September is Bee Awareness Month

We all know how vital bees are for pollination, but did you know there are a few simple steps you can take to support the little fellas ? Yes, you probably did, but as it’s Bee awareness month I’m going to list them here anyway:

Bee Food – One of the easiest ways you can help bees is by planting bee-friendly plants. It gets better, you don’t really need to put much effort into it at all. Just grab a packet of bee friendly seeds, check the back of the packet for when and where to sow, and pop them in your garden with a good watering when you sow and again as needed. Pretty soon you’ll be rewarded with some pretty flowers and a nice warm glow from being so wonderful.

Some good choices of seeds include: Wildflower / pollinator mixes, Lavender, Bee balm (funnily enough), Lemon Balm, Catmint (if you don’t mind the neighbourhood cats popping over for a nibble). Or if you feel like feeding yourself as well as the bees, the following are also favoured by our honey making friends: Rosemary, Basil, Mint, Sage, Thyme, Fennel, Parsley, Coriander and Nasturtium. There’s a whole host of other bee-friendly seeds and seedlings to choose from, and if you’re growing any fruits or veggies your crops well definitely benefit too.

If you don’t have the time or inclination to plant any bee food, you can still help out by not doing something. Not spraying harmful pesticides makes a massive contribution to saving the bee population. And if you really have to spray, you can greatly minimise harm by spraying at sunset when the bees are less active

Water - you can leave a small saucer or bowl of fresh water for bees to drink from in the garden. It helps to leave a few pebbles in there for them to rest on while they sup. 

Want to do  a little more? Perhaps you want to give your veggie garden a boost, or maybe you just like the idea of helping out the local bee population? Why not set up a Bee nesting box? orderings.co.nz have some beautiful options, but you can make them yourself or have a look at your local garden centre or DIY store. Worried about pets or little ones? Leafcutter Bees are ideal, they pollinate most fruit and veggies, and they are safe around children and pets.

Hope you have a Bee-utiful September (sorrynotsorry)