When Bees Need Pollen and Nectar

Times of the year during which bees are in particular need of pollen and nectar:

There are specific times of the year when the bees are particularly struggling to find the forage plants they need and it is important initially that we try to provide what we can for these times. Here is a selection of ideal plants:

Early in the year, from the end of February bees need to find plenty of good quality pollen.

This enables the colony to bring pollen into the hive which actually and directly stimulates the queen to lay eggs; the amount of pollen brought in is directly related to the number of eggs she lays – more pollen, more eggs. Here is a small selection of valuable pollen-producing bee plants for this time of year:

• Salix spp (Willow has the best quality pollen of all)
• Alnus glutinos a (Alder)
• Corylus avellana, C.maxima (Hazels)
• Viburnum foetens (fragrant flowers from mid winter to early spring)
• Chaenomeles speciosa (Quince, and single-flowered cultivars, also have edible fruit).
• Mahonia japonica (Can flower in shady places, large and spiky but flowers all winter into spring)

The ‘June-Gap’ is a time of dearth of flowering plants between spring and summer, yet the colony is almost at a peak in numbers so need even more pollen and nectar. There are some excellent bee plants for this time:
 

• Allium schoenoprasum (Chives, mauve flowers June-July, and we can enjoy the leaves)
• Phacelia tanacetifolia (Green manure, but do let it flower at least until the end of June before incorporating)
• Taraxacum officinale (Yes, the humble weed, Dandelion - please learn to love it in June!)
• Verbascum spp., (Tall yellow biennial producing copious amounts of pollen which bees love),
• Borago officinalis (Borage, an annual, abundant in nectar),
• Leptospermum scoparium (Manuka, its first flush is in June, and often again in December, wow!)
• Raspberry (June flowering several cultivars, abundant in nectar).
• Elaeagnus angustifolia (Wild Olive, June flowering, nitrogen fixing tree to companion plant in orchards)
• Viburnum opulus (Cramp Bark, our native hedgerow tree, too often cut back unable to flower. Let it grow!)

Bees need to forage throughout the rest of the summer, it has been shown by research done by Professor Francis Ratnieks, a leading UK apiculturist, that July and August are the months in which bees struggle to find nectar (because their colonies are larger at this time)– and so we should all be looking for garden plants that are prolific nectar producers in the summer, such as:

• Agastache foeniculum (Anise Hyssop, has to be the very TOP BEE herbaceous perennial)
• Lavandula angustifolia (English Lavender)
• Origanum vulgare (Wild oregano or Marjoram, or the sub-species hirtum-Greek Oregano)
• Echium vulgare (Viper's Bugloss, our native VERY nectariferous biennial!)
• Hebe elliptica (New Zealand's most popular Hebe with the bees, hence our name for it Bee Hebe)
• Solidago virgaurea (Woundwort-Goldenrod, our Europe-native one, MASSES of pollen and nectar!)
• Tilia cordata (Lime Tree - our native small-leaved species which we need more of July and August it flowers)
• Valeriana officinalis (Our native herbalist's dream herb. When this is in flower, the bees want nothing else!)

Autumn-flowering plants are particularly important...It enables bees to build up fat and protein to survive winter. Here are some excellent bee plants to help them build up these vital reserves:

• Agastache foeniculum
  (Anise Hyssop, a wonder bee plant; one acre of this is said to support 100 hives, flowering July-September),

• Lavandula angustifolia
  (English Lavender flowers July-September, also its’ essential oil contributes towards reducing Varroa destructor mites),

• Solidago vigaurea
  (Golden rod, a top bee plant abundant in nectar and blue pollen).