Home & Garden Gardening for Honeybees

#76
CobaltBlu said:
I didnt realize I missed this....
If your deck gets some good sun, I would say Basil is a good choice, you could get a couple of different varieties and let them go to flower, once they do the leaves will get a bit tough, so you could start another small one as the established ones go to flower.

I am not sure where you are, and what kind of sun you get. but if you have public gardens and arboretums nearby, they might have some suggestions.
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Thanks, CB. I'm in Boston and my deck gets good sun throughout the day. I have one shady spot, so I will try to find some mixed plants that will work for that spot.

jburgh said:
CBs suggestion of basil is a great one. Really any herbs, provided you have sun will be good. And, you can use fresh herbs in cooking. Oregano flowers prolifically.

Do you have a cat? Catnip would be a good plant. Another plant that is great for bees and hummingbirds is called Cape Fuchsia (Phygelius), and there are smaller cultivars that do well in a pot. Don't forget Salvias and Penstemon, very pretty and bee magnets. The #1 plant that is a bee magnet here in the west is called the California Lilac (Ceanothus) and there are many small cultivars that work well in a pot.

I worked for many years as the help desk lady in a garden center. It would always crack me up when people would ask for plants that flower prolifically but that DO NOT attract bees. Really, why bother?

Echoes comment about a cloud of bees around a Wisteria made me think...a fragrant Honeysuckle vine in a large pot with a trellis would be great and the smell is heavenly.
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Thank you so much for these suggestions. I actually have two cats and they would love the catnip, so that is definitely going on the list. I love wisteria, but I'm not sure how well it would grow this far north. Salvias are beautiful too, so I will pick up a few of those too.
 
#77
Are you guys peeking in my yard?

I've got loads of wild Honeysuckle in both yellow and white. The stuff is literally everywhere. It takes over fences and shrubs.

Carpenter bees too. Lots of holes in wood surfaces to prove it.
 
#78
We have TONS of carpenter bees here. We have the Sonoran. The female is black, and the male is yellow. Definitely attention grabbing, and drill a mean hole!
 
#79
Echoes said:
Are you guys peeking in my yard?

I've got loads of wild Honeysuckle in both yellow and white. The stuff is literally everywhere. It takes over fences and shrubs.

Carpenter bees too. Lots of holes in wood surfaces to prove it.
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Your trees are probably ending up as amazing honey for a happy beehive nearby, Echoes!!!
 
#80
Going into the green period now. Bushes and tress have all bloomed and dropped them with just leaves remaining.

Roses and other plants won't bloom for a few days yet and even then, they wont' be as prolific as the trees and bushes were.

Some of the Iris are in bloom, but not too many bees around them.

Honeysuckle doesn't come until later in the summer.
 
#81
It's been lovely and warm recently and bees were out in force buzzing around my parents garden - white almond blossom, camellias and magnolias are out (daffodils are getting past it now). Don't think they're what you would class as honeybees though, but I did have some honeybees 2 days ago at my back wall again, but they seemed unsettled. Maybe they sensed what was about to happen as we've now got sleet and a bit of snow today...:shocked:
 
#82
in post #73: http://forum.purseblog.com/home-and-garden/gardening-for-honeybees-734535-5.html#post21442942

I gave a link for a local company called Ballard Bees. Well today, I was invited to visit their operation. Ballard Bees builds hive boxes and puts beehives around the locale. They might be in a neighbor's backyard, behind a restaurant, or up on a roof. They have 135 hives in the area. They will come and tend to the hives and harvest the honey. The property owner gets some honey and the pollination benefit.

I love these two guys. What a cool business in an urban area. I bought some beeswax for my friend's daughter who wants to make some body butters. We talked about Orchard Mason Bees, too and it looks like I will be supplying them with cocoons next year. How fun!

So glad we have this bee thread and can share the love for these busy little dudes.
 
#83
Scientists have been alarmed and puzzled by declines in bee populations in the United States and other parts of the world. They have suspected pesticides played a part, but to date their experiments have yielded conflicting results.

In Thursday's issue of the journal Science, two teams of researchers published studies suggesting low levels of a common pesticide can have significant effects on bee colonies. One experiment, by French researchers, indicates the chemicals fog honeybee brains, making it harder for them to find their way home. The other study, by scientists in Britain, suggests the chemicals keep bumblebees from supplying their hives with enough food to produce new queens.
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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2017869514_bees30.html
 
#84
:hbeat::sunshine:Just printed out the Northern California bee friendly plant pdf from the first post. I am so excited. :smile: I live 3 hours north of San Francisco, I love bees (especially honey and bumble) and I am so in need of more positive hobbys. :P I am off to the local shop, The Plant Barn.
 
#88
CB, yer makin' me ponder stuff I never pondered before.

I've got about an acre of grass that needs to be cut. Problem is, it's heavily populated with clover in bloom. Now, from what I've heard, that's like caviar to the honey bees and I know it makes for great honey.

If the grass gets cut, so does the clover.

Decisions, decisions......... :thinking: :wondering
 
#89
Also, I found out that the 'local honey man' gave up the business for health reason since both he and his wife are elderly and ailing. Now I have to find another source. Once you have real honey, the stuff in the stores just isn't the same.

I have plenty of room for a few hives, but I just don't think I have the gumption to take on a project like that.
 
#90
Echoes said:
CB, yer makin' me ponder stuff I never pondered before.

I've got about an acre of grass that needs to be cut. Problem is, it's heavily populated with clover in bloom. Now, from what I've heard, that's like caviar to the honey bees and I know it makes for great honey.

If the grass gets cut, so does the clover.

Decisions, decisions......... :thinking: :wondering
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:biggrin:

Clover honey is great!! Echoes!!! You know what you have to do. :cool:


Echoes said:
Also, I found out that the 'local honey man' gave up the business for health reason since both he and his wife are elderly and ailing. Now I have to find another source. Once you have real honey, the stuff in the stores just isn't the same.

I have plenty of room for a few hives, but I just don't think I have the gumption to take on a project like that.
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Girl. You have a crapton of gumption! I am sure he will help you.
I see the writing on the wall......
You were born to be a beekeeper!

Go forth and learn the ways of the bees! You know you want to :biggrin:
 
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