If you were to ask 100 people what the most irritating thing about spending time in the garden was, it’s a fair bet that close to half of them would mention insects. It’s understandable too, especially in summer – any time you have a barbecue, it can feel like it’s being ruined by uninvited guests. And it’s fair to say that a lot of the insect visitors you receive are less than welcome, but it wouldn’t be fair to say that about all of them.
Primarily, your aim should be to dissuade flies, wasps and flying ants from your garden, and there are ways and means of doing that. On the flip side though, you shouldn’t be so hasty in keeping away bees. These creatures (along with butterflies) will do a lot of work to see off the less beneficial insects, and they’ll bring a lot of benefits to your flower or veg garden besides such as pollinating flowers, providing biodiversity, and working quietly to make the local environment better. So read on to see how you can persuade bees to frequent your own garden…
Place water around your garden
In many ways, bees are just like us. Okay, that might be an exaggeration, but in one very specific way, they absolutely are like humans. When they’ve been working hard in the garden, they get thirsty, and they’ll very much appreciate it if you leave water in your garden for them to quench that thirst. Shallow dishes with a small amount of fresh water are a good idea, and if you have a water feature, consider placing small pebbles in the pool. Bees can then balance on the pebbles while they take a drink, and then they’re off again, pollinating and evicting wasps as they go.
Understanding Bee Behavior: The Role of Queen Bees
The hierarchy in a bee colony is fascinating, and queen bees play a crucial role in it. Queen bees are the only female bees in the hive capable of reproduction, often laying up to 2000 eggs daily. Their responsibility is to lead and birth all other bees in the colony. When queen bees die or become unproductive, the worker bees raise a new queen by selectively feeding royal jelly to larvae, creating a replacement. Queen bees’ vital role ensures the hive’s survival and continuity. Knowing this can enhance our appreciation of the bees that visit and help our garden thrive. By making our gardens bee-friendly, we don’t just attract common worker bees but provide a potential habitat for queen bees as well, contributing to the overall health and continuation of their colonies.
Plant colourful, flowering crops
Whether your garden is designed for practicality or prettiness, a few bees and butterflies can make an important difference to the vitality of the garden, and they are most likely to notice colorful flowers. They get quite excited about lavender, and if you’re growing fruits and veggies they’re known to find zucchini, tomato and strawberry plants very attractive. Be sure to keep Osborne Screens or similar on exterior doors as you work in the garden, because although you want bees in your garden, you don’t want them in the house. And they don’t want to be there, either, they much prefer fresh air and flowers.
Position bee houses in your garden
A bee can fly as much as five miles in the search for food. It’s hard to compare that with a human, because humans can’t fly, but it’s a very long way. Bees get tired, and like humans, they can get exhausted in the heat, so somewhere for them to shelter is a very good idea. Bee houses are becoming ever more widely available, and it is worth having a few in your garden – they act as a hive away from the usual hive, and bees can pause there, take some nourishment and then go back about their usual business. They’ll keep coming back to your garden and you’ll see the benefits over time.
*This is a collaborative post