Pollinator gardens attract managed honeybees, too

MANAGED HONEYBEES – THE kind found in hives placed in farmers’ fields – often get the lion’s share of attention in discussions about pollinators and their volatility.

But more than 850-plus different types of bees exist … and you can help nurture them, along with other beneficial insects, by planting a pollinator garden.

Although time is marching on, it’s never too late to proceed with garden planting. In fact, with summer now upon us, there’s every reason to still consider setting up a pollinator garden.

For one, pollinators keep on pollinating. They need diverse nectar and pollen sources for food, and places to nest.

And if you’re a gardener, this is a wonderful time to be outdoors – not to mention the deals you might get at nurseries now.

Then there’s the challenge itself of establishing such a garden. University of Guelph Prof. Nigel Raine, who holds the Rebanks Family Chair in Pol-

linator Conservation from the W. Garfield Weston Foundation, says pollinator gardens require as much thought as a flower garden or vegetable garden.

“When planning a pollinator-friendly garden, consider the full range of pollinators, what they need in terms of nesting sites – including host plants for some species, like the caterpillars of Monarch butterflies – and the amount and diversity of flowers,” he says.

“There is a great turnover of pollinator species in your garden over the course of the season, meaning gardeners need to plan for flowers from early spring through to late fall. In addition to looking stunning, your Ontario pollinator garden could help to support populations up to half of the 855 bee species found in Canada, many beautiful butterflies, helpful hoverflies, other flies, wasps, beetles and ruby throated hummingbirds.”

Raine says that while native plants are often the best choices for gardens, some ornamentals are also great choice. These include asters, bachelor’s button, creeping thyme, hyssop, lamb’s ear, lavender, Nepeta, penstemons, Salvia, speedwells and sunflowers.

Flowering trees can be a great choice too, to provide more flowers for pollinators, including the eastern red bud and many early flowering fruit trees (such as apple and pears).

Gardens attractive to wild pollinators will also likely attract managed honeybees as well, he says.

Seeds are available for what’s called a Buzzing Garden through the program Bees Matter. Over the past three years, Bees Matter has provided free Buzzing Gardens seed packets for over 185,000 gardens across Canada.

Every Buzzing Gardens seed kit contains seeds from five varieties of flowering plants, selected because they are attractive and nutritious to honey bees, and can be grown in gardens all over the country.

The seeds can cover a five square foot garden. The species included are Lance-leaved Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata), New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), Dense Blazing Star (Liatrisspicata), Golden Tickseed (Coreopsis tinctoria) and Sneezeweed (Heleniumautumnale).

Bees Matter says pollinators, including managed honeybees, play a vital role in agricultural success in Canada – they are responsible for one in every three bites of food we eat. Today there are more than 10,000 beekeepers in Canada keeping some 780,000 hives, it says, quoting Statistics Canada data.

Like all pollinators, honeybees need access to nutritious nectar and pollen. Some sources of that food are blooming flowers and crops.

You can get details on a free seed packet here www. beesmatter.ca.

More help planning your pollinator garden can be found on the City of Guelph’s website, including a list of suitable plants, at guelph.ca/wp-content/ uploads/HealthyLandscapes_PollinatorFriendlyPlants.pdf. Some samples of planting plans can be found at canada.ca/en/ revenue-agency/services/eservices/e-services-individuals/netfile-overview/ certified-software-netfileprogram.html.