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Solarpat
Foraging Bee
Joined: 03 Dec 2010
Posts: 220
Location: Bandon, OREGON, USA
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 Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2015 4:03 am Post subject: Bee-loving flowers after the main nectar flow |
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You might say I'm a bit proud of our new bee loving flower bed we started this year.
http://solarbeez.com/2015/07/30/bee-loving-flowers-in-mid-summer/
I've got lobelia, Walker's Low (Nepeta), three echium Tower of Jewels and African Blue Basil which is still attracting lots of bees in August.
The first video shows leaf cutter bees cutting petals out of a "Knockout" dahlia...a lucky couple of videos that just happened spontaneously when the camera was out, plus a crab spider in attack mode that just missed it's honeybee target.
The second video shows the African Blue Basil still attracting large numbers of bees in August. It's great to still have flowers for the bees after the main nectar flow is over. |
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B kind
Scout Bee
Joined: 13 May 2013
Posts: 250
Location: Co.Wicklow, Ireland
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| Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2015 7:40 am Post subject: |
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Great shot of the leaf cutter bee Pat!
Have you seen any honey bees on your Echium Pinnata? Here I have only seen the bumblebees on it, not sure if this is just us! I planted a low growing annual Echium (blue bedder), the honey bees do collect pollen from it although it is also mostly bumble bees.
Kim |
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Solarpat
Foraging Bee
Joined: 03 Dec 2010
Posts: 220
Location: Bandon, OREGON, USA
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| Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 3:25 am Post subject: |
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| B kind wrote: | Great shot of the leaf cutter bee Pat!
Have you seen any honey bees on your Echium Pinnata? Here I have only seen the bumblebees on it, not sure if this is just us! I planted a low growing annual Echium (blue bedder), the honey bees do collect pollen from it although it is also mostly bumble bees.
Kim |
There are mostly bumblebees...but we are happy to provide flowers for them too, since they are in decline.
I'd like to get my hands on some Viper's Bugloss. That's more of a blue flower and is supposed to pull in the honeybees. Meanwhile I'm also trying some 'red' echium. I think it's called Echium prettii or echium Candicans. So much fun!
Just one more thing. This evening I saw some leaf cutter 'cutouts' on some Wisteria leaves. Might be able to get more videos.  |
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B kind
Scout Bee
Joined: 13 May 2013
Posts: 250
Location: Co.Wicklow, Ireland
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| Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 7:16 pm Post subject: |
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We plant lots just for bumblebees too, I have developed an interest in clarifying which plants are preferred by bees / bumble bees and which are equally attractive. It's so interesting how similar your growing climate is over there!
Your video quality is excellent, a pleasure to watch.
Kim |
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Solarpat
Foraging Bee
Joined: 03 Dec 2010
Posts: 220
Location: Bandon, OREGON, USA
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| Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 8:46 pm Post subject: |
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| B kind wrote: | We plant lots just for bumblebees too, I have developed an interest in clarifying which plants are preferred by bees / bumble bees and which are equally attractive. It's so interesting how similar your growing climate is over there!
Your video quality is excellent, a pleasure to watch.
Kim |
Our town of Bandon was actually named by 'Lord' Bennett who was from Bandon, County Cork. http://solarbeez.com/2013/03/11/gorse-from-bandon-ireland-to-bandon-oregon/
Our area reminded him so much of his home that he got the name changed from Averill to Bandon. Unfortunately he also brought gorse to the area. It went bizonkers and contributed to the town burning down in 1936.
Yes, our weather is similar. 😀 |
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Charlye
New Bee
Joined: 01 Nov 2015
Posts: 8
Location: W. Midlands, U.K.
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| Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2015 6:18 pm Post subject: late flowers |
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I really enjoyed your videos & I'm going to have to get some plants of the African blue basil to try.
I've also grown the "tower of jewels" Echium & have had lots of bees on it all summer. There are even a few still foraging on it here in the UK Midlands in November |
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Solarpat
Foraging Bee
Joined: 03 Dec 2010
Posts: 220
Location: Bandon, OREGON, USA
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Charlye
New Bee
Joined: 01 Nov 2015
Posts: 8
Location: W. Midlands, U.K.
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| Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2015 10:01 pm Post subject: Bee-loving flowers |
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| Thanks for the offer of the seed but I think it would be better for me to source some from the UK. It's always better to avoid sending live material between continents if at all possible. Thanks again for the offer though. |
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Quality Top Bar Hives by Andrew Vidler
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Conserving wild bees
Research suggests that bumble bee boxes have a very low success rate in actually attracting bees into them. We find that if you create an environment where first of all you can attract mice inside, such as a pile of stones, a drystone wall, paving slabs with intentionally made cavities underneath, this will increase the success rate.
Most bumble bee species need a dry space about the size a football, with a narrow entrance tunnel approximately 2cm in diameter and 20 cm long. Most species nest underground along the base of a linear feature such as a hedge or wall. Sites need to be sheltered and out of direct sunlight.
There is a spectacular display of wild bee hotels here
More about bumblebees and solitary bees here
Information about the Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)
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