http://www.care2.com/greenliving/show-your-appreciation-to-bees.html
Show Your Appreciation to Bees
By Sami Grover, Planet Green
Since the worrying discovery in 2006 of Colony Collapse Disorder, a mysterious ailment causing entire colonies of honeybees to disappear, there’s been a great deal of attention paid to supporting bees and other pollinators. After all, honeybees are responsible for pollinating over 100 commonly eaten fruit and vegetable crops–so we’d do well to be kind to these furry little helpers. Without bees our food system would be in serious trouble. Luckily, apart from taking up beekeeping (which isn’t as hard as it sounds either!), one of the best things we can do is also one of the easiest–plant flowers.
The list of flowers that are ‘best’ for bees varies depending on where you look, and honestly it’s probably best not to get too hung up on the ‘top’ species. After all–bees need variety in their diet as much as we do, and they need to eat throughout the year. So here’s a list of plants that my bees seem to like. It’s by no means exhaustive, so feel free to add your own in the comments:
Honey Bee Friendly Garden Plants
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Mint
- Chives
- Oregano
- Marjoram
- Lavender
- Bee Balm
- Zinnia
- Sunflower
- Fennel
- Lamb’s Ears
Honey Bee Friendly Native and Wild Plant
- Black-eyed Susan
- Tulip poplar
- Clover
- Rhododendron
For those wanting to know more, The College of Natural Resources at the University of California, Berkeley has put together a more comprehensive list of plants for urban bee gardens. And let’s not forget that growing and eating organic is likely to help bees too–insecticides and insects don’t tend to get along too well.
Planet Green is the multi-platform media destination devoted to the environment and dedicated to helping people understand how humans impact the planet and how to live a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle. Its two robust websites, planetgreen.com and TreeHugger.com, offer original, inspiring, and entertaining content related to how we can evolve to live a better, brighter future. Planet Green is a division of Discovery Communications.
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11 comments
add your comment »I have a lot of bee friendly plants in my garden and love observing bees and all other wildlife.
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Despite the fact that I only have 8 hours of sun in many places in my yard, I'm still able to attract bees with my rhododendrons, chives, basil, catmint and catnip floral racemes, rosemary, zinnias, cosmos and strawberry flowers. Every year, I try to plant annuals that feed our native bees.
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Online News article:
Does Film Solve Honey Bee Mystery?
bee.jpg (32.46 KB)
2009-10-1 13:45
In recent years, scientists have been grappling with a biological mystery: the death of honey bees throughout the world. Now a new film proposes a culprit, reports The Independent.
According to 'Vanishing of the Bees,' which will be released in Britain next month, the latest generation of pesticides is at fault.
More specifically, the filmmakers pin the rap on neonicotinoid pesticides, said the paper. These compounds, many of them made by Bayer, are used widely in Britain and the U.S., although they have been banned in France.
In theory, neonicotinoids should not affect honey bees, said The Independent. But George Langworthy and Maryam Henein, who made the film, believe that even a low-level dose may be taking a toll.
After years of being weakened by the nosema fungus, the varroa mite, and other viruses, the film argues, the honey bees can no longer cope with the additional strain of neonicotinoid exposure.
Langworthy and Henein are not the first to blame these particular pesticides, along with one of their primary manufacturers, Bayer. More than two years ago, both researchers and commercial beekeepers expressed similar concerns.
But then as now, the pharmaceutical giant defended its product.
"Everybody knows this is about the varroa mite, the nosema pest and a number of fungal and viral diseases," a Bayer spokesman told The Independent.
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I'm glad to see all the plants in my garden on the Bee-friendly list!
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We have a lot of flowering plants in our yard and we never use poision in our yard or plants but still everyone around us does so it is difficult for the sensitive animals to live in my area.
We have a lot of birds and butterflies of all different colors because we have plants with fruit of all kinds.
We used to have a lot of bees but they don't seem to stay around very long but there are some in Miami Lakes of which we are a little North of them.
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I have 9 Crepe Myrtle trees on my property. In 2008 I had large numbers of honey bees and bumble bees visiting the flowers. The buzzing could be heard some distance away from the trees.
I was sad to see that this year there were very few bees and no bumble bees. I'm very concerned that local hives have been affected by the colony collapse disorder.
I'm seriously thinking about trying to keep a hive.
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The Cedar Tree Institute in Marquette MI is working with Keeweenah Bay Indian Students to protect pollinators through the Zaagkii Wings and Seeds Project. They are doing amazing things to protect and increase these marvelous insects on whom our life so depends.
http://cedartreeinstitute.org/zaagkii.html
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Yet another example of the changes the world is experiencing. From the largest beasts to the smallest of insects, there can be no denying that the "chain of life" is being threatened and this has been caused by human carelessness. Or perhaps I should say, "I could care less-ness." This is the major problem facing the world currently. Along with dwindling numbers of things/beings necessary for our survival as a species, there is still a huge part of the populous that exists with the attitude of "let Joe Blow do it," etc.
Until we change that thinking we will continue to be the losers in the race for survival. It doesn't matter how small a part, or act, of caring for out planet-anything we can do will make a positive difference.
Imagine that? The simple act of planting flowers can make a positive difference. For the bees. And ultimately, for man.
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I had a hive but chased them off when I was using kerosene to burn off some brush nearby. It broke my heart. They are extremely gentle and cause no harm and lots of good. Bees need friends and I encourage you to check out http://biobees.com for info and inspiration
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A few years ago I planted a tiny oregano. It has completely overtaken the side of the house, the side of the neighbor's house, and is working on the rest of the yard. I find it coming up through cracks in the patio, in the garden, in the lawn ... It can easily jump thirty feet of cement and take root somewhere else. Don't know how, but it's doing it!
Anyway, the bees LOVE it. Oregano flowers if you don't pick it, and on any given day there will be half a dozen fat bees working on any given cluster. I'm out and about in the yard a lot, and none of the bees have ever tried to sting me, or pestered me in any way.
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