Flora Q's

[BeeSquared]

Hello! I'm not a beekeeper-yet! I'm spending this season doing my research and purchasing equipment, so I'm almost totally ignorant of most things regarding bees as of this moment. I'm half way through reading Beekeeping For Dummies, as recommended to me by a beekeeping friend.

However, I have come up with a few plant questions that I can't find the answers to by searching Google.

1. Is there any plant or herb (like lemongrass or spearmint) that I could plant near my hive that would offer any kind of health benefits? (I read something about Honey-Bee-Health having lemongrass/spearmint oils in it.)

2. Will planting bee-attracting plants/herbs (such as English Thyme, Basil, or Mosquito Plant) encourage robbing by attracting members of other colonies to my yard?

3. I have a rhododendron in my yard and I've read that too much pollen gathered from this plant may facilitate the production of toxic honey. Should I just pull it up to be safe or will one bush be fine?

4. I plan on putting a decorative picket fence around my mulched-in hive area and would like to border the fence with some sort of flowering plant. Is this just fine and dandy or is there some reason I should not?

Thanks for indulging my ignorance. I'm grateful for any responses!

[dragonfly]

You don't have to plant them close to your hives, but it probably doesn't hurt anything. I plant herbs mostly because bees love many of them. I don't know of any studies that have been done regarding health benefits from bees working specific plants, but I would think it could.

Flowers growing on picket fencing around the beeyard won't hurt anything.

As to the question of increasing robbing behaviors in your hives by planting close to them, if it's a concern at all, you can minimize it with your choice of feeders.

[beedeetee]

1. Are you talking about benefits for the bees or you?

2. No. They might come to your yard because of the flowers, but if other people's bees want to rob, they will find your yard anyway.

3. We have 20-30 Rhododendrons in our yard. We don't see honey bees on them very often. They are popular with wild bees though.

4. Fine and dandy.

[BeeSquared]

1. Are you talking about benefits for the bees or you?

I was talking about the health of the bees b/c I know the medication Honey B Health has lemongrass and spearmint oils in it.

Thanks for the info.