Buzzing with life
Nothing beats the sound of bees in a garden – and it’s easy to tempt them in
WHAT’S your favourite summer sound? For some, it’ s the chitter-chatter of birds or maybe the distant whirr of a lawnmower trimming grass. But as far as I’m concerned, nothing comes close to the gentle sound of bees buzzing from flower to flower during their relentless quest for pollen and nectar.
However, there are real concerns that the low-pitched, background hum made by these industrious insects – closely associated with those long, hot, lazy sunny days in the garden – will be replaced by a deafening silence, following a massive slump in the numbers of honeybees and wild bee species.
A loss of wild habitats and use of insecticides, along with a range of pests and diseases, have all been blamed by scientists for their decline. Apart from population numbers falling, Britain has lost 20 types of bees since 1900, with 35 of our remaining 250 species facing extinction.
Concerns about the plight of bees – responsible for pollinating a third of the food we eat each day – recently led to the EU banning neonicotinoids, a class of insecticides widely used in farming. The ban will also see the removal of several well- known domestic chemical products from the shelves of garden centres.
Such measures will hopefully have a positive impact on numbers, but gardeners can make a big difference, too. Selecting the right plants, adding a few habitats and making small changes to the way we maintain our gardens will all help to attract them into our plots.
As some bees are active all year round, it pays to grow plants that will provide nectar and pollen during every season. Roses, honeysuckle, hardy geraniums and buddleias are among their favourite summer bloomers, while sedum, asters, ivy and salvias will provide plenty of food for them in autumn.
Sarcococca, heathers, snowdrops, mahonia and shrubby honeysuckle ( Lonicera x purpusii ‘ Winter Beauty’) will keep bees going over winter. For spring, try hellebores, lungworts, rosemary and centranthus – they will also collect pollen from the blossom from trees such as crab apples and cherries.
As a rule, bees prefer native plants and ornamentals with simple, single flowers. Sadly, flamboy- ant exotics, annual bedding plants and those with showy double flowers won’t attract them at all. A good way to select the right ones is to look out for the Plants For Pollinators bee symbol on a label.
In the wild, solitary bees like to lay their eggs in holes or in cavities l left by wood- boring beetles in t trees. However, the grubbing up o of hedgerows, housing developm ment on green-belt land and other changes to the countryside have had a significant impact on their natural habitats.
One way of improving the situation for bees is to install a purpose-built nesting device. These come in many shapes and sizes, from a simple bundle of tubes encased in an outer cylinder to larger structures that are romantically described as hotels. Place them in a sunny spot that’s sheltered from strong winds.
Taking a more relaxed approach to the appearance of a garden and its maintenance will make it more welcoming to bees. Only use pesticides as a last resort and never while plants are in flower to avoid killing these insects and other beneficial creatures. And don’t worry too much about the odd weed appearing in the lawn – daisies, dandelions and clover are all a magnet to bees.
THEY LOVE ROSES IN SUMMER AND ROSEMARY IN THE SPRING