What plants do the bees like?

[Bentley-]

I have an orchard and thinking about starting a hive to help my trees. I want to get some plants in this year ready for next year when I could possibly raise a colony.A friend of mine has recently moved house and is starting a new colony (he used to have quite a few). I have been advised to go on a bee keeping course and my friend is willing to help me out and even give me a queen.

Some suggestions on what plants to get would be great. Whilst at the garden centre today I was interested in the heather, hundreds of bumble bees busy at work on them. Also thinking about foxglove and lavender, do the bees like them?

I have just noticed today whilst watering my roses how many bumble bees there are in my area. Will a honey bee colony affect them?

Thanks

 

[richardbees]

Bentley

How's that Queen getting on?

..."..my friend is willing to help me out and even give me a queen"

I suggest you go on a course - and buy "Guide to bees and honey" by Ted Hooper.

 

[Bram]

hello bentley try some annual seeds, i sowed loads of callendula and cornflower seed earlier this year and the bees love 'em, i daresay there will be more advice from other members shortly

 

[Tom_Pearce]

We have lavender covered with honey bees, bumble bees and hoverflies all summer, and the bees love all of our poppies (although I found a very sleepy bumble bee on a poppy Papaver Somniferum) this morning). I have seen cotoneaster at my sons house alive with bees when in bloom in the summer, and many of the labiatae (mint family and , I think, dead nettles, etc) are loved by bees. Then there is Borage, field bean (and other plants in the pea and bean family), and most of the compositae (daisies, etc). Try to avoid plants with double flowers which have been bred for complicated foliage and are, by and large, useless for pollen and nectar. My only disappointment is that our bees range far and wide for their supplies and I see them departing the hive and see them returning, but most of the time only see a few on the flowers in the garden. Still, it seems worth planting things to help... We seem to have more bumble bees this year than ever before, having started beekeeping last summer, with one bumble bee nest at the foot of my hive stand. They seem to ignore each other, although I suspect that there may be some competition for pollen and nectar .

 

[Swarm]

Hello Bentley,
Some starters for you :

Crocus, Primrose, Skimmea Japonica, Campanula, Forget-me-not, Perennial Cornflower, Poppy, Poached Egg Plant (Limnanthes Douglasii), Echium, Rose (simple, single type)Borage.
I love the Bumble bees and they will buzz around to practically any source, particularly good for beans. Antirrhinum and Foxglove will definitely attract them, as will most of the list above.
Your Honey bees will most definitely take advantage of a decent source at close hand, mine do but they build much larger colonies and need the major flows to sustain the organism. The vast majority will be heading off to Bramble, Rosebay willow herb, various trees, heather and others like OSR and Himalayan Balsam.
They will certainly benefit from your orchard.
Good luck.

 

[SixFooter]

Plant early or late flowering plants, but it depends on what is around in the neighbourhood. I dont see my bees in the garden at the moment as they are working balsam. I dont think they are interested in anything else. It's illegal to plant more balsam, so not much point in planting anything flowering at this timeof the year. I planted snowdrops and crocuses. Probably a drop in the ocean but I like to see honey bees on them in early spring.

 

[Bentley-]

Thanks, I really appreciate your replies and will have to google the suggestions. My dad only wants native plants in the orchard so most of these will have to go in the garden or in pots around the house. If the bees like em then they all help, I feel guilty now finding out some of the "weeds" I recently pulled out are much loved by the bees.

 

[Luminos]

Bentley
Try this thread:
www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=13322