we find that everything on the Earth
contributes to it's HARMONY"
-Hazel Inayat Khan
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| Bee covered with pollen on Anise Hyssop |
Besides the butterflies, the dragonflies and the moths there are the bees.
Most people do not like bees and try hard to keep them out of their yards. But the thing we don't realize is that we need them, want them in our gardens. We depend on the Bee to pollinate our plants.
One thing that I have learned over the years is that if you have the plants for them they will not bother with you. I have worked on plants that are covered in bees and they just go about their business.
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| The bees love this plant - the Dark Knight |
Now, I'm not saying they won't sting you but on the most part they will not bother you unless you bother them. This is also the time of year that bees tend to get a little 'dizzy' and come around people a little more than usual. Just give them a gentle swipe and they will be on their way.
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| Busy Bee on St.John's Wort |
| I am amazed by how many different bees there are and if you pay attention to your plants you will see that certain types of bees favour certain types of plants. Since I have been planting flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds I have also attracted bees, hence my fascination with them. |
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| Check out the pollen on this bees legs. |
I'm not saying I love all bees, I have carpenter bees that have been making a mess of my pergola but I am not going to kill them, I will just try to deter them, steer them so to speak in a different direction.
I once watched a leaf cutter bee at work, it was truly amazing to see such a small creature cut a leaf.
I have seen many backyards with bee catchers and I understand why we think that it is necessary to have them. The only thing I don't understand is when I see them in the garden among the flowers. The sole purpose of the catchers is to keep the bees away from where we are sitting/eating, so unless you are sitting among your flowers, please don't put them in among your flowers.
One of the things I use to keep the bees away when eating outside is incense, it smells nice and dosen't harm the bees but keeps them at bay. Remember we want the bees to pollinate the plants we don't want to kill them. The bee population is on the decline so it is up to us to help sustain them.
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| The bees wings take on the purple hue of the plant |
One of the ways to help is the obvious, plant flowers, and local native plants are best. Check which plants are native to your area and start there. Another is please do not use pesticides, there are so many reasons why you shouldn't.
Without bees there would be severe consequences for our food, our gardens and our wilderness.
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| Birdhouse? Beehouse? Yellow jackets. |
I have many birdhouses in my backyard and am lucky enough to have a few of them occupied each year with families of birds. The others seem to be a home for the bees which is okay with me. At least they are being occupied, they are not nesting near a sitting area and it provided me with a shot of these great red lips crawling with bees.
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| This bees legs are heavy with pollen |
So don't be afraid to attract the bees to your garden. Give them a place to live and they will do their job by providing us with all of natures bounty.
Happy Gardening!
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| Thread waisted bee |
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