Bees are perfect for your garden. Every farmer should plant in their backyard, bee-friendly flowers and plants. Apart from rewarding you with homemade honey, bees are responsible for about 1/3 of your daily diet. The absence of bees in your garden could be the reason you don’t have a bountiful harvest.
Why are Bees Vital for Your Farm?
According to the bee specialists at The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1/3 of the world’s food production relies on bees. Bees are the world’s most significant pollinators. There wouldn’t be nearly as many flowers and plants we have now without bees. Bees go hand in hand with food production.
Bees rely on plants for sustenance. When a bee leaves its hive in search of food, it looks for nectar and pollen. Nectar makes honey, and it’s the primary source of energy for bees as it is full of sugars. Pollen, on the other hand, is a source of protein and fat which is used to feed the colony.
So, how does pollination occur?
As bees feed on the plants or flowers, they spread the pollen grain from one plant to the other, a process called pollination. Pollination is vital for plants to reproduce. Without pollinators, plants will not produce as many seeds and flowers. This can lead to a low harvest at the end of the season.
Additional flowers and plants will grow when bees cross-pollinate. That is why every farmer needs pollinators like bees to have plenty of harvests. Bees gather the nutrients they require from plants in your garden, and your backyard ends up with ample yield.
How to Attract Bees to Your Garden
You can invite an array of bee colonies in your garden by;
1. Growing Bee-friendly Plants and Flowers
You don’t have to look for bees and bring them into your garden. By growing bee-friendly plants and flowers, bees will naturally come to your garden. Some plants are known to produce heavy pollen and nectar. Having such plants in your garden will invite a colony of bees.
Common bee-friendly plants and flowers include geraniums, marigolds, rosemary, milkweed, zinnias, asters, clovers, poppies, sedum, and bee balm. Adding a few of these plants between your existing plantation will attract bees to pollinate your crops and fruits.
In return, you will have plenty of crops and make homemade honey from your hive. Choose plants with long bloomy cycles to inspire bees to return to your garden often.
2. Have a Fresh Water Source for Bees to Drink
Bees need fresh water to survive. Have a clean water source in your garden where bees can drink water. It can be a birdbath, container water, or a garden pond. Ensure that the bees have a place to land like a small stone above the water level.
3. Limit the Use of Pesticides
Pesticides and other harmful chemicals are highly deadly to bees. Avoiding or limiting the use of pesticides ensures that pesticides do not poison bees in your garden.
4. Create a Nesting Habitat
Bees play a critical role in the food chain. Providing a nesting habitat ensures that they have a safe place to nest. Creating nesting habitats for bees is simple. Bees can nest in old pieces of wood, in the ground or cavities. Bees will readily settle in a garden with nesting sites that a garden without nesting site.
For those who view bees as bothers, remember that bees are always focused on finding flowers or nectar rather than stinging you. Providing a home for bees in your garden is a guarantee of ample harvest.
So, there you have It! Go and prepare a bee-friendly garden now that you know how crucial bees are to your garden.