‘Hotels’ and other ways of helping bees
For something so small, the humble bee has a big following – bees are beneficial, busy and industrious, play an integral part in the life of plants, and, therefore, in the lives of human beings.
In recent years, Britain has lost more than half the honey bees kept in managed hives – and wild honey bees are nearly extinct. Solitary bees are declining in more than half the areas where they’ve been studied, and some species of bumblebee have been lost altogether.
One reason for their decline is a shortage of natural habitats, but there are steps people can take in their gardens to help bees:
Create a place to nest for solitary bees by piling together hollow stems and creating a ‘bee hotel’.
Try to provide a small amount of rainwater in a shallow birdbath or tray which honeybees need to keep their hive at the right temperature.
Perhaps gardeners should give up their lawnmowers and let their grass go rogue to encourage the growth of daisies and clover, which provide vital pollen for bees and other pollinators.
Sow bee-friendly seeds and plant beefriendly flowers. There are many types of flower that bees like, particularly large, single open blooms or tubular flowers that they can crawl inside. Bees are particularly attracted to the colour purple but will happily fly to any suitable flower in the garden.
Examples of flowers: they love the likes of hollyhocks and foxgloves. Lavender is, of course, a must. Buddleia, often called the ‘butterfly bush’, is equally valuable to bees. And simple flowers such as cosmos can, with deadheading, provide a source of food all year round.
From Rudbeckia to ornamental onions, there are many, many more plants beloved of bees and other insects so there is no real reason not to grow at least one. Better still, grow them all.