10 tips to attract bees to your backyard if you're not a beekeeper
Bee farming is all the rage, so it's no surprise that most of the best-selling books on the internet in the Home Garden category are beekeeping guides. If you already keep chickens in your backyard, then it will not be difficult for you to move on to the next step in improving your farm - breeding bees. However, not everyone is ready to put on a special suit and start working on a bee colony. In addition, money will be required to purchase hives and other necessary equipment, as well as time to care for bees and collect honey.
Beekeeping is not an occupation that you can dive into without special knowledge and sufficient experience. Anything can happen - queens die, in winter colonies can starve, bears often destroy hives in search of honey, and so on.
Wild bees
As it turned out, wild bees are much more hardy than domestic bees, in addition, they can be found everywhere - there are more than 4,000 species of bees around the world.
So if you have a desire to participate in the rescue of bees, and you want to see them often in your backyard, why not pay attention to the local wild bees? Of course, they won't produce honey for you (which is a bit frustrating), but they will pollinate the plants.
In addition, domestic bees can be aggressive when protecting their hives. Wild bees flying alone do not have hives near them that they need to protect, so they are more docile - less likely to be stung. But do not forget that any bee is likely to sting you if you step on it, or it gets into your clothes or hair.
Wild bees are much more efficient at pollinating plants than domestic bees. They are also more resilient, so they can work even on cold and rainy days. To attract them to your site, you will need a special bee house, which can be ordered from an online store. Or, you can simply staple a bunch of regular wide drinking straws or tubular sticks like bamboo and hang them in your garden for bees to lay their eggs in.
There are many simple and inexpensive ways to attract local wild bees to your garden. As a bonus for keeping the population of these bees in the region, you will be provided with a good harvest and create a favorable habitat for any bees, including those kept by your neighbors. Here are my tips to help you not only attract wild bees, but also get them to settle in your garden. Believe me, you definitely won't need a beekeeper suit!
Top 10 tips for attracting and keeping bees in your backyard
Grow wild flowers
It is logical that wild bees will be attracted by wild flowers. Plant them not only in flower beds, but also next to the garden, as well as in other places throughout the area of your site. Thus, you will provide the bees with a wide choice - a real buffet.
Pay attention to which plants the bees prefer and plant more.
Don't use pesticides
Pesticides are not only harmful to plants, but also to your health. In addition to pests, they also kill beneficial insects, including pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies. If you do need pesticides, use them at the base of the roots, not near flowers where bees gather. And remember that even so-called natural pesticides are also bad for bees. Therefore, weigh the pros and cons before using these pest control products.
Don't use herbicides
The herbicides you use on your lawn or garden to control weeds can also be harmful to bees. Instead of using widely advertised products, try natural, non-toxic weed control methods.
Conventional hand weeding is the easiest and most free way to get rid of weeds, and it is completely safe for bees and the environment.
Set up a bee house
As mentioned above, wild bees are excellent helpers in the garden, and they can be easily not only attracted, but also kept in your area. Place the house for them in a shady spot near the garden and wait for the bees to find it. As soon as you see that some of the holes in the tubes are covered with hardened substance, it means that the bees have laid eggs in them.
Give your bees access to water
If you have a bird drinker in your garden, place a stone in it large enough for the bees to sit on and drink. Also, water sources for them can be a small saucer with several stones or clean water dripping from the tap.
Choose plants to have flowers in your garden three seasons a year
Experienced beekeepers advise to plant such plants that will attract bees not only in the height of summer, but also in other seasons.
Your task is to provide bees with sources of nectar and pollen practically all year round, especially in spring and autumn.
Here are some of the seasonal plants that bees prefer:
- in the spring - lilac, lavender, sage, verbena, wisteria;
- in summer - mint, kosmeya, zucchini, pumpkin, sunflower, poppy, black-eyed Susan rudbeckia, honeysuckle;
- autumn - fuchsia, sunflower, sage, verbena.
Keep some areas of land free of mulch, plants and debris
Before 70% of all wild bees nest in the ground.
They burrow underground and build their dwellings there. Such a mound of soil is somewhat reminiscent of an anthill. Therefore, before you grab a dangerous ant, make sure that it is not a bee that is building a dwelling from the ground. But even if it is an ant, leave it alone - although they are unwanted guests in the kitchen or during a picnic, in fact, ants are very useful for aerating the soil, and they can pollinate plants like bees!
Add spicy herbs to flowers in your garden
Thyme, dill, basil, oregano and rosemary not only enhance the flavor of your dishes, they can be an additional decoration for your garden. In addition, bees are very fond of them. But note that some herbs can taste bitter if plucked after they have bloomed. So harvest early and then let the herbs bloom.
Let some weeds grow on your lawns
Wild bees are excellent clover pollinators. They also really like dandelions. Therefore, consider weeds not as "weeds" but as an excellent source of pollen and nectar for bees!
Increase the area of open areas or grassland where wildflowers and weeds can grow
You can make life much easier for yourself and your lawnmower by reducing the area of your lawns and increasing the number of open spaces. Let the weeds and wildflowers take over all but the small, traditional yard around your home. Pollinators will be attracted by wildflowers, and birds by other insects that will certainly appear in unkempt areas. Wild turkeys, rabbits and deer will appear in search of tasty food.
And one more useful advice regarding weeds from experienced beekeepers.
Many weeds are very beneficial in the wild. Their foliage is used as food by many species of butterflies and caterpillars, their flowers provide pollen and nectar, and wild bees that die for the winter are used to build their nests. So don't be too zealous during the autumn cleaning of your homestead - leave some plants for the next bee offspring!
Thank you. It was very interesting to read. I didn't know that bees can live in the ground. And in the house they will not freeze in winter? Or will they only live there in the summer?