Missed our recent workshop on bee-friendly gardening? Have no fear! You can still create a garden that will have all the neighborhood pollinators teeming in your yard. Try out these simple steps and let us know how they work for you! Read more about creating a bee-friendly garden on the Honey Bee Conservancy, the David Suzuki Foundation, the UC Berkeley Urban Bee Lab, and the Bumblebee Conversation Trust.
- Turn to plants. Your first thought when you saw this was likely planting to attract bees. And sure enough, this is an important step! Stick to native varieties (these will attract native bee species in particular), and aim to find ones that will flower at different times, keeping the busy bees happy all season. You can find a great list of the best bee plants in California on the UC Berkeley Urban Bee Lab’s website, helpabee.org.
- Create a bee bath. While you may have a birdbath already, bees also need fresh water available while they buzz around. All you need is a shallow container, pebbles, twigs, and fresh water each day.
- Steer clear of pesticides. They can harm the good kinds of pests too, including bees! Instead, opt for natural control of pests.
- Bee kind. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust has a handy online tool where you can discover how bee-friendly your garden currently is, and they’ll also recommend other plants to help you along your way!
Don’t miss out on our future workshops! Find more information and register at sustainablecoco.org/workshops.
Replies