Bees are vital to the propagation and survival of countless plant species, and they’re vital to having in the garden. Bees around the world are facing decline, and it’s never been more important to try and save as many as possible, which can easily be done, even with a small garden.

There are a few different species of bees, and while there has been a lot of emphasis on the honeybee, solitary bees are also extremely important. Here we will explore various methods of attracting these important pollinators to your garden.

Always Plant Native

As mentioned, the honeybee gets a lot of attention, but it’s far from being the only kind of bee around. Others, like carpenter bees, are just as vital to maintaining a healthy ecosystem, sometimes even more so.

While honeybees roam quite far and tend to not be too fussy when it comes to their flowers of choice, local bees might only go for specific species of plants that are found endemically. This means that planting native plants can mean bringing in a wide range of various local bees. It’s worth doing some research on the types of bees that tend to be in your area as well as the plants that tend to draw them in.

Make Insect Hotels

Beekeeping is a popular profession, but it means building a special kind of hive that allows a swam of honeybees to inhabit. Native, solitary bees almost never live in groups, and need to find different means to laying and protecting their eggs.

Carpenter bees, for example, tend to be attracted to soft wood, where they’ll drill small holes in the wood in order to lay an egg. This is why those that have wooden patios might find small holes in the wood all over the place. Building an insect hotel is extremely easy, and you’ll only need a drill, various drill bit sizes, and different cuts of logs and timber. Stack the timber and logs, and drill differently sized holes throughout, and it won’t take long for a host of different bees from pitching up and calling the new hotel their home.

Avoid Chemicals

Pesticides are a contentious issue around the world, and more and more gardeners are turning away from chemical pesticides, as they often kill the insects that they weren’t designed for. Bees are especially prone to this, and even a bit of pesticide residue is enough to kill a bee.

There are more efficient methods of controlling pests in the garden that don’t require the use of synthetic chemicals, and those gardeners that decide to move to more natural methods will undoubtedly see a boost in the number of insects in their garden, while also saving money they could instead use for bingo NZ.

Go For Specific Colours

Bees are not able to see colours, but they can see shades. Some of the most popular are white, yellow, and purple.

These tend to be the most attractive to most bees, and planting as many native purple flowers as possible will certainly see more bees using your garden as a common stopping ground.