Insteading is celebrating National Honey Month, and this felt like a great opportunity to talk about bees! I know, bees can be a little bit scary. They can sting, and they sometimes make the hives in just the wrong part of your garden. But bees are having a tough time of it lately, and our food future depends on those little guys!
The Buzz About Bees
When they’re not making honey, bees are busy pollinating. In fact, honeybeespollinate over 90% of the flowering plants that we eat. Sure, bees pollinate flowers, but these flowering plant include food crops that we rely on, like fruits, nuts, broccoli, and many types of bean. Without bees, we’d be facing a major food crisis, and bees are in danger.
导致蜜蜂数量下降的原因有很多理论,通常被称为蜂群衰竭失调症(CCD),但现在大多数专家似乎都同意,农药是全球蜜蜂数量下降的罪魁祸首。
那么你能做什么呢?有两种方法可以帮助传粉者摆脱困境:停止喷洒有害的杀虫剂(以及停止支持这样做的公司!),开始种植对蜜蜂友好的叶子!你不需要一个院子来建造一个快乐的蜜蜂栖息地。阳台或窗台上的盒子就可以了!
Bee Friendly Plants
So what can you plant? Pollinators love flowering plants, edible and inedible alike. Here’s a nice mix of plants that will make bees happy!
- Lavender– Looks and smells lovely
- Rosemary– Smells great, and you can trim it back to use in recipes whenever you need! Rosemary is an easy plant to maintain.
- Sunflowers– What’s cheerier than a big, sunflower face?
- Butterfly Bush– Not only are these gorgeous, but they’re easy to maintain!
- Strawberries– Whether you plant a patch or grow these in a pot, they’ll make you and the bees happy!
Of course, there are lots of other bee-friendly plants out there, and the best way to attract pollinators is to plant a variety or options for them to buzz around.
Do any of you guys have bee gardens? I’d love to hear what you’re growing in the comments!
Image Credit: Creative Commons photo bysupersum
This is a guest post from Becky Striepe, site director for our sister sitesFeelgood Style,Eat Drink Better, andBlue Living Ideas.
Michele B. Decoteausays
I would also recommend fruit trees – most produce lots of nectar. White clover is also a HUGE nectar source in most parts of the country especially during times of dearth – so either plant it or let it grow wild in your lawn.