Saturday, August 15th is World Honey Bee Day. The efforts to help and preserve the Honey Bee have increased dramatically over the past decade and much of this preservation has been achieved through bee friendly landscaping. Honey Bees pollinate plants, flowers, and much of the human food supply. Without bees, the food supply for us would quickly dwindle. We are celebrating World Honey Bee Day with an article this week which is on bee friendly landscaping.
5 Tips On Bee Friendly Landscaping
- Plant bee friendly trees. Bees love early blooming trees. The trees can serve a lot of many purposes for the bees such as food and shelter. The best trees to plant are flowering trees that bloom in spring such as cherries and crabapples. Maples, poplars, and willows can provide the bees with an extensive supply of pollen when they first bloom in spring.
- Provide shelter for bees. Bees like to shelter in several places. These include dirt, untreated wood, branch piles, and hedges. If you don’t have those on your property, you can add them yourself. Bamboo sections, hollow reeds, and man-made nesting blocks will provide an attractive shelter to any Honey Bee.
- Try to use natural and organic fertilizers and pesticides. If the primary purpose of your garden is to feed Honey Bees, you’ll want to refrain from using harsh herbicides and pesticides. Valley Green carries a variety of organic products to keep bees, children, and pets safe.
- Plant flowers that bloom through multiple seasons. Planting flowers that bloom throughout the summer, spring, and fall will give the bees a continuous supply of food. Native plants that are both edible and ornamental are usually the best ones to plant. Planting a variety of these plants can also provide the bees with a variety of nectar in their diets.
- Provide the bees access to water. The best type of bee watering container is shallow and can contain pebbles or other items for the bees to land on. The water shouldn’t be too deep as the bees could potentially drown. It is best to place the bee watering container in a safe place such as the trunk of a tree or hanging on a fence post.