Bees are the most prolific pollinators on the planet and every gardener’s best friend. The majority of flowering plants in the world need the help of pollinating animals like bees to reproduce, so we should all be doing everything we can to give them a hand.
So how do you make sure that your local bee population visits your patch of land (or balcony) more often? Here are some recommendations from the Cornell Chronicle to give your local pollinators a bit of a boost.
Drinking Water: Bees can't swim so whatever water feature you decide to use needs to give them a landing spot that's level with the water line. Bees need a surprising amount of water every day to drink and control the thickness of their honey.
Provide Shade: Creating more leafy shade from trees, bushes, and shrubbery can give tired bees a life-saving spot to rest and cool off before continuing on their journey. Providing welcome shade beside the bees' drinking water is as good a spot as any.
Native Plants: Local plants generally require less maintenance to keep healthy as they are already suited to the regional climate, and they are also better for the bees because your local pollinators are adapted to find plants that grow naturally in their environment.
Diversify Your Plants: To keep the bees visiting your garden from early spring to the end of summer, it is important to plant a wide variety of flowers. Different types of flowering plants will bloom at different times of the year. Ensuring a variety of bloom times will keep the bees coming back throughout the year. Bees generally prefer flowers with shallow, flat blossoms.
Lastly, and importantly, remember to use non-toxic pest control methods.