Wake up to Nature: 9 tips to become a bee buddy
Honeybees are wonders of nature. You may see them buzzing happily from flower to flower at this time of year — but that’s just one pollination pitstop, as honeybees can cover an impressive three miles in one trip foraging for sticky nectar!
Their hard work doesn’t stop there; a strong colony of around 60,000 bees will travel the equivalent distance from earth to the moon every day!1
In turn, honeybees are responsible for pollinating a third of the fruit and vegetables we consume. They produce delicious honey for us to enjoy too, as the UK’s favourite honey brand Rowse knows only too well!
In fact, different flowers produce very distinct flavours, some light and citrussy, others rich and earthy — but all utterly delicious! In their lifetime, 12 honeybees will produce a teaspoon of yummy honey for us to drizzle, spread and ultimately enjoy. Their collective impact on the environment and food production shouldn’t be underestimated.
Sadly however, the UK’s remarkable honeybees have been in long term decline. So, Rowse is passionately spearheading positive change for the bees through Hives for Lives, a program of vital initiatives that protects the bees and improves livelihoods through beekeeping.
The good news is, we can all play a vital role in protecting and saving this incredible species with the following handy hints and tips on how to feed the bees this summer and become a Bee Buddy:
- Plant flowering plants from early spring through to winter. Make sure you have loads of different types; that way they’ll be in bloom throughout the seasons and the bees won’t go hungry. Here’s a handy list to tell you which plants will flower at different times of the year
- Bees don’t like having to fly too far, so plant different varieties of plants close together
- Some plants are more effective than others at attracting bees to your garden, so choose the bright flowers like lavender and borage, or tasty pollen herbs like thyme and marjoram
- Bees like plants with varying heights, so planting trees, shrubs and larger plants will help
- You don’t need to just plant in your garden – these will work just as well on your patio, window box or even hanging baskets
- Bees love weeds! A lawn full of clover and dandelions is a haven for bees, so let a patch of your lawn grow or raise the notches on the mower to lift the cutting blade a few centimetres
- Be wild! Some of a bee’s favourite nectar sources can be found in natural hedgerows and areas of wild plants or flowers, including bramble and ivy. Planting patches of these will not only help bumble bees, solitary bees and other pollinators, but will also help create the environments in which berries and seeds are produced, and which other wildlife also depend on
- Bees need water, so make sure there is somewhere in your garden for them to drink from. They’re only small so a plate or a small bowl is ideal
- If you see a tired or struggling bee, give them a one-off boost with some sugary water. Mix two tablespoons of white sugar and one tablespoon of water, put some of the mixture on the spoon with the bee and it should soon have a drink and become energised to take flight!
The more habitats you have in your garden, the more insects and bees you can attract and the more you’ll be doing to play a part and help nature to boost our natural resources.
Who knows, maybe you’ll even want to become a bee farmer some day!
