How to Attract Bees to Your Garden | BEST EASY METHODS!
How to attract bees to your garden is an important part of the garden planning aspect. Bees are essential to your garden to pollinate flowering plants and reproduce. Plant the right flowers and avoid using pesticides to have the bee population flourish in your garden. Pollination will improve fruit and veggie production for a great harvest. Without bees, the production of vegetables and fruit would be severely impacted.
Bees are so essential and it is so important to learn early in life.
My husband and I were talking about this subject and I was telling him how I learned so late in life. I wish I had learned so much about the bees since it would have impacted the way I go through my life and the decisions I make.
Our conversation inspired him to write a children’s book about the bees!
A. WHO IS THE MAIN CHARACTER?
Let me tell you about the children’s book that my husband has published!
“Little Claire and The Beekeeper’s Garden” is a heartwarming tale of a young girl named Claire who embarks on a journey to discover the magical world of bees and the importance of their role in nature. With her curious spirit and boundless enthusiasm, Claire meets a gentle beekeeper named Clark, who introduces her to the fascinating world of bees and the art of beekeeping.
Inspired by the beekeeper’s wisdom and love for these tiny creatures, Claire creates a bee-friendly garden in her backyard. With the support of her parents, she plants a diverse array of flowers and herbs that bloom all year round, offering a haven for bees to thrive and pollinate.
As the garden flourishes and buzzes with life, Claire learns valuable lessons about bees’ vital role in pollinating flowers, fruits, and crops, ensuring a bountiful food supply for humans. With newfound knowledge and a sense of responsibility, she advocates for protecting bees and their habitats.
“Little Claire and The Beekeeper’s Garden” is a story that beautifully illustrates the symbiotic relationship between humans and nature. It highlights the significance of nurturing and caring for the environment while showcasing a young girl’s boundless wonder and curiosity as she discovers her passion for safeguarding these essential pollinators. The story is an inspiring reminder of the impact individuals, even the smallest ones, can make in protecting the planet and its precious creatures.
B. HOW TO ATTRACT BEES TO YOUR GARDEN
I love watching the bees in the morning sleeping and how they are hard workers jumping from flower to flower.
Bees are so incredible pollinators! I anxiously wait every spring for them. It takes a while in the PNW since it doesn’t warm up until July.
But when they arrive! WOW! We get so many!
1. Attract Bees
- Plant a Bee-Friendly Garden: Choose flowers that bloom at every blooming season to provide them what they need.
- Native Plants: Research some native plants to provide them.
- Color: Having a colorful garden will fill it with bees!
2. Provide Water:
- Set up a shallow dish with clean water.
- Add rocks to the Dish or glass beads.
- Ensure the dish you use is not deep so they don’t drown.
- Bees need a place to land to be able to drink. We design the pond with a ledge for the bees to land and be able to drink.
3. Provide Bee Habitats
- Leaves: In the fall, provide leaves for the bees to nest in.
- Bee houses or nesting blocks are great for the bees.
Understand how to design by looking at the top critical things in your lifestyle; what brought you to a decision to garden, and create an escape? The bees will play a big part in your design decisions. Read ‘Gardening for Beginners | You Must Know this First!’
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C. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO ATTRACT BEES TO YOUR GARDEN?
You can do simple things to attract and more importantly keep and protect the bees.
| WHAT TO ADD | HOW TO ADD | WHY ADD | DIFFICULTY |
| ABUNDANT BLOOMS | Plant diverse flower types throughout flowering time. | Attract a variety of bee species. | Easy |
| Consider some native plants for the local bees. | Provides more food from your garden. | Moderate | |
| NATIVE PLANTS | Select plants that the local bees have adapted to. | Great food source for the bees in your region. | Moderate |
| VARIETY OF SHAPES AND SIZES. | Include all sizes of blooms in your garden. | Attract a diverse range of bee types. | Easy |
| Choose a variety of shapes in flowers; flat, tubular, and open. Include ground covers. | Will helps bees with a variety of tongue lengths. | Easy | |
| CHEMICAL-FREE | Avoid using chemicals in the garden, find organic solutions Refer to my post ‘ | Protects the bee population that can be impacted for years after consuming poison. | Easy |
| Encourage beneficial insects in your garden as pest control. | You eat what you grow. The means will impact your wellness. | Easy |
D. WHAT IS THE BEST THING TO ATTRACT BEES?
On the table above you have learned methods to consider so you can get a lot of bees in your garden. Let’s explore each one and see what is best?
- ABUNDANT BLOOMS: Putting this simple, bees are drawn to a garden that is full of flowers. Choose annuals and perennials to give them a variety and reduce work for you.
- NATIVE PLANTS: These native plants are adapted to your local bees. They provide those bees with the best food source. It is like taking bee pollen from a native bee makes for better results for you. Bees really do need native flowers.
- SHAPES AND SIZES: Bees’ tongues vary in length, so adding a variety of sizes and shapes is going to attract a variety of bees.
- CHEMICAL-FREE: All wildlife, just like us and our pets, are impacted by chemicals when we use them in our garden. Find other natural solutions. In the fall when the bees go under leaves to nest, this poison will continue to hunt them. Read the post ‘Organic Garden Pest Control | MAKE IT EASY THIS SUMMER!’
E. WHAT PLANTS CAN I GROW TO ATTRACT BEES?
| FLOWER | BLOOM PERIOD | BEE ATTRACTION | NOTES |
| LAVENDER | Spring-Summer | Honey Bees, Bumblebees, Solitary Bees | Drought tolerant. |
| SUNFLOWERS | Summer-Fall | Honey Bees, Bumblebees, Native Bees | Abundant pollen and nectar. |
| BEE BALM | Summer | Honey Bees, Bumblebees, Native Bees | Butterflies also love them. |
| CONEFLOWERS | Summer-Fall | Bumblebees, Native Bees | Low maintenance |
| SALVIA | Summer-Fall | Honey Bees, Bumblebees, Solitary Bees | So many varieties available |
| BLACK-EYED SUSAN | Summer-Fall | Native Bees, Bumblebees, | Drought tolerant. |
| PHLOX | Summer | Honey Bees, Bumblebees, Solitary Bees | Blooms last a long time. |
| ZINNIAS | Summer-Fall | Honey Bees, Bumblebees, Solitary Bees | Blooms last a long time. |
| MARIGOLDS | Spring-Fall | Native Bees Hoverflies | Natural garden pest solution |
| BORAGE | Spring-Fall | Honeybees, Bumblebees, | Edible |
| CATMINT | Spring-Fall | Honey Bees, Bumblebees, Solitary Bees | Deer Resistant |
F. ARE YOU WELCOMING YOUR BEES?
Bees ensure our future and contribute to our health and the health of the planet.
These incredible big – little fellows are so vital to the health of our earth, the food we eat, and food production and we have a duty to do everything we can to protect them and provide what they need.
Now, back to the exciting news!
My husband’s children’s book, ‘”Little Claire and The Beekeeper’s Garden”, is a delightful tale that will introduce kids to the fascinating world of bees. It emphasizes how important it is to learn and protect them.
am beyond proud of his journey and how he has found inspiration in his life to encourage others.
We’re overjoyed to share this educational and inspirational heartwarming book with all of you.
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I created a new flowerbed with our neighbors. We concentrated on planting native plants to attract pollinators!! It’s so important! So excited for your husband’s book!!!
That is so wonderful! Native plants really make such a great impact. Thank you so much for your support, Sharon.
Thank you for all of the tips! I am going to have to try a few more of these next year.
It has made such a big impact on growing vegetables for us. It is a garden full of bees buzzing around. Amazing to watch them!
Hi Melba! This is such an interesting post and I learned so much about the important relationship between bees and flowers! I think it’s wonderful that your husband wrote a book about this important subject! I’m like you and wish I would have understood why bees are important when I was a child! I was just scared that they might sting me! Thanks for sharing your gardening knowledge with us!
I am just so glad at least that I eventually learned and am making the difference I can. If we each put a little we will save the bees. Thank you, he will hopefully inspire children to see bees as friends and not be afraid of them.
Excellent post Melba! How exciting to have your husband’s book published!
Thank you so much Linda!
Congratulations on this adorable book! I loved this post so much and learned tons of information. You are a beautiful soul Melba!
Thank you so much Cindy! It is amazing to see him writing these cute books. He has a new one I need to announce next. You are so sweet, I truly am so grateful.