Bee deaths? Not with us! With these ten tips, you can turn your garden into a paradise for the busy bees without much effort.
The death of bees is on everyone's lips. More and more of the small insects are disappearing because they can neither find food nor a place to live in big cities and agricultural deserts. But many gardens are also not bee-friendly and offer neither retreats nor sources of nutrients. The hard-working helpers are so important: not only do they produce the sweet honey that ends up on our bread in the morning - they are also one of the most important pollinators for many plants. But how can you help the bees? With these ten tips you can turn your garden into a paradise for bees and thus make a contribution to stopping bee deaths.
Tip 1: Bee-Friendly Plants
Roses, geraniums and dahlias are beautiful to look at, but they are not at all bee-friendly plants. The bulging flowers with the sweet scent promise the bee a rich meal, but in reality they have little or no food to offer the hard-working helpers. Lavender, bluebells and nasturtiums not only look good, they also provide the bees with enough pollen and nectar. If you not only rely on decorative plants, but also want to benefit from your garden, you also have a large selection of bee-friendly plants. Almost all fruit trees are real bee magnets, but also spice beds with thyme and numerous types of vegetables help the yellow-black heroes.
Tip 2: Diversity makes it
It's not just the type of plants that matters: If the bee only encounters flowering plants for a few weeks a year, it suffers just as much as if there were no plants at all. The remedy is very simple: Anyone who keeps early, medium and late flowering plants not only has a dream of flowers in the garden all year round, but also helps the bees. In the spring, the crocuses bloom first and help the bees to refuel after the long winter. In autumn, on the other hand, varieties of heather, sedum and ivy come inthe last meals. Asters are particularly recommended: the autumn aster even blooms until the first frost. Our Plantura bee pasture contains a wide variety of bee-friendly flowers and herbs. In this way, you can offer the bees in your garden an even supply of food for months.
Tip 3: Get rid of chemistry
Aphids, snails, ants? Quickly get rid of the pests. As soon as the first harmful insects appear, hobby gardeners also resort to insecticides. What many people forget, however, is that beneficial insects such as bees are often not spared from the chemicals, even if they shouldn't actually be driven away. Anyone who only has a slight pest infestation should therefore first resort to home remedies. These often bring the desired success and get by without any collateral damage. If the use of pesticides is unavoidable, pay attention to the manufacturer's instructions. The more pests are controlled with a product, the greater the likelihood that bees will also suffer. Some companies also offer special sprays that are supposed to be particularly gentle on beneficial insects. Nevertheless, the use of chemicals should be reserved for emergencies and the funds should not be applied to large areas, but only to the plants that are really affected.
Tip 4: Pure nature
Gravel beds, short lawns and trimmed hedges are beautiful. But if the bed is too tidy, it will hardly attract bees. After all, such meticulously maintained gardens usually offer hardly any retreats or food for insects. Nevertheless, the garden does not have to be neglected. Even small corners and changes can have a big impact. A bed full of wildflowers has its own charm and provides food for bees all summer long. Even small corners where the lawn is not mowed or some weeds in the garden do not attract much attention, but offer wild animals food and a home. Deadwood and piles of stones in particular should not be removed: they provide wild bees with a place for their burrows so that they can reproduce.
Tip 5: A little water
A garden pond is not only beautiful, it is also a godsend for bees. Because what many forget: Even bees need a sip of water from time to time. Especially in hot, dry monthsa pond (however small it may be) can be a real lifesaver. And the fresh water doesn't just offer something to drink: numerous aquatic plants such as water lilies also bring a refreshing meal for in between. If you want to be particularly bee-friendly, you should not keep any fish in your pond. No matter how peaceful the little swimmers look - many fish species do not reject a bee as a small meal for in between.
Tip 6: The bee waterer
A pond is too much work or just not possible in your garden? Do you only have a balcony? You can still offer the little helpers refreshments. With the simplest means, the construction of a bee watering place is accomplished in a few minutes. Simply fill a flat bowl with water, put a few stones in it so that they look out of the water surface and the mini pond is ready. The bees can land on the rocks and take a few sips from there without the risk of falling into the water and drowning. Incidentally, the ideal place for such a bee trough is next to a flower bed. So the little animals don't have to go far to the next meal after their drink.
Tip 7: Welcome to the hotel
For wild bees in particular, the biggest challenge is not finding food, but finding the right place to live. Dead wood, niches in the walls or piles of stones can no longer be found in many gardens and pose a major problem for insects. The few remaining nesting sites are highly contested. An insect hotel can provide a simple remedy. No larger than a bird house, this emergency home for homeless bees is easy to make yourself or purchase at many garden centers. But it is easier to drill nest tubes in a few blocks of wood. Measuring 8mm in diameter and 8cm long, these small holes make the perfect retreat for mason bees, which do a good job especially in orchards.
Tip 8: How does a vegetable garden help?
A vegetable patch in your own garden not only rewards us with fresh and he althy food, but is also a real bee savior, even if it doesn't appear so at first glance. Anyone who grows food from their own garden buys less (or as self-sufficientnone at all) foodstuffs from industrial production. In this, the fruits are often grown in large monocultures and treated with strong insecticides, since the farmers depend on a good yield. For bees, however, these huge fields are a nightmare. In the garden at home, on the other hand, there are potatoes next to lettuce and cabbage and, as a rule, no spray is used: ideal conditions for the plants. If you don't have your own vegetable garden, you can also support the organic farmers in the area. These also do not use any chemical plant protection and thus protect our bees.
Tip 9: Good Neighborhood
In fact, many beekeepers have problems finding a place to put their hives. People's fear of the stings of the small animals prevents them from giving beekeepers and bees a chance. Many people also reject insect hotels for this reason. Bees are very peace-loving animals and only sting in extreme danger, because a sting always ends fatally for them. In fact, many wild bees have stingers so small that they cannot even penetrate human skin. Fear of stings is therefore not necessary and a beehive in the garden also has a number of advantages: the harvest is larger thanks to better pollination, the environment is strengthened and a glass or two of honey from the grateful beekeeper as a fee for the space in the garden will certainly jump out .
Tip 10: Not just the garden
You can support our local bees not only in your own garden: Instead of buying honey from the supermarket, you prefer to use regional honey from the beekeeper. So your money doesn't end up in the pocket of a large corporation, but is reinvested in the bees. Always rinse your honey jars before throwing them in the jar container. Honey transmits many bee diseases and if bees find the sweet gold, these diseases can be introduced and wipe out entire colonies. For the same reason, weakened bees should never be replenished with honey. Instead, you can offer the bee some sugar water to give it strength for the return flight. You should also refrain from using adhesive strips for fly catching (at least outdoors). In addition to the annoying pests, beneficial insects such as bees or ladybugs also stick to it and die.
The 10thWe have compiled the most bee-friendly plants for you here in detail. And if you also want to support butterflies, you will find the best butterfly-friendly plants in this post.