I have watermelon and zucchini in my back yard that aren't getting pollinated. I know there are bees in the area, because my giant rosemary bush in the front yard had about a dozen hanging around it last time I walked by it.
Is there any way to attract the bees to the back yard? Maybe I need to transplant some rosemary shoots!
How to attract bees?
Plant it and they will come! To be attrative to honeybees you have to have a lot of the same flowers. One or two flowers will not be of interest. Honeybees are loyal to things like flowering trees or shrubs because they offer a lot of food in a small area. I grew red clover over the winter and that attracted honeybees. Once I had pulled the plants, the bees left.
Plant some basil and let it flower...they will come.
Hmm... I don't really have lots of anything unfortunately. 6 muskmelon, 5 watermelon, 3 zucchini, 5 cucumber. Well, lots of citrus trees, but they're done flowering.
I do have a dozen or so basil plants going, so I'll let some of those flower and see what happens. Thanks!
never thought much of it, but I always plant marigolds and cosmos in the gerden to give it some color while waiting for the veggies... to get mature at 6$ a flat around here it keeps the veggie garden looking nice... something like that may be a nice inexpensive way to pull the bees around..
I have never seen bees around marigolds but they love basil.
now that you mention it.never really noticed bees around the marigolgs, but mud wasps like them., We have a mason bee hive.. by the blueberries..
Not just basil but many of the herbs like catnip, lemon balm, the mints. For some reason the bees are drawn to blooming herbs.
You can hand-pollinate with a small paintbrush.
Jake, put a small fountain with a catch basin where you want to attract the bees. We get many bees coming to the water &the birds will appreciate it, too. Haven't had a problem with skeeter larvae, either.
Frank
I, too, have a Mason Bee nest - earlier this year there were thousands of them taking pollen from the neighborhood trees/shrubs - then came a cold snap and they all disappeard! From what I have read, Mason Bees finish their brood nests early in the spring and are not around for the summer flowers.
I've not seen honeybees on Marigolds, either. Honeybees are able to see ultra violet light (which we cannot see.) Very often they will visit white flowers - if we could see ultra violet, we would then be able to see that lots of white flowers have ultra violet centers.
(I used to be beekeeper)
they do come early, although none moved in to our house yet, they are pretty regular though. I usually expect them by memorial day. it's cooler here and maybe that is why they stay around all summer and yes, disappear in september. almost overnight.
jjconcepts - our mason bee nest is under our covered patio. I see bees looking for homes at my eye level, but it was more convenient to put the nest up higher. It looks as though some bees have drilled holes in our brick walls.
honeybee - that's amazing.. most bees move into the woodpile or under whatever space they can find in the siding.. I don't know much about types of bees but we do have a wide variety of bees and wasps visiting the pond and plants when it gets warmer. is there a way to get more of the honey bee type and less of the yellow jackets - they not very agressive but the sure can find their way into your drink at the worst time. i planted dutch clover in the yard this year.. we are just under an acre.
jjconcepts - Dutch Clover - is that white clover? Or Pink? If it's the common white clover the honeybees will work it. It's been many moons since I kept bees, but if memory serves me correctly, honeybees are unable to get nectar from any clover other than the common white type. They may be able to get pollen though. I know they were all over our red clover this spring, but it looked as though they were collecting pollen.
Bumble bees will work other clover, they will also work different flowers in your garden - honeybees will work a single flower source and not switch to another until the first type has been exhausted.
If yellow jackets are nesting near-by you may want to have them exterminated. They can be VERY agressive. They nest in the ground, and the nests can become enormous.
Incidentally, honeybees NEVER nest in the ground.
One can purchase nests for bumble bees - I have never done this.
Honeybee hives have to be registered with the State, and be inspected yearly.
dutch clover is a white clover that only gets to around 4 inches tall, and is very prolific.. a beautiful sight in a bed, we seeded the area between the sidewalk and street. no mowing and the bees should stay further from the house. not sure how it will go over with the people walking doge down the road in the evenings.. i am not sure what kind of bees are on the house then. they are nesting behind siding on the house.
thanks for the info.. i learned a few things.
-joe-
they are nesting behind siding on the house
Honeybees will certainlly nest in such places. You might want to have a beekeeper remove them. If the bees die off, the heat from the sun will melt the combs and you will have a huge mess to clean up - and dead bees really STINK! If you don't know a local beekeeper, try calling an exterminator, they sometimes will have the name of a beekeeper that will help you out. Other than those two, call your local Extention Service, they will know a beekeeper in your area.
Thanks. sounds like a good idea.. there are a few beekeepers in the area.
-joe-
DesertJake, I really hadn't seen too many bees around our place in the past. But last year, I had a jar of bread and butter pickles that I wasn't happy with and dumped it on the compost pile. Within a day or two, I had hundreds of bees show up. Wonder if doing that would attract more to your garden?
Pickles? Well, that's a novel idea! :-)
I actually have lots of bees in the front yard, I just need something to lure them to the back. I did surprise one yesterday that was in a zucchini blossom, so maybe they're figuring out there's plants back there now!