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Bees favorite plant

103K views 161 replies 102 participants last post by  mharrell11 
#1 ·
Is there one plant that honeybees just go crazy over?
 
#55 ·
I've been planting for bees for the last two years. My wife makes fun of me because I'll get rid of a plant just because there aren'y any bees on it...ever. Of the plants I've planted, their most favorite is a Caryopteris (spelling?). It is a fall blooming shrub I planted last spring. They were maybe 30" dia. in the fall and each had a good fifty honeybees on it for most of the day. The runner up would be the white Salvia. For some reason they perfered the white over the violet color.

Later, John
 
#56 ·
Interesting. My friend who is a former beekeeper and a landscape designer mentioned Mountain mint. She said her bees loved it. Guess I will have to try to plan seasonally for the bees now. It is still really cold/rainy here in MD but it isn't always that way. I will need to figure out what will work for March - May that will flower and survive during what can sometimes be a protracted winter. I know the sun is coming soon - I can feel it.
 
#62 ·
Dont know, A buddy of mine harvested all the leaves. So this year ill get there before he does and try to make up some. I still had some organic pesticides from gardens alive so I wasnt too worried about loosing the leaves, I just wanted to see if the plant would grow.

I guess to make it all you have to do is steep it, and use it in a spray bottle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_water
Tobacco water is a traditional organic insecticide used in domestic gardening. Tobacco dust can be used similarly. It is produced by boiling strong tobacco in water, or by steeping the tobacco in water for a longer period. When cooled, the mixture can be applied as a spray, or 'painted' on to the leaves of garden plants, where it kills insects.
 
#69 ·
I used to think bees didn't like beebalm because of what I was told (tonges too short), but I guess seeing is believing.
Wow, thanks for those pictures! I wondered about that. I'm constantly being asked about planting beebalm for honeybees and every time I have to give the traditional explanation, people are very disappointed. I think they want a reason to plant beebalm (and who blames them)! Now I can just say, "Well, they may or may not give it a try!"
 
#72 ·
Are you asking about the Caryopteris? If so, I believe it is the 'Blue Beard' variety. I also have a variegated variety but the bees hardly touch them. In fact, my mother took a liking to those so I think I'll be getting rid of them and sticking something else in their place.

Later, John
 
#76 ·
Johnnyseeds is more expensive than Eden Bros. Someone mentioned that you needed like 15lbs per acre, good lord at $135 for 5lbs, one acre is going to cost a lot.

Just curious if anyone planted Borage this year and whether or not they saw an increase in honey or not?

C2
 
#77 · (Edited)
This topic is probably why I joined this forum.

For the past few years I have had great success in my back yard garden (urban) with sunflowers that grow over 8 feet tall. They sort of work as giant radar dishes tracking the sun and are a magnet for honey bees, bumble bees, sweat bees, parasitic wasps, some sort of spider that has the same colors of the sunflower that captures flies without a web... I grow the sunflowers because they are easy to grow and they pop up over the fence like billboard advertisements for bees that may be foraging a few houses away.

One of the other flowers in my garden that attracts bees when it bolts (actually an herb like Borage.) Basil. The bees go nuts over the basil, I'm not sure if this would make honey taste like a light sweet pesto, but if you planted a row of basil, I feel certain that you would have a swarm of bees in your yard.

One of the plants that comes up in my yard without seed is a mildly invasive vine called the Passion Flower/Passion fruit vine. This has been a plant that all the bees in my yard flock to. at times, the honey bees will focus on one flower (the flowers are a tad larger than a silver dollar) It is easy to find 5-6 honey bees on one flower along with a couple of bumble bees. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora_incarnata

Along with these plants I have a large variety of other botanicals around the house that attract pollinators. Bee Balm, white sage, wild onions (That were imported into my yard by birds. various varieties of honeysuckle, zone 6a ice plant (That somehow survives winter freezing.)

I have some clumps of sweet peas, but I never see many bees get too excited over this flower.

Out of all the flowers I have summed it up to three in my garden (Sunflowers, Passion flowers, and basil.)
I am going to order some unusual heirloom varieties of giant sunflowers for next year, and Borage will grow next to my tomato plants as usual... Anyway, I am hoping that there are some other flowers that I can try out for next year that are just as impressive as bee magnets as what I have already have. I don't do bee keeping, but I am interested in bringing as many bees and pollinators to my garden as possible.

 

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#78 ·
First year beek here and I've been trying to figure out what my bee's are actually eating. I rarely find them on any of the plants I've heard they like (Sunflower, Berries, goldenrod, etc..). These plants are covered in bumbles, but almost never a hon. Here is my list of the plants I have seen them on in order of most frequently visited first:

Basil
Wood Sorrel (weed)
Cucumber
Mile-a-Minute (weed)
Clover
Nandina
Holly
Thistle (weed)
Raspberry
 
#82 ·
Fireweed or it's scientific name of Epilobium angustifolium is one plant that I
have yet to approach in the summer without seeing some type of bee on it.
It grows wild where I live in large clusters. I also read that fireweed honey is
produced in great quantities in some areas of western Canada and northwestern
US and is considered a premium monofloral. It's also amber colored. I'm not sure
if it's bees favorite plant but I do know they like it a lot. Anyone who has seen
these growing know what I mean.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilobium_angustifolium

It's one plant from a dozen that I plan to buy seeds for when I finally get into
bee keeping to create a flower garden. At least, it will grow back every year
on it's own after it's established.
 
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