Spring Buzz: Welcoming Honey Bees Back to the Garden
Hey garden lovers! As we bid farewell to World Bee Day on Monday, the season's transition brings longer days and warmer air, accompanied by a delightful hum that fills the garden with life. That’s right—it feels like spring is really here (and almost summer with the temps this week☀️🥵), and with it comes the much-anticipated work of our busy little friends: the honey bees! These industrious pollinators play a huge role in keeping our gardens vibrant and our ecosystems healthy. So, grab your favorite cup of tea with our lemon infused honey and buzz into some tips on preparing your garden, attracting honey bees, and making your space a bee-friendly haven.
Preparing Your Garden
First things first, let’s get your garden ready for the new season. Here are some simple steps to kick off spring gardening:
1. Clean Up and Clear Out: Remove any dead plants, leaves, and debris from your garden beds. This not only makes your garden look neat but also helps prevent pests and diseases.
2. Soil Health Check: Test your soil's pH and nutrient levels. Add compost or organic matter to enrich the soil, ensuring it’s fertile and ready for planting.
3. Plan Your Planting: Think about what you want to grow this season. Consider companion planting to naturally deter pests and improve growth.
4. Water Wisely: Check your irrigation system for leaks or clogs. Make sure your garden will be adequately watered as the temperatures rise.
Attracting Honey Bees to Your Garden
Honey bees are attracted to certain plants and conditions. Here’s how to make your garden irresistible to them:
1. Plant Bee-Friendly Flowers: Honey bees love flowers that are rich in nectar and pollen. Consider planting a mix of native wildflowers, lavender, borage, sunflowers, and clover. These not only attract honey bees but also add color and fragrance to your garden.
2. Create a Blooming Schedule: Plant flowers that bloom at different times throughout the season. This provides a consistent food source for honey bees from spring through fall.
3. Avoid Pesticides: Even natural or organic pesticides can kill honey bees. Instead encourage natural predators to handle pests. Try releasing ladybugs on plants with aphids. They will eat the aphids and not harm bees or other beneficial species.
4. Provide Water: Honey bees get thirsty too! A shallow dish of water with some pebbles or marbles for them to land on can be a great addition to your garden.
Creating a Honey Bee-Friendly Space
Beyond plants, there are other ways to make your garden a honey bee paradise:
1. Install Bee Hotels: While these are more beneficial for solitary bees, creating sheltered areas can help support a diverse bee population which, in turn, supports honey bees.
2. Leave Some Wild Areas: Not every inch of your garden needs to be perfectly manicured. Leaving some wild patches or areas with undisturbed soil can provide habitat for various pollinators, including honey bees.
3. Diverse Planting: Include a variety of plants with different colors, shapes, and sizes to cater to various bee species. Honey bees are attracted to a diverse garden just like we are. However, please stick to native plants, as adding invasive non-native plants can really change the ecosystem in your area. We offer our Bee Seeds for planting native North East pollinating wildflowers for the bees and other pollinators.
4. Avoid Mulching Everywhere: While mulching helps retain moisture and suppress weeds, leaving some bare patches of soil can benefit ground-nesting bees which help support overall bee health.
Why Honey Bees Matter
Honey bees are essential pollinators for many of the fruits, vegetables, and flowers we love. They contribute to biodiversity and the health of ecosystems. By welcoming honey bees into your garden, you’re supporting the environment and ensuring that your plants thrive.
Honey Bee Photo Contest
To celebrate the return of spring gardening and honey bees, we're hosting a photo contest! Capture the beauty of honey bees on flowers in your garden and share your best shots. Post your photos in the comments below, in our Google photo album- https://photos.app.goo.gl/is1ykY7E2u31BCYA6 , or on Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/fingerlakeshoneycompany The photos will be featured on our blog and our other social media platforms, so grab your camera, head out to the garden, and start snapping those bee-utiful moments!
Shameless Plug
Speaking of bee-utiful flowers and bees, have you seen our latest merch design? Our "Kind Words Are Like Honey" is a bee-utiful way to show your love for our fuzzy friends as well as helping us to protect them. Visit our merch page to see our items with this design.
Here are some sample items-
As you head out to enjoy the sunshine and get your hands dirty, remember these tips to create a honey bee-friendly garden. Not only will you be rewarded with a beautiful, blooming space, but you’ll also be doing your part to support these crucial pollinators. Feel free to share your own honey bee-friendly gardening tips in the comments! Let’s keep the conversation going and inspire others to join the bee-friendly movement. Also we want to wish everyone a Happy Memorial Day as we take a moment to honor and remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.
Happy gardening!
Until Next Time- Stay Sweet!
Tom and Stacie
Our Beekeepers, Tom and Stacie, are co-owners of Fingerlakes Honey Company located in the bee-utiful Fingerlakes region of New York State. When they are not tending to all things bees, they enjoy spending time with their grown children, their dog, and lots of chickens on their homestead. They love learning more about the bees they foster and helping others to learn more about them as well.
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