If you have got past a fear of bees or never suffered this fear in your life, having bees see your garden as a little playground can do wonders to your garden.
Honey bees for example can help beautify your garden by doing their business of pollinating.
This bring more life to the garden while making plants more lush, abundant, and dare I say it… more juicy!
While different homeowners might have varying reason why they’d want to attract bees into their front yards, who are we to judge.
Here are some simple steps to make your garden irresistible to bees… should they come across it.
1) Plant native plants
Bees are small insects. Some people consider them animals. I guess they can be categorized as any of the two.
The point is that because of their size, they can be very affected by the climate they live and play in. This makes them more receptive to things that they are used to instead of trying something new.
And with how robotic bees can be, you wouldn’t bet on one going against the grain and do things that they are not “programmed” to do.
Native plants and flowers, the stuff that they grew up with will be more tempting than a sturdy evergreen they’ve never encountered before.
Plants that can survive very well in the wild is best. Again, because these are what bees are most likely to be used to.
A mix of wildflowers from the local store should be good to go.
2) Include single-petal flowers
Flowers with single petals tend to contain more pollen than others. They also have a bigger surface area for a bee to land and stand on.
This can make a huge difference in the eyes of a hungry bee.
Other than that, it sure look more aesthetically pleasing when you see one on a single petal.
Some of the single petal flowers bees love include:
- Clover
- Cone flowers
- Foxglove
- Marigolds
- Roses
- Sunflowers
3) Colors
You might have never thought about this before. Yet it makes perfect sense.
Bees don’t have the color range of human beings in their vision. But they can differentiate and distinguish between yellow, blue, green, violet, orange and purple.
This means that flowers with these colors will mean a higher probability that they would come pay a visit soon.
However, there seem to be general acceptance that they like blue, purple, white and yellow best.
This might explain why bees love Choisya. As the color of it’s flowers contain both yellow and white.
4) Plan blooming periods throughout the year
If you have a seasonal garden, it might be a turn-off. Imagine thinking that there is happy hour going on at your residence and only to arrive to find the shop closed for the season.
That’s very bad customer service on your part.
To maximize your garden’s potential to attract bees, it’s best to have blooms throughout the year.
5) Aromatic and fragrant plants
The more wonderful your garden smells with an array of scents, the better your chances.
You don’t need to restrict yourself to aromatic plants. the freshness of vegetable and fruit plants can be helpful too.
- Lavander
- Choisya
- Snowberries
- Angelica
- Cantaloupe
- Cucumbers
- Peppers
- Pumpkins
- etc
6) Make it a chill-out place for bees
If bees do not find a conducive spot to take residence or just relax, the odds are that they would move on to the next clubhouse.
Leave empty spaces in your yard. Even better if you can have them against a wall or structure. Having bald spots in the garden can be a game-changer.
Note that not all bees build their hives on trees or other places suspended from the ground. Some bees actually live in the ground by digging a hive underground.
This means that sometimes they would need access to mud or loose soil to build their homes.
Surely you are not going to be a bad neighbor and deprive them of such basic bee rights?
7) Access to water
It goes without saying that bees are living creatures. And living things need water to survive. But they don’t just need water to drink and hydrate themselves.
They need them for bathing and grooming too!
Please don’t ask me why. It’s just the way they are.
I won’t confuse you with how to create a bee bath. You need to figure this out for yourself.
Be mindful of the following when creating this mini pond of water:
- It has to be shallow enough not to drown them
- Bees should be able to drink from the edge if they don’t want to get wet
- Be mindful that you might be breeding mosquitoes or other pests
8) Stop using insecticides
If you are using insecticides in the garden, it’s time to stop.
Nothing is more clearer that you don’t welcome them than if you are using chemical mean to exterminate them.
This point should not require any explanation.
While it might add to the tranquility of your home to welcome bees into your garden, do be mindful of the safety hazards that you might run into. Even if you don’t mind the trouble your neighbors might.