Bees are incredibly important to us and our ecosystem. In fact, it is estimated that one third of the food that we consume each day relies on pollination mainly by bees. With summer looking to be super warm, we are likely to see plenty of bees around and it is vital that we all do our part to look after and protect the bees. This summer, why not make your garden bee friendly? You can even consider keeping bees yourself in your garden if you like, though of course you’re going to need the proper equipment and to purchase bees! But, that’s a topic for another day.
Here are 10 tips to make your garden bee friendly.
Plant Some Of Their Flower Favourites
There are a variety of flowers that bees really love so why not consider planting some of these to attract the bees to your garden? It is a little too late to plant any from seed but for now, why not purchase some of these flowers and have them out in the garden so the bees can visit?
Avoid Pesticides, Herbicides and Fungicides
Please do avoid using these in your garden. They can contaminate the plants which in turn will likely reach the bees and then kill them.
Leave The Weeds
I know it is tempting to get rid of all the weeds in your garden but if it is possible to do so, leave some of them for the bees. Some weeds, such as dandelions, can be an excellent food source for bees.
Educate Yourself And Your Children
As well as planting certain things or avoiding certain things, it is important that you and your children know why bees are so important and what we can do to protect them, both in our garden and out of our own property. There are some wonderful resources out there such as ‘The Good Bee – A Celebration of Bees and How to Save Them’ alongside a decent range of discount gardening books are available at The Works.
Provide A Water Source
Whether you simply place a bowl in a section of your garden or you have a bird bath, make sure there is a water source available in your garden for the bees. Just like every other living creature, bees and other pollinators need water too.
Make Sure There Is A Nest Site For Wild Bees
A nest of bees may sound utterly horrific to some but bees are so important to our ecosystem that if you have the space and resources to allow for a nest site, please do give it a go! Bees will love this wild corner.
Make A Bee Hotel
Alternatively you could make a bee hotel for them to visit. All you will need is something like a terracotta plant pot, some modelling clay, straws or bamboo canes and some string. Get the kids to help you make it, pop it in your garden and watch the bees flock to visit.
Give Them Some Shelter
If you have a section of your garden that is shady and sheltered, then this may be a great place for bees to visit. Make sure this is an easy access point and I’m sure the bees will flock to the area.
Grow Your Herbs Outside
Many people tend to grow their herbs inside in little pots but bees absolutely love herbs so consider growing them outside instead! They are super easy to grow and provide a fantastic food source for bees.
Plant Through The Seasons
Finally consider planting through the seasons. Whilst we are more likely to see bees during the warmer months, they are here all year round so consider planting plants and flowers they enjoy all year around so they always have something to come to.
These are my top tips for making your garden bee friendly – do you have any?
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An interesting article but there are plenty of good tips for bee lovers, kids don’t always remember or know how useful and important bees are in the garden etc.
We have the perfect space in our garden to create a paradise of flowers for bees when we get it done. It’s so sad how they’re not being protected as they do so much for the eco system x
Some fabulous tips here! My children and I have been planting a lot of colorful flowers this spring for the bees as we know how important they are for our environment
Great tips! I have been spending more time in my garden (because of the lock down) and these tips are really helpful. I guess I should move my herb planter outdoors tomorrow. 🙂
These are lovely ideas. I think it’s really nice to have bees buzzing around our gardens. I’ve just got a new lavender plant and I know they love that.
My children have made a bee hotel as part of their lockdown activities from school, a great way to get the children interested in nature and the garden.
I love bees and even though I only have a very small yard have created a bee area that is full of weeds and wild flowers.
This sounds like a project you could do with your kids to teach them about nature . Great idea.
These are great tips. We have a few fruit trees near out house and they really attract the bees
Great tips I love seeing bees in the garden, will be following some of these to see if we can improve our garden for them
We have planted some bee bombs and they have grown really quickly. Not seen many bees yet
Lovely tips. We have lots of wildflowers to encourage bees into our garden and I always talk to the children about bees being our friends. I’d love to make a bee hotel!