3 Tips For Creating A Bee-Friendly Garden

Honey bees are crucial members of our ecosystem. We need them to pollinate crops and help plants grow. That’s why many people are joining the fight to help save the bees. However, not everyone has the time, money, or comfort levels to don a beekeeper suit and tend to their own hives. If you’re looking for an alternative way to help these valuable pollinators, try setting up a bee-friendly garden. With the right flowers and a clean water source, you can create the perfect honey bee sanctuary in your own backyard. Here are three tips for creating a bee-friendly garden this spring.

Plant Flowers For All Seasons

Flowers make up the most crucial part of your bee-friendly garden. After all, honey bees need both the nectar and pollen from flowers to feed their colonies. The trick is to plant a variety of local native flowers so that something is blooming throughout the entire year. Besides providing a diverse menu for the honey bees, this also ensures that there are always flowers available for your visiting pollinators. Make sure you have plants that will bloom from early spring through the end of the fall so that pollinators can always rely on your garden.

Establish A Poison-Free Zone

Pesticides are some of the biggest threats to honey bees and other pollinators. When you build a bee-friendly garden, make sure you keep all pesticides, insecticides, and other toxic treatments away from your plants. Avoid them in other parts of the garden, as well, such as a vegetable patch or the potted flowers you keep on a windowsill. If you must treat your plants for insects, find non-toxic, organic solutions that won’t harm any visiting honey bees.

Create A Hydration Station

Honey bees, like all other living creatures, need hydration. That’s why one of the most important tips for creating a bee-friendly garden is to make a safe place for any visiting pollinators to grab a drink. Place a shallow water dish near your flowers. Add a few sticks and stones that stick out of the water so that the honey bees have somewhere safe to land. Be sure to rinse out the dish every couple of days and add clean water for your visiting pollinators

Customer Photo Credit: Cindy E.

How will you do your part to save the bees? A bee-friendly garden is a great way to help the bees and take your first steps into the world of honey bees. If you find yourself caught up in the buzz of these incredible creatures, you don’t have to stop there. Mann Lake’s beehive starter kit makes it easy to jump into a beekeeping career, no matter how much or little experience you have.