Bees are one of the most significant and important links in our food chain.
Wild bees contribute significantly to crop pollination and can work even more efficiently than honey bees.
Wild bees account for about a quarter of insect agricultural pollination in the United States based on some estimates, and are vital to growing blueberries, apples, alfalfa, coffee, and more.
Many vegetables won’t get pollinated, or grow fruit or produce seed, without Honey Bees visiting the garden or field.
We are losing a big percentage of our Bee population from pesticides commercial farms are using, and in some places the loss of habitat from which they feed.
Bees are equipped with very tiny hairs on their bodies and legs, and when a bee lands on a flower, pollen will stick to these hairs, and then when the bee moves to another flower, the pollen gets transferred, pollinating the bloom.
This pollination is required for many crops such as some okra, beans, squash, cucumbers and many more.
Without this pollination most vegetables will never set fruit, and that would be bad news for your garden.
The best way to attract bees to your vegetable garden is to create an environment that bees will enjoy and visit.
You can accomplish this by doing several things:
1) DON’T USE PESTICIDES– Most pesticides are not selective. You are killing off the beneficial bugs along with the pests. Try to grow organic as possible. Companion plants are great for this.
2) USE MORE NATIVE PLANTS– Research suggests native plants are four times more attractive to native bees. They are also usually well adapted to your growing conditions and can thrive with minimum attention. In gardens, heirloom varieties of herbs and perennials can also provide good foraging.
3) CHOOSE SEVERAL COLORS OF FLOWERS–Bees have good color vision to help them find flowers and the nectar and pollen. Flower colors that particularly attract bees are blue, purple, violet, white, and yellow.
4) TRY PLANTING FLOWERS IN CLUMPS– Flowers clustered into clumps of one species will attract more pollinators than individual plants scattered throughout your Garden.
5) HAVE DIVERSITY OF PLANTS THAT FLOWER ALL YEAR–Most bee species feed on a range of plants through their life cycle. By having several plant species flowering at once, and a succession of plants flowering through spring, summer, and fall, you can support a range of bee species that fly at different times of the season.
6) PLANT WHERE BEES WILL VISIT–Bees favor sunny spots over shade and need some shelter from strong winds.
Also, when your Dandelions pop up in Spring all over the yard, please don’t mow them right away, or spray them.
They are the Bees first real food after a long Winter, and they need them for sustenance until all the other flowers start to bloom.
