By John Spagnoli
Although they are small in physical stature, the bee is of paramount importance in this world. We need to ensure their protection and encourage these pollinators by providing the right flowers and plants.
Have you ever seen a honey bee with yellow on its legs? This is the pollen they carry and make into honey. So how can we help? We can start by researching plant catalogs for flowering plants that encourage bees and other pollinators like butterflies and hummingbirds. Many catalogs sell plants in sets or kits to help you start your garden simply by following the guide.
Some bee-friendly plants include sunflowers, borage, bee balm, mint, zinnias, and foxglove. Other flowers like a butterfly bush, are also a magnet for butterflies and bees. Try to grow bee-friendly plants in window boxes and in your backyards, no matter how large or small. It is also important to provide shelter, which can be done with a beehive. You can buy a beehive, complete with a queen bee—locally and online. Also, if you seed an area of your yard—or window boxes—with flowering plants, a variety of bees will come live there. The bees will reward you by pollinating your vegetables and other flowers.
Most importantly, do no use pesticides as they can cause sever harm to bees. Without bees, the world would be sorely affected. USDA reported that 25 percent of flowering plants and 35 percent of food crops rely on pollinators like bees. There are 20,000 different types of bees but only 2 percent pollinate the world.
If we are all committed to proving flowers and shelter for bees, we can ensure future generations will have honey bees.
