How to Plant Flowers for Honey Bees

The honeybee is disappearing in the United States.

Flowers and food crops all over the world depend on honeybees for reproduction. Existing on all continents except for Antarctica, honeybees are the most important pollinators in ecosystems that produce and rely on flowering plants. "National Geographic" reports that the honeybees are disappearing, and scientist do not seem to know why. You can help to encourage a rise in the honeybee population in your area, which can improve pollination in your home garden, by planting flowers for honeybees in your own backyard.

Things You'll Need

• Pitchfork or rototiller
• Honeybee preferred flowers
• Soaker hose

Instructions

1. Plot out an area to grow your flower garden. Although you want to grow the flowers in close proximity to your home garden, you might not want them in a sitting area or place where your children play. Honeybees will sting if they feel threatened.

2. Prepare the soil. Turn the soil over with a pitchfork or a rototiller to create a fine soil for planting. Breaking up large chunks of earth will make it easier to dig holes to plant your flowers and allow the flower's roots room for expansion.

3. Choose a variety of honeybee-loving flowers. Honeybees prefer aster, sunflowers, bee balm, salvia, mint, hyssop, bachelor's buttons, poppies, thyme and spider flowers.

4. Dig holes for the flowers deep enough to accommodate their root balls. Check the nursery tag on the flower trays to determine spacing requirements. Remove the flowers from their nursery containers, place one plant in each hole and backfill. Pat the soil around the flowers to remove air pockets.

5. Water the honeybee flowers with a soaker hose, keeping the soil moist at all times. Most flowers that honeybees prefer grow in full sun, making them susceptible to dry soil. Keep the soil well quenched at a depth of one inch.

Tips & Warnings

• Applying a three- to four-inch layer of sawdust, bark chips or straw can help with water retention. Mulching can also help to reduce weed growth, making it unnecessary for you to weed the flower garden and disturb the honeybees.

• Do not overwater the honeybee flowers. Standing water can damage the roots, eventually causing them to wilt and die. To determine soil moisture, press your fingers down one inch. If the soil feels moist, skip the scheduled watering and check the soil around the flowers again in a few days.

• Keep in mind that while mulching has its advantages, it also has its disadvantages. For instance, mulching will deter ground dwelling honeybees. If you want to attract all kinds of honeybees, you might want to skip the mulch.

References

• "National Geographic": Mystery Bee Disappearances Sweeping U.S.
• Dummies: Planting Flowers for Your Bees

Resources

• The University of California at Berkeley: Urban Bee Gardens