The finest buddy of the gardener may be an insect. Whether they are pollinators or predators, they will assist the control of unwelcome garden guests and maintain the health of your garden. In this short post we will focus on the bumble bee.
In the UK, there are more than 200 different species of bees, did you know? There is only one honeybee among them, and there are more than 20 bumblebees. The remaining bees are all solitary.
Bees pollinate flowers, plants and crops that support other species (including humans). Without bees, the future wellbeing of our children and grandchildren would be at risk.
That’s why it’s so worrying that the number of UK bee species has fallen in many areas. Of the UK’s 26 bumblebee species, 2 are extinct and 6-8 more species have seen major declines.
Friends Of The Earth.
If you have a south-facing bank in your garden, consider leaving it as a wild corner; it could provide excellent nesting grounds for warmth-loving solitary bees. Bumblebees are attracted to sheltered, shaded areas that are out of the way.
The BBC Wildlife Magazine published a list of recommended flowers that bees will love.
Bee-friendly plants for every season:
Spring: flowering cherry, crab apples (such as malus sylvestris), hawthorn, bugle, daffodils, pulmonaria, thrift, alliums, grape hyacinth.
Summer: lavender, agastache, Erysimum ‘Bowles’ Mauve’, scabious, comfrey, foxgloves, cardoon, echinops, goldenrod.
Autumn: sedums, single-flowered dahlias, Verbena bonariensis, Japanese anemones, autumn asters, Actaea simplex.
Winter: snowdrops, winter aconites, ivy, crocuses, winter honeysuckle, hellebores, mahonia, Clematis cirrhosa.
Helping tired bees
It’s not uncommon to see bumblebees come to a halt and appear exhausted, especially during the winter or in bad weather. To help them get back on their feet, make a sugar solution with equal parts warm water and sugar. Place a bottle cap or anything similar near the bee’s head, and it should stick out its proboscis to drink, revitalise, and warm up.
Main Image by Nel Botha from Pixabay.
