Bee friendly plants

[blackcavebees]

I started keeping bees July 2011, so I planted a lot of what I was told was bee friendly plants in my garden. Those that have come into flower already are compfrey and phacelia and others on way like borage, hollyhock, viper bulgoss etc.

What I don't get is that my bees aren't anywhere near them, rather I know have loads of different types of bumble on them. Is there a pecking order in bees types? Or is that silly? Any ideas.

I've gave up part of my veg patch to plant phacelia as I read that it gives a high yield and also blooms for over a month, but I don't want just to be feeding the local bumblebee population!

 

[blackcavebees]

Should also say that bees are foraging well, and bringing in a lot of yellow pollen, but not from my garden

 

[susbees]

Honey bees here love borage and will stay on it til first frosts if sown late enough.
Honey bees forage comfrey - some through the robbing holes made by bumbles, but some here feed direct. Invasive, really invasive...
Honey bees here only take pollen from phacelia - it needs feet of good soil for good nectar (we do clay and rocks).
Nowt wrong with being good to the bumbles

 

[thorn]

My bees don't hang around my garden either. I presume that's because the scouts have reported that there are better pickings in the allotments down the road.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I've gave up part of my veg patch to plant phacelia but I don't want just to be feeding the local bumblebee population!

Why not?

Are your hives in the garden?
Bees don't generally feed on their own doorstep but they will be feeding on somebody else's flowers in their garden.

The exception probably is early crocus in late winter...that's worth planting near them but not along the flight path.

 

[Teemore]

My understanding is that except in times of dearth, bees will not forage within the immediate vicinity of their hives. It has been postulated that this affords the colony a degree of protection from predation: if they foraged around the colony, predators would be drawn to the hive/colony vicinity more readily. This is likely to have a greater impact on the number of bees taken etc.

 

[Luminos]

My first bees, which did not survive last winter, ignored phacelia completely.
The bees I have now, love it.
Perhaps it depends on what else is available that they might prefer?

 

[MartinL]

Don't think that (when given the choice), anyone dines in their toilet!

 

[dclewis]

Some of mine were on the white clover around the foot of hives last weekend, yet plenty of other forage available at the time as evidenced by the different pollens coming in.

 

[susbees]

The exception probably is early crocus in late winter...that's worth planting near them but not along the flight path.

Um, that will surely BE the flight path? To and from said crocuses...

 

[susbees]

Don't think that (when given the choice), anyone dines in their toilet!

In poor weather bees will dine on the doorstep. OK so maybe bees from several colonies away in my case but certainly dandelions outside the hive entrances are well visited.

 

[Swarm]

All I can say is that my bees are present on the flowers in my garden all season long.

 

[Eric knockalt]

Loving the Lupins in the garden ,also liking the Borage and comfrey,had some broccolli that went to flower/seed really like that were all over the flowers for the pollen.

 

[gingerbees]

There were so many bees buzzing on our phacelia the other day I thought they had swarmed!! It was pretty poor weather and it is planted about six feet from the hives. Smelt fantastic too.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Um, that will surely BE the flight path? To and from said crocuses...

I suppose so.
My hive entrances point South East and the bees fly straight out in that direction and in that direction I presume they poo.
The crocuses were planted to the south. Yes they fly there but the planting is not in the normal flight path. I have watched them and they fly out as normal and then double back. Thus not pooing on their food

 

[Swarm]

Mine are under a canopy of trees and fly up and out from there. Their regular flight path is up the garden, over the house and away on a Westerly direction. Their poo targets are usually the cars out front, about 50-60m away. They are constantly foraging from Green Alkanet, which is no more than 10m from the hive.

 

[madasafish]

All I can say is that my bees are present on the flowers in my garden all season long.

 

[richardbees]

my bees are present on the flowers in my garden

Good Lord - you mark all of your bees individually to identify them?

 

[Swarm]

Tut, tut.
No I know them all by name. You can actually sit and watch them flying back to the hive.
Do you think my bees would all fly elsewhere and another beeks bees come to my garden en masse?

 

[madasafish]

my bees are present on the flowers in my garden

Good Lord - you mark all of your bees individually to identify them?

Some of the colourations and markings are quite distinct..