Seed to Feed Me: bees

Tuesday, 7 June 2011

HOW DO I ATTRACT BEES INTO MY GARDEN?

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There are many beneficial insects that visit your garden, often feeding on pest species such as aphids, caterpillars and thrips. One of these beneficial insects are very important as they can help by pollinating your plants too. Say hello to the bee.

If you take a close look around your garden you will notice many different varieties of bee; small black ones, green ones, striped and fuzzy ones. There are over 250 species of bee in Britain. They are responsible tor pollinating a large number of fruits, flowers and vegetables. Bees play a very important role are a key part of our ecosystem.

By creating a habitat within your garden that is appealing to bees you will increase pollination and decrease pests. It is easy to attract bees into your garden if you have plenty of flowering plants. Bees feed on these plants looking for sugary nectar, which gives them energy; and pollen which provides them with proteins and fats.

They differ in the length of their tongue, and therefore there is a difference in the type of flower they visit for food.

A range of flower shapes in your garden you will appeal to a wide variety of bees. Bumble beesBombus hortorum) have very long tongues and feed from plants with long corollas such as foxgloves and red campion. Some bees have learnt to access nectar from unsuitable plants such as Bombus terrestris, which pierce plants which have a long corolla and takes the nectar from the side of the flower.

Planting a wide range of bee friendly plants in your garden that flower successively over a long period you will encourage more bees into your garden and support bees that fly at different times over the season. Some plants will be more appealing to bees than others. Native wild flowers provide the best source of pollen and nectar for our native bees, and are four times more attractive to bees than exotic plants. These native plants are better adapted to our climate and growing conditions and need minimal attention.

Avoid plants that have been intensively bred as they contain little nectar or may be difficult for bees to access. Bees have excellent colour vision to aid them to locate flowers and are particularly attracted to blue, purple, violet, white and yellow plants. Scented plants are also attractive to bees, such as herbs and evening scented plants.

Bees are more attracted to plants planted in groups, rather than individually. In addition to planting attractive plants, you can improve numbers of bees by not using pesticides in your garden as pesticide use can kill off beneficial bugs as well as pests.

The following plants are particularly appealing to bees:
Allium schoenoprasm (Chives)
Althaea rosea (Hollyhock)
Aquilegia (Columbine)
Aster (Aster)
Aubrieta deltoida (Aubrietia)
Berberis (Oregon grape)
Borago officinalis (Borage)
Cotoneaster horizontalis (Cotoneaster)
Chrysothamnus (Rabbit-brush)
Ceanothus (Wild lilac)
Daphne mezereum (Daphne)
Digitalis (foxglove)
Echinops ritro (Globe thistle)

Echinacea (Purple cone flower)
Eriogonum (Wild buckwheat)
Foeniculum vulgare (Fennel)
Helianthus (Sunflower)
Hyssopus officinalis (Hyssop)
Knautia arvensis (Scabious)
Kallstroemia (Caltrop)
Larrea (Creosote bush)
Lavendula spica (Lavender)
Lupinus (Lupin)
Melissa officinalis (Lemon balm)
Oenothera biennis (Evening primrose)
Origanum vulgare (Marjoram)
Papaver (Poppy)
Phacelia tanacetifolia (Californian bluebell)
Penstemon (Penstemon)
Reseda odorata (Common mignonette)

Rhododendron (Rhododendron)

Ribes (currant)

Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary)
Rudbeckia (Black eyed Susan)
Salvia officinalis (Sage)
Salix (willow)
Sambucus (Elder)
Sedum (Stonecrop)
Solidago (Goldenrod)
Symphytum grandiflorum (Comfrey)
Symphoricarpos (Snow Berry)
Thymus vulgaris (thyme)
Vaccinium (huckleberry)
Veronica spicata (Speedwell)
Wisteria (Wisteria)

For related articles click onto:
Ladybirds
Ladybird facts
Keystone species
Moth Facts
What is the difference between a butterfly and a moth?
What is the difference between a wasp and a hornet?

Friday, 15 April 2011

CAN YOU KEEP BEES IN YOUR GARDEN?

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It is entirely possible to keep bees in your garden without disturbing your enjoyment or that of your neighbours. There are no laws against keeping bees in your garden and you do not need a large garden to keep them in. Bees are fascinating creatures to watch, and the skill behind setting up a hive and introducing a colony is intriguing. Once you have your bee colony set up you will be hooked.

The wildlife around the hive can be very interesting, and bee keeping can help to look after the garden and countryside. The benefits of having bees within your garden is that they are great pollinators, in addition to producing honey and beeswax. On average 20-40 lb of honey can be obtained from the hive in a season. Beeswax can be used for producing candles, soap, furniture polish and cosmetics. And of course honey can be fermented into mead.

Bees kept by bee keepers are the honey bee species, Apis mellifera. These honeybees turn plant nectar into honey. They also collect pollen, which they use to feed their larvae, and natural resins (propolis) to waterproof and strengthen the hive. Each colony will sustain 50,00 - 70-,000 bees. The hive will work together as a single unit, with the bees having defined roles within the colony. Most bees in the colony are female worker bees, but there are several hundred male drone bees whose role it is to mate with young queens. There is only one queen bee, who will lay up to 2000 eggs a day. The worker bees tend and feed the larvae, construct and clean the wax comb cells, serve as guards at hive entrance and collect pollen and nectar from plants.

To get started you need to select a bee hive. There are many different styles of bee hive but all have movable frames. Choose a hive that works for you, one that provides ease of access and is suitable for your location. The bees will not mind which hive you select! Hives can be bought new or second hand, or you may make one from scratch. Ensure second hand hives are sterilised thoroughly as diseases can be spread on old combs and equipment.

You will also require bee-proof clothing - a bee suit or veil, boiler suit, gloves. Tuck your trousers in your socks and cover your head when near a hive. Smoke the colony prior to disturbing it in any way. However, you should expect to receive some stings as part of the hazard of bee keeping. In addition, you will require a smoker and a hive tool.

Once set up you need to introduce the bees. You can purchase bees as a complete colony or part colony, or you may wish to obtain bees from a local bee keeper (check they are free from disease first). You should select bees which produce good yield, are docile and free from disease.

Inspect the hive weekly or fortnightly. Monitor for mites and Varroa, which will be in every colony. You will need to spend a hour a week during the summer maintaining the hive, checking the health of the bees and ensuring the hive is clean. You should understand the life cycle of the queen bee and look out for signs of a swarming colony. It is advisable to speak to your local Bee Keepers association or enrol on a college course to study bee keeping in more detail. The British Bee Keepers Association website is ideal to get further information on the subject.