia flower
Late-summer flowers

Angelica, aster, buddleia, cardoon, cornflower (Centaurea), dahlia (single-flowered), delphinium, eryngium, fuchsia, globe thistle (Echinops), heather, ivy, lavender, penstemon, scabious, sedum, Verbena bonariensis."
https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants...ants-for-bees/

[maryjohn]

honeybees don't belong on this (north america) continent and they only take resources from our native pollinators.

I say let 'em croak and just focus on saving them in Europe. I really appreciate all the extra bumblebees (even better pollinator than honeybees) and little cute native bees I've been seeing.

[magiccannabus]

You'll have to check this shit out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m5vt07W2n4

CCD is partly myth. I talked to a smaller bee keeper in the Sacramento, CA area and he said it's mainly due to poor hive maintenance and moving the bees around too much. He said you get something called 'frame slap' when the hives travel. In general travel is stressful to the hive. There are a few large companies that basically just pimp their bees out with little regard to care and lots die off. He, and other bee keepers he was associated with, also did not have issues with mites because they followed a simple maintenance program.

[belfast]

I hope the plants will help native pollinators.

Introduction - Why Make Yours A Bee Garden?
https://nature.berkeley.edu/urbanbeegardens/index.html

I live in Europe and we have lots of bubble bees too and other pollinators.

I am growing some stinging nettles for the butterflies at the moment.

I think it was Éamon de Buitléar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89a..._Buitl%C3%A9ar that said the farming areas in Ireland and else where are becoming a green desert with nothing, but mono crop useless to insects.

I remember in Ireland in the 1960s and 1970s at petrol stations they would wipe the insect from you wind shield they were some many.

I see very few these days.

[belfast]

Originally Posted by NOYB

CCD is partly myth. I talked to a smaller bee keeper in the Sacramento, CA area and he said it's mainly due to poor hive maintenance and moving the bees around too much. He said you get something called 'frame slap' when the hives travel. In general travel is stressful to the hive. There are a few large companies that basically just pimp their bees out with little regard to care and lots die off. He, and other bee keepers he was associated with, also did not have issues with mites because they followed a simple maintenance program.

I friend of mine for Mauritius in the indian ocean told me they have the problem there too.

Also a friend of mine with an organic farm in Ireland who does not move his bees had the problem.

[barnyard]

that's a sweet video magicannabus, outstanding choreography.

Excellent post belfast, thanks for sharing.

Buckwheat is another great bee attractor.

I'm also about to drop an "elbow" of Yellow Blossom Sweet Clover around the grape vines in my backyard. Bees love all types of clover.

Both Buckwheat and Yellow Blossom Sweet clover make excellent cover crops and improve soil texture and fertility. Plus both grow so fast that they will outgrow, and thus suppress, weeds.

IMO, there's simply no argument against improving wildlife habitat.

[belfast]

encourage insects into your garden.
https://www.nationalinsectweek.co.uk/garden.php

Insectary plants
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insectary_plants

U.S. Growers Foster Wild Bees and Bee-Friendly Gardens
https://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2...-03-24-093.asp