You have probably read or heard the quote several times: “Once the bee disappears from the earth, man will only have four years to live.” Some people say it is from Albert Einstein, others disagree. But the important thing here is that these insects provide a vital service by pollinating the plants that produce much of our food. They also pollinate the wildflowers, which in turn feed the insects that drive the food chain. By helping bees, we are helping wildlife - and ourselves. We give you helpful tips for a bee-friendly garden (see images below) - how you can design it to attract the important bees.
Why do bees need help?
In many parts of the world, pollinators are fewer and fewer. The reasons for this are complex, but they range from agricultural techniques to urban sprawl to the loss of wildflower meadows.
If you want to help bees, starting a bee garden is one of the best projects you can tackle this year. We'll tell you another good idea: you can adopt a beehive! On the Internet you will find numerous options for sponsoring bees.
Designing a bee-friendly garden – tips
Avoid pesticides
Anyone who gardens in harmony with nature should be able to do without chemical pesticides and weed killers. Instead, choose onePest control with natural means, for example with nets and garden fleece. Grow the most important plants in combination: marigolds and tomatoes repel aphids and black flies, garlic between roses deters aphids, nasturtium attracts aphids away from brassicas.
Bee-friendly plants for the garden and front yard
Bee-friendly flowers attract pollinators and make your garden an important place for them. Plan a sequence of flowers so that after one blooms another begins. By ensuring a constant supply of pollen and nectar, you will keep bees in your location all year round. You should choose single flowers rather than double flowers. A wide spectrumFlowers in your garden, including many trees and shrubs, provides a larger feast for your bees. If you have a small garden, consider growing seasonal, bee-friendly container and potted plants.
Plants that bloom in spring provide food for honey bees emerging from hibernation.Suitable plantsare:
- Hawthorn, flowers of apple, cherry and plum trees, as well as other plants such as crocus, blue cushion, bluebell, laburnum, lungwort, willow, dandelion, marjoram, cowslip and narcissus
Bee-friendly flowering plants in summer are:
- Clover, marigold, borage, eggplant, forget-me-not, strawberry, chives, phacelia, hardy golden balm, lavender, comfrey, foxglove, buddleia, allium, catnip, hollyhock, globe thistle, poppy, sweet pea and thyme, cornflower, coneflowers, nasturtium and ivy
- Autumn: Abelia, honeysuckle, sedum, wallflower, sage, broad bean, white deadnettle, yarrow
- Winter: snowdrop, mahonia, ivy, monkshood, rosemary, raspberry, celandine, hellebore
Blue, bee-friendly flowers
Bees see in the ultraviolet spectrum, which makes blue, purple and white plants particularly attractive to them. Red flowers are the least attractive.
Create a bee-friendly garden and don't forget water
Like us humans, bees also need water. It is essential for honey bees to produce food for their young and to keep their hive cool and moist. They collect water in the summer months.
Fill a bucket or bowl with water - preferably rainwater - and place a few rocks in it that are large and sturdy enough to provide a safe place for the bees to drink. Floating old wine corks on the surface of the water also gives the bees something to land on.
Shrubs and trees are very important
A single, flowering lime tree provides the same amount of forage as 3,000 square feet of wildflowers. If space permits, bee-friendly plantings should begin with a framework of permanent, year-round forage from shrubs and trees.
Design a bee-friendly garden – mow the lawn correctly
If you allow some corners of your garden to become a little wild, you will create valuable habitat for bees. For example, in winter, allow grass to grow longer and the hollow stems of perennials uncut to provide additional protection.
Mowing the lawn less often also allows low-growing lawn flowers like clovers and daisies to bloom longer, which in turn provides more foraging opportunities for bees. Apply this gentle method to your entire lawn or to specific areas.
Build a bee hotel – DIY
A great way to support honey bees in your garden is to provide for their needs. You can build a bee hotel or apiary with our step-by-step instructions.
You need:
- Several bamboo sticks or cardboard tubes, several large plastic bottles, string or brown packing tape and scissors.
- A green place to set up the hotel
Directions:
- Use scissors to cut off the plastic bottle just below the neck.
- Cut the bamboo or cardboard to approximately the length of the remaining bottle.
- Fill the bottle with the bamboo or cardboard until they are packed tightly enough to stay in the bottle.
- Tie the bamboo sticks together with twine or brown tape if they are a little loose.
Find a green, sunny and sheltered spot, because bees love the sun, and place the hotel just above the ground so that it doesn't end up in the shade too early. If you want it to be taller than a few feet, first run some string through the bottle and tie both ends so it can be hung from a fence or gate post.
You can build a more elaborate and sturdy version by making a box for the bamboo instead of the plastic bottle.
