How To Make A Bee-Friendly Garden
Bees are incredible creatures that all gardeners should be actively attracting. But how? This is something that I am really passionate about so I want to share my tips on how to make a bee-friendly garden. But first, let's talk about the benefits of having bees in your backyard.
Why you NEED bees in your garden!
We're told of the importance of bees, but why? Bees are the world's best pollinators and about 1/3 of the world's food crops require pollination. Honeybees account for about 80% of that. Without bees, many of the foods we know of could not be possible.
When it comes to our home gardens bees are extremely beneficial. Bees pollinate our fruit and veg crops and pollination makes our gardens more productive, meaning our food crops produce better tasting, healthier and more attractive fruit.
Bees also add to the diversity in your garden. For example, bees could attract Praying Mantes to your garden because they eat bees, the praying mantes then may attract small lizards which eat them, and then birds come to feast on the small lizards. As you can see in this basic example the bees can create a biodiverse environment.
Australian native bees
Most people know what a honey bee is and it is a good idea to encourage them into our gardens. But I would argue that it is even more essential to attract Australian native bees into our gardens. Australia is home to about 1,700 native bees, most of which are solitary. Honey bees are not native to Australia, they were introduced to help pollinate food crops but feral bees escaped and created their own nests. The European honey bees have adapted and thrived in Australian conditions.
Honey bees are generalist pollinators and will forage for nectar and pollen from a range of sources. Many of Australia's bees are specialist bees. The introduced bees for that reason can outcompete and be more efficient at collecting pollen and nectar than our own bees, especially when food sources are scarce. There is also evidence to suggest that feral bees can be aggressive towards Aussie bees. (source) But honey bees are here to stay and are still an important aspect of a flourishing bee-friendly garden.
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How to make a bee-friendly garden
Having bees in your garden is a good thing so below are 10 different things that will teach you how to make a bee-friendly garden. These tips will help you to attract both honey bees and Australian native bees, both of which are beneficial in your garden.
1. Bee Food
The best way to attract bees, both honey bees, and native bees, is to provide as much food for them as possible. Bees collect pollen and nectar and the more plants that provide them with these resources, the more bees you will invite. If there is no food for the bees then there is no reason for any to come and stay.
Try planting some of these:
- Borage
- Alyssum
- Marigold
- Cosmos
- Daisies
- Nasturtiums
- Calendula
To make it easier check out these kits and seed bombs on Biome. These kits and seed bombs contain a mix of seeds which will grow into bee attracting food.
- The Lil Bit Bee Seed Bomb
- Urban Greens Seed Balls
- The Little Veggie Patch Co Beneficial Bug Seed Kit
- Life Cykel Save the Bees Pollination Kit
2. Native plants
The easiest way to get native bees into your garden is to give them native plants to forage. Our native bees evolved over millions of years to pollinate and feed on our endemic plants long before honey bees were introduced to Australia therefore they tend to favour native plants.
Here is a list of great Australian native plants:
- Acacia
- Banksia
- Bottlebrush
- Brachyscome
- Bursaria
- Chocolate Lily
- Correa
- Dianella
- Dillwynia
- Eremophila
- Fringe Lily
- Grevillea
- Hakea
- Hardenbergia
- Hibiscus
- Lilly Pilly
- Olearia
- Persoonia
- Prostanthera
- Pultenaea
- Scaevola
- Tea-tree
- Tetratheca
- Wahlenbergia
- Westringia
- Xerochrysu
3. Leave the weeds
The thought of leaving weeds in the lawn or veggie patch might send shivers down the spines of many, but hear me out. Many of the plants that we classify as weeds are actually incredible sources of food for bees. Rather than trying to completely rid your yard of certain weeds, I think it is time to reconsider what we classify as weeds.
Here is a list of weeds that we should consider keeping.
- Clover
- Flatweed
- Sowthistle
- Dandelions
- Oxalis
These are often just seen as weeds because they disrupt our monoculture lawns or grow where we don't want them. Instead of trying to work against nature, we should work with it. These weeds are probably going to continue to grow no matter how hard you try to remove them. There are many more but these ones listed serve more than one purpose. Not only are they great for bees but they are also edible and very nutritious for us. They are also helpful in creating a biodiverse garden. This brings us perfectly onto our next topic.
4. Diversity of plants
When we look at natural settings, we see diversity. In a rainforest, for example, you have a diverse range of plants all the way from ground covers, to shrubs, small trees, and large trees. Nature isn't made up of just one thing, so we should mimic this in our own gardens. Rather than sowing an entire plot of just tomatoes, create diversity. Start growing vegetables from different families, several fruit trees, native plants, weeds like clover, flowering ground covers and shrubs, ornamental flowers, and flowering vines. Even in small spaces, it's possible to set up a diverse environment. An assortment of plants will allure a range of different species of bees and other pollinators and that is exactly what we want, diversity in plants and a diversity of beneficial bugs.
5. Sacrificial plants
When we're growing vegetable crops we're told not to let them bolt and flower unless we want to collect seeds. I think we should also consider letting some crops flower just for the bees. As you can see in the photo above I have let some of my pak choi go to flower. There aren't any bees pictured but I have seen them buzzing around multiple times. Having a few sacrificial plants that we purposely leave to flower is a great way to entice bees. Below is a list of flowering food plants irresistible to bees.
6. Winter and summer
You can have the most diverse plants but you also need to consider the seasons. A lot of flowers bloom during the warmer spring and summer months and not the colder autumn and winter months. It is important to give bees food all year round. It is not only beneficial for you but vital for the bees to survive during these months when there are fewer food sources around. So the next time you are at your local nursery buying flowers, check the tags to see when they are most prolific. It is also useful to understand your climate before purchasing particular plants, a garden centre may sell beautiful flowering plants that don't suit your climate and do not perform very well once you take them home.
7. Colours
It's also important to know that bees see colours different to humans so we should accommodate for this. Research suggests that bees can't see the colour red, they can see, green, blue and ultraviolet. Honeybees are generalist pollinators and will visit native and non-native flowers in a range of colours. Australian bees, however, have a preference for native plants because they have evolved alongside each other. The colours of Australian natives have evolved to suit the colour vision of native bees. White and blue flowers however seem to be a preference for both honeybees and native bees. (source)
8. Avoid using chemicals
Organic gardening is not only better for us humans but vital to our most important pollinators. Chemicals used to kill pests and weeds can be deadly to bees. By using only organic solutions and avoiding the use of chemicals altogether we can prevent inadvertently killing bees.
This also comes back to growing a diverse range of plants and using sacrificial plants. Diversity brings in a diverse range of critters like bugs, birds, lizards, frogs, wasps, and spiders. Your sacrificial plants can also be plants that you don't care for as much. For example, if you're attracting a lot of aphids grow things like nasturtiums and marigolds, plants they just can't resist. These are organic pest solutions so there is no need for chemicals, bees also can't resist these flowers, it's a win-win, this is something that we want in our gardens!
9. Provide them refuge
Just like people who go shopping at the mall, go for a day out at the beach or go on long road trips we need to stop and rest. Bees also need to stop work for a period of time to rest and recover. We can make it easier for bees by providing them with a rest stop, a place for them to rejuvenate, a bee hotel. These can be purchased on Biome here. You can also make your own, using sticks, wood with drilled holes, bamboo and even pithy twigs like raspberries, blackberries and dead lantana canes.
But these types of bee houses aren't suited to all species of bees. The easiest way to accommodate different types of bees is to offer a few options. Teddy bear bees and blue banded bees prefer to nest in clay blocks, resin bees prefer to nest in holes in wooden blocks and logs, while other bees bury themselves underground
It's also a good idea to scatter the bee houses across several areas of your garden, rather than placing them all together in one location.
10. Water
And finally, just like us, bees also need water, without it, they become tired and dehydrated. Water is just as important for bees, and other bugs, for that matter, as food. To provide bees with water fill a small dish with water and add a few pebbles for them to rest on. The pebbles will prevent the bees from falling in and drowning.
Extra Resources
If you want to find out more information about Australian native bees then I would highly recommend visiting the Aussie Bee website. I have also listed a few great books about Australian bees:
How to make a bee-friendly garden
Thanks for reading this article about how to make a bee-friendly garden. I hope they help you in your efforts to bring more pollinators to your patch. Bees truly are exceptional creatures and perform a critical role in the world. A world without bees is something we should all fear. But if you follow the suggestions listed above you can make a massive difference. Until next time, get out there, plant some flowers, provide some shelter and water, and watch the bees flock to your little paradise.
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