Why Are Bees Good for My Garden?

Discover how your garden can benefit from backyard beekeeping.

With backyard beekeeping, you get the sweet rewards of homegrown honey and beeswax. But did you know that your flower and vegetable gardens can also benefit from beekeeping?

With the help of Blain’s Farm & Fleet, you can learn about why honey bees are good for your garden.

Masters of Pollination

Bees are known as nature’s best pollinators. Without them, we wouldn’t have nearly as many flowers and plants. Bees depend on flowers and plants for nutrition.

Bees collect nectar for a few reasons. It’s their main energy source, as it’s full of sugar, which they also used to make honey in their hive.

Pollen is full of fat and protein, which helps feed the hive. When bees collect pollen, they carry it from one flower to another. This cross-pollination is essential for flowers to produce more seeds.

As bees pollinate, more flowers and plants will grow. A bee gets the nutrients they need, and your garden ends up with more flowers and plants.

How to Attract Bees to Your Garden

There are a few ways to bring wild honey bees to your garden. These tips will also help out your own beehive.

Growing bee-friendly plants and flowers is a great way to start. See the list below for some examples of bee-friendly plants.

• Rosemary
• Wild Geranium
• Poppies
• Clovers
• Beebalm
• Oregano
• Sedum
• Asters
• Zinnias
• Marigolds
• Milkweed

In addition to these plants, there are some plants that help with honey production. Not only will you have more flowers in your garden, but you can help your hive make more honey. Read through our article on the tops plants to help honey production for a detailed look at what to plant in your area.

Another way to attract bees to your garden is by adding a reliable water source. As with any living creature, bees need to stay hydrated.

A bird bath, garden pond, or water feature will do the trick. Just make sure the bees have somewhere to land. Use small stones or sand in a pond, or a flat stone in a bird bath that’s above the water level.

At Blain’s Farm & Fleet, you’ll find everything you need to start beekeeping. From hives and frames to protective clothing, you’ll be ready to collect organic honey and beeswax, right in your own backyard.

For more tips on getting started and caring for your honeybees, visit our Beekeeping Blog.