Buzzing about Bees!

A Comprehensive Guide on How to Make Your Own Bee-Friendly Garden

The importance of bees in our ecosystem

Bees are our pollinators. Yes, they produce honey, a nutritious and delicious food. But more importantly, they pollinate our crops, such as fruit, vegetables, coffee, grains, and nuts.

Bees also pollinate forage plants that nourish our livestock. They are so essential to our nutrition that an international alert was triggered when bee populations began to decline.

Research and conservation programs were formed to understand the decline and support environmental sustainability.

Understanding the decline in bee populations and its impact

Over the last 15 years, bees suffered a decrease of 60% of their population. Climate change, habitat destruction, and invasive ants were factors.

However, when colony collapse disorder was recognized, researchers found that pesticides, such as neonicotinoids, were the primary cause.

The weakened bees also became infected by viral pathogens and parasitic mites. As we lose bees, we lose biodiversity in the fields and forests.

We also lose quality nutrition as our agriculture decreases the quantity and diversity of available foods.

How creating a bee garden can help support bee populations

You do not need to become a beekeeper with all the equipment, specialized skills, and chores to help the natural bees in your community.

You can support their survival by providing a safe habitat with various quality food sources.

A bee garden is a colorful sight and complements the productivity of your vegetable garden or orchard.

Planning Your Bee Garden: Choosing the right location.

Consider the nature of bees to find the right location for your bee garden. Bees fly up to 500 feet from their nest to gather pollen.

Bees like the warmth of the full sun yet need an overhang or tree to protect their nesting spot from rain and wind. Windy areas, play areas, and walkways are best avoided.

Bees can choose inconvenient places to nest. Support peaceful coexistence by selecting a location near acceptable nesting sites.

If your bees still choose an inconvenient nesting spot, grant them space for their new home.

Designing your garden layout to attract and support bees

Bees have excellent vision and prefer yellow, blue, and purple colors. They are also attracted to fragrances like honeysuckle, oregano, lavender, rosemary, and sage.

Plant flowers within a few hundred feet of nesting areas. Group flowers in three-foot-diameter circles to make them easier to find and more efficient at collecting pollen.

Selecting bee-friendly plants for your region and climate

The US Department of Agriculture provides a plant hardiness zone map. These zones are updated every 30 years. The zones are based on the average low temperatures during the 30 years of the report.

Our current zone report is derived from data from 1991-2020. Their site has guidance to help you evaluate your plant choices.

You can determine if specific plants are hardy enough to survive in your zone.

Essential Elements of a Bee-Friendly Garden

Providing food sources for bees throughout the year

Diversity is essential in your choice of plants. Consider trees, shrubs, bulbs, perennials, annuals, ground covers, and native plants.

You will need at least 10 plant species to provide food sources for your bees throughout the year.

Trees like:

• maples

• willows

• apples

• cherries

• plums

• honeysuckles provide early pollen.

Early-season choices include perennials like:

• crocus

• viola

• pig squeak

• lungwort

• bugloss

• blueberries

Midseason shrubs include:

• Rhododendrons

• roses

• spirea

Perennials like:

• milkweed

• purple coneflower

• blazing star

• oregano provide midseason pollen

My favorite midseason annuals include:

• marigold

• borage

• blanket flower

Clover grows late in the season and can be planted on a lawn to extend the reach of your garden.

Late-season perennials include:

• aster

• phlox

• yellow and purple coneflowers

• goldenrod

Late-season annuals include:

• cosmos

• snapdragon

Creating nesting sites for solitary bees

Your bees will decide where they will nest. You can provide nesting blocks, bundled hollow stems, trees, and clumping grasses to provide nesting and overwintering refuge for bees.

Some native bees build nests in the soil. Bare patches of ground give them the spaces they need. Then you wait and watch.

Be aware of where your bees are nesting so you can provide a buffer zone for peaceful coexistence.

Providing water sources for bees to drink and cool off

Yes, your bees need water. A birdbath placed nearby with a piece of wood floating as a landing platform provides water.

Remember to refresh the water frequently.

Bee-Friendly Plants to Include in Your Garden

Flowers rich in nectar and pollen for bee forage

Lavender –zones 5-8, dry soil, direct sun, bees love the fragrance, purple

Sunflowers -zones 2-11, tall for the back of your garden, yellow.

Bee Balm -zones 3-9, moist soil, direct sun, perennial, red.

Yarrow -zone 3-7, dry soil, no fertilizer, multiple colors

Echinacea -zone 3-8, well-drained soil, direct sun, pink.

Zinnia -zone 3-10, midsummer blooms through first frost, multiple colors

Verbena -zone 7-11, well-drained soil, direct sun, long-blooming flowers, red

Milkweed -zone 4-9, dry soil, direct sun, yellow and red

Daisy -zone 5-8, blooms from spring to autumn

Native plants that support local bee species

Native plants are more likely to establish quickly and grow healthy and strong because they are adapted to your region. This means you, the gardener, have less work and less expense.

Native plants are low maintenance. They require less watering, fertilizing, and replanting.

Xerces has regional lists that will help you consider native plants to strengthen your garden.

Herbs and vegetables that attract bees to your garden.

Basil -zone 10-11, moist, well-drained soil, direct sun

Rosemary -zone 7-10, tiny flowers, fragrant

Borage -zone 2-11, fast-growing flowers replenish nectar continuously.

Zucchini -zone 3-11, plant late spring in colder climates, direct sun

Cucumbers -zone 4-12, plant late spring, partial shade

Pumpkins -zone 3-9, spreads into extra spaces, direct sun

Raspberries -Zones 3-10, choose rooted canes certified disease-free and direct sun.

Onions -zone 5-6, like mild weather, plant late winter to early spring.

Eggplant -zone 5-12, germinates best between 70-90 degrees, prefers warm climates.

Hot Peppers -zone 9-11, well-drained soil, full sun

Designing a Year-Round Bee Habitat

Remember that bees find the early and late seasons challenging, with fewer flowers and cooler weather.

Your early-season blooms assist bees emerging from hibernation and improve reproductive success.

Late-season blooms prepare the bees, most notably the queen bee, for successful hibernation.

Be generous with spaces for early-season plantings, and reuse your spaces for additional late-season blooms.

Planning for succession planting to ensure blooms throughout the seasons

You can maximize the number of blooms by planning spaces for early-season plants and replanting the same area with late-season plants when the early blooms fade. Annual plants like:

• amaranth

• cosmos

• sunflowers

• zinnias

are great for succession planting as you can plant the seed to germinate while the early blooms are still present.

Creating sheltered areas for bees to overwinter

If your bee garden is in a region with prolonged below-zero winter temperatures or severe winter winds, consider extra protections for your bees' chosen nesting place.

Wind barriers can help protect the nest from damage and chilling. Sunshine reflectors can also bring warm relief during the day.

Sustainable Garden Practices for Bee Conservation:

Avoiding the use of pesticides and herbicides harmful to bees

Specifically, neonicotinoids are a group of insecticides identified during studies on colony collapse disorder. When they are absorbed by plants, pollen and nectar become toxic to bees.

Pesticides and herbicides can kill bees. Low doses that drift into areas without our knowledge can impair bees’ function and increase their disease susceptibility.

The best approach is to avoid pesticides and herbicides. Encourage your neighbors to help decrease the use of pesticides and herbicides.

Embracing organic gardening methods to promote bee health

Organic gardening focuses on healthy plants to deter pests, mulching, and organic herbicides to manage weeds, composting to boost soil fertility, and early intervention in removing weak plants or sources of infestation.

Organic herbicides include acetic acid, citric acid, and corn gluten meal to control weeds. Removing weeds by hand decreases the need for other measures.

Your bees will be stronger and more resilient in an organic garden.

Maintaining a diverse and thriving ecosystem in your garden

Your bee garden's success comes from a balance of biotic factors and abiotic factors. Abiotic factors are the non-living conditions in your garden:

• sunlight

• temperature

• soil

• climate

• water

Biotic factors are the living things in your garden:

• plants

• Bacteria

• insects

• birds

• and you!

Your attention to the balance and changes in your garden will create a thriving ecosystem.

Bee Garden Maintenance Tips:

Proper watering and soil management for healthy plant growth

An established garden generally requires watering 1-3 times a week. This is influenced by your weather, type of soil, and specific plants in your garden.

You can apply a layer of organic mulch to retain good moisture levels. Organic mulch also will stabilize soil temperatures and reduce weed growth.

You can compost organic matter like leaves, vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and garden trimmings until they have decomposed into a dark, crumbly product. Then, work the compost into your soil between plantings to fertilize it organically.

Pruning and deadheading to prolong flowering periods

You can promote new growth by pruning seedheads and pinching off or cutting off blooms as they fade. Your bees will appreciate the fresh new blooms.

Regular monitoring of bee activity and garden health

Your daily walk around the bee garden, or even better, sitting near the garden to observe over time, will inform you of the balance in your diverse and thriving ecosystem.

You will have time to consider the next steps for new plantings, maintenance needs, bee activity, and general garden health.

Educating Others and Building Bee Awareness:

Sharing your bee garden journey with friends, family, and community

Your bee garden will be a source of learning and joy as you learn what works in your unique setting. Include your family and friends with stories and pictures.

Share what you learn with friends who may like a bee garden. Indulge curious neighbors with a tour.

Hosting educational events and workshops on bee conservation

You can find local groups with classes or bee conservation presentations as you develop your passion for bees. You may host community events or classes to improve local knowledge and skills.

Advocating for bee-friendly policies in your local area

Fortunately, local and state governments are passing legislation to decrease bee threats. Help your local government pick up the pace by showcasing what can be done to support bees.

Bottom Line

Community action is the fuel that powers innovation and change. Encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to join you in creating new bee-friendly gardens.

Eventually, you will have a bee-friendly community.

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