My passion for earth extends far beyond travelling and exploring. I adore nature and all that it brings and so it wouldn’t be right to not talk about my love for bees. Yes, that’s right…….the things you run away from screaming and waving your arms.
Bees are massively misunderstood! I cannot tell you how many people I have corrected when they tell me “Oh, they just sting you for no reason” (in case that wasn’t clear…they don’t)! The more interested I have become in bees the closer I get to them, not only in proximity but also in trust. Watching how they move, the noises they make, how they use their little legs to pry open flowers to get to that pollen they love. They’re really quite amazing!
Not only do I love watching them enjoy the garden that I work hard to grow specifically to meet their needs, but I also fully appreciate all that they do for us! And that is pollination!
I am not going to go into the ins and outs of pollination and why it is important, if you don’t already understand that then you should know that you are taking a lot for granted. Things such as your food, your medicine and your oxygen to name but a few. Pretty important stuff, no?
Bees are in trouble! Many species are endangered and some have already gone extinct. To give just one of many examples I could give, seven of the 27 bee species have declined by more than 50% in the last 25years! This has been linked to several factors, one of which being the loss of their flowery habitat due to urban growth. Without a home they cannot survive, and so my way of trying to help their cause is to donate my garden to them!
The majority of plants I grow in my garden are pollinator friendly. In fact I rarely purchase a plant or shrub unless I know the bees will like them.
Bees can see purple more clearly than any other colour and so purple is a predominant colour in my garden. However other colours will still attract them.
Double flowered plants are too elaborate and are often ignored. The bees find it too difficult to get to the pollen and nectar. Stick with single flowers and you’ll find them to be popular. Tubular shaped flowers also go down a treat.
I would very much call myself an amateur gardener and I am learning as I observe. I would say the top three most popular plants in my garden with the bees so far have been…
Salvia – New Dimension Rose
Lupinus Gallery – Blue (in particular) but also Red
Lavandula – angustifolia Hidcote
Should you decide to feature these plants in your garden also, trust me, the bees will come! The warming feeling I get as I watch the little cuties enjoying my flowers is something I’d really love to inspire others to seek also.
For all of the above mentioned reasons I will continue to share tips and tricks on how you can help save the bee population as and when I see my own attempts working.
Watch this space! *HIVE Five*
Earth By S.E.A 
This is a fab post! I don’t think people realise how critical bees and other pollinators are to our everyday lives! Thanks for sharing their plight :). Beautiful photography, too. So much colour. ❤ I thought you might also find it interesting to know that the insect in your third photo from the top is actually a type of fly, not a bee. There are some really amazing bee-mimics out there!
A few key features to look out for are 1) the wings: bees have four wings, but flies have two wings. 2) the eyes: bee eyes are long, oval, and on the side of their 'face', whereas fly eyes are large, round and cover much of the face (this is often the most obvious difference to see), 3) the antennae: whilst some bee antennae are straight, many bees have elbowed or kinked antennae. As for flies, many have short, stubby, or hair-thin antennae. If you can't see the antennae, you're probably looking at a fly.
Looking forward to seeing more of your nature posts! 🙂
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Hi there,
Apologies for my late reply! Thank you very much for taking the time to comment 🙂
Yes you’re very right, it is not a bee. Silly me, I should have referenced that, but I wanted to include it in this post as I liked the picture so much and I figured the little guy was still doing some pollinating 🙂
There are indeed some pretty impressive bee-mimics! Always keeping my eyes peeled for picture opportunities!
Thank you again and I hope you will enjoy what is to come…….
Sarah
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