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planting for bees, and the deer

11K views 14 replies 14 participants last post by  Dominic 
#1 ·
We are starting a new bee yard, and it's got some open fields, I was considering planting some wildflowers. There are a number of deer, and thinning the population out isn't an option...

If I plant do the deer tend to eat wildflowers? Any types they leave alone?
 
#5 ·
I have recently planted both Durana and Patriot white clover on the pastures around my hives. Both are considered excellent forage for livestock and wildlife / deer. I have also incorporated yellow sweet clover to the lower pressure / hard to mow areas of the road banks and ditch banks. The white clover was started last year but the drought cut the season short. Started out real well but nothing was common about last year so it's hard to judge how well it will comback this year. The white varieties are supposed to be long term perinneals but the yellow is a biennial with good volunteer regrowth if it is allowed to go to seed. That is why I limited it to low pressure areas. I'm not sure I will see any blooms from it this year but next year I should get blooms about two weeks before the white clover starts producing.
Mine is an on-going experiment and no real results have been observed yet. Take this with a grain of salt. My references, university extension papers and seed personnel, and initial observations are good.
Hope this made sense and is of some help.
BTKS
 
#6 · (Edited)
There are very few wildflowers that deer won't eat, I know because we have a large deer population around our house and its a constant battle to find flowers that they won't devour. I plant lots of stuff for our bees and for our viewing pleasure, and the deer won't touch them. Try butterfly weed, milkweed, russian sage(a small bush), blanket flower, borage, catmint. If I can think of anymore I will add to the list. All these plants I mentioned are good nectar producing plants. John
 
#7 ·
In my yard, deer did not eat borage, Caryopteris, Ceanothus, anise hyssop. oregano, catnip, or sedums. Those had a lot of bee activity. Deer also did not eat peppermint, spearmint, lemon balm but those did not have much honeybee activity. Maybe they are an acquired taste.
 
#11 ·
We learned of a trick to keep deer away from young fruit trees. Tie a bar of Irish Spring soap (thread string through a drilled hole in full bar of soap ) from first big fork off of trunk. Soap on a rope on each tree lasted through the all spring, summer and fall rains, we just now replaced some. Before using the soap, we had terrible problems with deer eating leaves and scraping the bark.
 
#12 · (Edited by Moderator)
Thats the ticket right there.. Lots of clover and flowers planted, one or MAYBE two deer taken from those plots and you wont see another one for a while.. Many states issue permits to take nuisance animals so check with your local game department.
The other issue is planting in abundance..
 
#13 ·
We also hang 1/2 a bar of Irish Spring soap in our pear trees to keep the city deer off of them.

We put a "roof" with sides over the soap to help it last longer. Cut a plastic soda bottle in half and secure the soap inside with wire or plastic, (or even a mesh bag), screw cap on and pinch the wire or plastic and have it make a loop on top. Hang with an "S" hook for hanging bird feeders. The soap is pretty much weather proof with the bottom of the soap at the same level as the side of the bottomless soda bottle.
 
#14 ·
Hi Mbeck,
I use Deer Stoppper from Messina Wildlife..it works great...expensive but pleasant smelling & effective. My gardens are too extensive to use the "tape". I called Messina & Deer Stopper is not harmful to the bees. My question is...if the flowers are sprayed with deerstopper will it prevent the bees from visiting the flowers &/or will it impact the honey (taste, etc)? The ingredients are rosemary oil & mint oil & egg solids. Thanks for the help & info
 
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