Bees and Flowers

So you want to know more about Bees and Flowers? Great.
There’s so much to know and tell we could write a book…But we won’t!
So what you’ll find here are the basics. The to need-to-know stuff.
Click through on the links for a little bit more information

Bee Basics

Really quickly. Ready? Go!
20,000 + species of bee on the planet. 90% of these are Solitary Bees. Only 8 species of Honey Bees. 270 species of Bumblebee. 40% of bee species are considered endangered. 25% of bees species are missing from recordings since the 1990’s. Bees have been around for 130 million years and are a vegan evolution of wasps. They foraged on flowers as dinosaurs walked by. Bees feed on nectar and pollen which they collect from flowers. Bumblebees are the big fat hairy ones. Solitary bees are the small ones that don’t have a queen or a social nest. Honey bees are not endangered and don’t need saving. Bumblebees and Solitary bees are docile non-aggressive creatures and don’t swarm. Only female bees can sting. Bees pollinate many of the plants that produce our food and flowers. If bees are in trouble then humanity is in trouble…and…relax… you’ve just completed Bees101!

The Issue: Bees are in Trouble. Big Trouble.

Around 40% of the 20,000+ species of bee across the planet are now considered endangered.

So why do creatures that have thrived for 130 million years suddenly find themselves in danger ofextinction?
The answer, unfortunately, is Human Behaviour.

What we choose to eat and how we choose to produce it kills Native Wild Bees.
Our arrogant disconnect from the natural world and our place in it kills Native Wild Bees.
There is nowhere left for bees to be bees. For nature to be nature.
We’ve taken and or degraded their habitat.
We’ve poisoned them and their food.
We’ve commodified them and spread disease.
And now we’re in the process of sucker punching them when they’re already down with human caused climate breakdown.

The Solutions

The good news is that the solutions are known. Maybe not communicated effectively enough (that’s where we come in!) but definitely known.

Bees and indeed nature have an incredible ability to bounce back, to recover, if provided with the
right conditions, time and space.
If we implement the real solutions we will see real improvement.
But we have to be brave enough and committed enough to implement these real solutions.
We need to look at our diet and adjust.
We need to know how our food is produce and adjust.
We need to provide clean habitat and food (flowers).
We need to stop commodifying creatures.
We need to face up to the realities of Climate breakdown.
We need to realise that keeping ever more hives of honeybees is detrimental to Native Wild Bee
survival.

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Foraging female bumblebees transport pollen in pollen baskets on their hind legs.

Flowers - The Beautiful Solution

As mentioned above bees are a vegan evolution of wasps. At some point bees discovered or decided to go plant-based fulfilling all their nutritional needs from the nectar and pollen produced by flowers. Native Wild Bees evolved with Native Wild Flowers. The flowers fed the bees and the bees ensured the flowers kept flowering. Perfect synergy.
But then…Humans!
Over the past 50 to 75 years we have disrupted this synergy. We’ve taken away or poisoned their food on a vast almost unimaginable scale. This we need to correct quickly.
We need to feed the bees!
We need to grow them flowers.

Our Current Favourite Flowers for Bees

ALWAYS ORGANIC/CHEMICAL-FREE/UNTREATED…NEVER SPRAYED WITH POISONS

THISTLE

Daisy family (Asteraceae). Wide variety of species found worldwide. These kick-ass punks of the wildflower world are a vital source of nectar for bees and other pollinators.

DANDELION

(Taraxacum officiale) Bright yellow bundles of life with an extensive flowering period. Vital early forage source for hungry emerging Bumblebee Queens in early Spring.

LESSER KNAPWEED

(Centaurea nigra) Flowers June through September in its native range. Great nectar and pollen producer loved by bees, butterflies and a host of creatures. Seed for birds too!

RAGWORT

(Jacobaea vulgaris) Absolutely fantastic plant for bees and a host of other insects. Demonised by livestock owners and suffers from ‘bad-press’ and scare-mongering.

MUSK MALLOW

(Malva moschata) Flowers from July onwards. Perennial pretty pink parcels of goodness that cover visiting bees in white pollen.

BUSH VETCH

(Vicia sepium) Perennial climbing plant of the pea/bean family. Flowers from May to August. Much loved by Common Carder Bumblebees. Native to Europe/Asia.

SELF-HEAL

(Prunella vulgaris) Perennial herb native to Europe. Found throughout Asia and North America. Mint family. Low growing and loved by bees and other insects. Flowers mostly June to August.

BIRD’S-FOOT TREFOIL

(Lotus corniculatus) Perennial flowering May through September. Pea family. Great nectar source for bees. Food plant for the caterpillars of a number of butterflies.

FOXGLOVE

(Digitalis purpurea) Native to Europe, naturalised in North America. Biennial plant flowering early summer. Nectar source for bumblebees. Poisonous to humans.

SCABIOUS

(Succisa pratensis) Devil’s Bit Scabious. Honeysuckle family. Flowers July through October. Nectar rich for hoverflies, bees and butterflies. This perennial provides late season forage.

RED CAMPION

(Silene dioica) Carnation family. This hardy perennial is native to Europe, introduced to America. Flowers May to October. Loved by bees, butterflies and hoverflies.

CORNFLOWER

(Centaurea cyanus) Daisy family. Annual native to Europe. Provides pollen and super sweet nectar to a variety of insect species and seeds to birds. Flowers June to September.

BLACKBERRY/BRIAR

(Rubus fruticosus) Flowers June onwards then sets fruit. Flowers feed bees, butterflies, hoverflies and a host of other creatures. Fruit feeds birds and other mammals. Provides safe habitat.

HERB-ROBERT

(Geranium robertianum) Long flowering period - early spring to late autumn makes this a great plant for pollinators. Native to Europe, Northern Africa and North America. Annual or biennial wildflower.

WOUNDWORT

Marsh (Stachys palustris) Perennial grassland herb. Flowers July to September. Source of nectar for bees.

POPPY

(Papaver rhoeas) Flowers June to August. In decline in the wild due to intensive agriculture. Annual wildflower. Great pollen producers so always full of bumblebees.

CORNCOCKLE

(Agrostemma githago) Carnation family. Annual wildflower native to Europe and Asia. Poisonous to humans and animals. Flowers June to August. Provides nectar for bees and seed for birds.

COMMON MALLOW

Malva sylvestris) Perennial wildflower. Flowers June to October. Native to Europe, Asia and Africa. Great for bees.

RED CLOVER

(Trifolium pratense) Flowers May through October. Great nectar provider for bumblebees. Bean family. Perennial.

PHACELIA

(Phacelia tanacetifolia) Native to North America. Annual with long flowering range suitable for succession sowing. Provides an abundance of pollen and nectar. Loved by bumblebees especially short-tongued species.

BORAGE

(Borago officinalis) Annual herb. Flowers right up to first frosts so great late forage source for Bumblebees. Native to Mediterranean region.

SUNFLOWER

(Helianthus annuus) Daisy family. Native to the Americas. Annual. Prolific pollen producers and sunflower pollen Is a beneficial addition to the diet of bumblebees improving health of the bees. COSMOS (Cosmos bipinnatus) Daisy Family. Native to Mexico/Central America. Annual. Long flowering season. Late blooming flowers provide vital forage for bumblebees in late summer/early autumn.

COSMOS

(Cosmos bipinnatus) Daisy Family. Native to Mexico/Central America. Annual. Long flowering season. Late blooming flowers provide vital forage for bumblebees in late summer/early autumn.

LEEK FLOWERS