How to Encourage Bees and Other Pollinators

This is just a starting post, a way to store some information provided by some of the fine folks at ENENEWS.

There are reports out from US gov that bees are down 40% year over year in 2015.    Bees are important pollinators, plants won't grow properly or reproduce without being pollinated.

This is going to be a big problem.
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stock

May 14, 2015 at 10:15 pm Log in to Reply

I am researching how to promote/help bees.
Methinks it approaches time to choose the most useful species, I understand the ramifications and philosophy behind that statement.

• DisasterInterpretationDissorder

  May 14, 2015 at 10:26 pm Log in to Reply

  Yeah sorry it was not ment personally , just talking in general to my own species..for past/present mistakes like fighting to keep using certain poison when suspicious in very important dieoff's..
  pardon me
  It crossed my mind if i could buy a hive and how hard it would be to maintain.. i don't even need the honey or something..just to help..
  
  

• SadieDog

  May 14, 2015 at 10:40 pm Log in to Reply

  Stock, Wanna help the bees? Plant a small organic garden. With assorted flowers like these…
  http://www.honeybeesuite.com/five-favorite-plants-for-the-bee-garden/
  
  

  • SadieDog

    May 14, 2015 at 10:46 pm Log in to Reply

    Bigger list of plants that attract bees and other beneficial insects…
    http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/plants-to-attract-beneficial-insects-zl0z1005zvau.aspx
    
    

    • DisasterInterpretationDissorder

      May 14, 2015 at 11:05 pm Log in to Reply

      Thanks Sadie
      
      

      • DisasterInterpretationDissorder

        May 14, 2015 at 11:13 pm Log in to Reply

        And Code and stock for bringing it up and all
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        Code===== How to help bees. First, you have to get the right size comb starter. They make them too big and this unnatural size creates disease. Then you have to feed them their own honey and pollen instead of the sugar syrup stuff that passes as bee food. Then they need an environment free of pesticides. Many or most bees in the states have finally been africanized. This makes for a potential danger. A healthy hive is an amazing thing. Bees kept choosing my house to make hives
        
        DID-----
        looks like it could be a satisfying hobby/necessity
        http://www.hivetool.com/guide/index.htm
        Hivetool.com Guide to Beekeeping
        Our guide is based on "Beekeeping in Tennessee" which was compiled and edit by Harry Williams and John Skinner of the University of Tennessee College of Agriculture. You'll find several references that are specific to the climate and apiary laws of Tennessee. We are continuously editing this document and welcome contributions. Email us with your suggestions.
        Five favorite plants for the bee garden Since this is the season when gardening catalogs flood my mailbox, I can’t help but think about next year’s pollinator garden. 
      
      
      
      
      • My five favorite pollinator plants are all species that attract a wide variety of wildlife. In addition, they all are relatively easy to care for and don’t require a lot of water. 
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      • Agastache comes in various forms and colors and is attractive to many bees and butterflies. You can plant an entire garden of just Agastache using purples, oranges, reds, and pinks. These perennials flower over many weeks and are unappealing to deer and rabbits. My favorites include the hybrid “Blue Fortune” which is especially attractive to native bees and “New Mexico Hummingbird Mint” which draws butterflies and bumble bees as well as hummingbirds. 
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      • Perovskia, or Russian Sage, is a real pollinator-pleaser. Some of the varieties such as “Blue Spire” become absolutely coated with bees of all descriptions. It has dark blue flowers on spikes that reach about 4 feet high. Deer and rabbits walk right by, while the bees hang on in ecstasy. 
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      • Oregano was a surprise to me. I originally planted it for the leaves, but I’ve found that whenever I need a picture of a wild bee I’m sure to find one—or many—hanging out on the oregano plants. Oregano comes in many varieties and the small flowers range from pink to white. 
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      • Ceanothus, or California lilac, is a fragrant and colorful evergreen shrub. The first time I ever really noticed one was in front of a public building in Tacoma. I walked by and saw that it was covered—I mean absolutely infested—with honey bees. I cut a twig and took it to a local nursery for identification. These shrubs are very drought tolerant and the flowers are the color of blue that honey bees love. 
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      • Ceanothus is also freely visited by other species including bumble bees and sweat bees. 
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      • Goldenrod is an especially good bee plant because it blooms very late in the year when bees are having a hard time finding forage. The bright yellow flowers attract many species of bee, especially bumble bees. Since goldenrod is tall it makes an excellent plant for the back of a garden or along a wall or fence. This past fall I often saw seven or eight bumble bees on one inflorescence. Goldenrod is another plant that requires little care and little water. Even if you only have room for a pot or two, you will be surprised at the number of pollinators you can attract with these plants. 
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      • Other plants with similar characteristics will work as well, including lavender, salvia, penstemon, and catmint. 
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      • Rusty
      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Explaining Monsanto's War on Bees As DID said above, Monsanto is in competition with bees. Its simple, and powerfully true. Monsanto makes GMO "seeds". They grow 1 time, and the plant, if it produces seeds, those seeds will not be viable next year. That means, they won't work, won't grow a plant. So Monsanto generates a captive audience, each year the farmer must come back to them to get seeds. For the old school, "heirloom" seeds, are seeds that will grow into a plant that produces seeds that will be viable, that will grow the same plant the next year. I harvested seeds last fall from a number of plants, mainly just to do it and learn the skill, not because seeds are inherently expensive, they aren't. But someday, it may be hard to buy "non heirloom" seeds. Seeds will last maybe 2 to 7 years, depends on type of seeds, and storage, and luck. This year, I tried to make sure that all seeds purchased were Heirloom type. So did this spell it out clearly enough? Monsanto sells GMO (or now called GE genetically engineered) seeds. These seeds don't need bees. And they create a captive audience and recurring sales. Then Monsanto produces Glyphosophate, aka Round Up, which kills the heck out of bees....so that the Heirloom varieties don't work as well, don't get fertilized by bees. Monsanto has a war on bees. And Monsanto is winning. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Classic Movie, Idiocracy