Your Garden … with Sharon McCray: Healthy bee colonies will greatly improve food and flower production

Honey bees were first imported into the U.S. about 1853 and most originated from Italy

By Sharon McCray

Sharon McCray

One-third of every bite of food is a direct result of pollination by bees.  Alfalfa for beef, fruits and vegetables and almonds, to mention just a few. The average cost for a two week rental of a beehive to pollinate the California almond crop is about $3,000.

Honey bees were first imported into the U.S. about 1853 and most originated from Italy. This helps explain why so many look to dandelions and “wild” mustard for pollen as these are the ancient food their ancestors grew up on.

Using common sense and available information will help promote healthy bee colonies and greatly improve food and flower production. Research shows that by placing honey beehives in almond orchards increased fruit production 10 times over. A pretty good investment, according to the experts.

Planting a bee friendly garden is a simple task. First remember to avoid any pesticides, especially the neonicotinoids used to suppress weeds.  These two are the primary reason for the serious decline in honey bee populations.

Another reason for the serious decline include the abundance of plants that are toxic to bees and wildlife in general.

Our highways and farms are graced with oleanders. They are sturdy plants, very drought tolerant but deadly to animals if ingested and the pollen is toxic to bees.

Locally, nurseries are doing a fairly good job of identifying plants that will support pollinators and a tag with a honey bee strategically placed on the label will help guide us toward bee friendly plants.

Unfortunately, there are many other plants that are toxic including rhododenrons  and azaleas. Perhaps that is why we have such difficulty growing them in Santa Clara County. Those gorgeous Trumpet Flowers can cause brood death and every part of the plant is poisonous to humans. Another plant, newly developed, the Star Gazer Lily produces a pollen that is poisonous to bees.

Being aware while choosing what to plant in a bee friendly garden is an important element of a healthy bee population. Pollen from amaryllis can produce toxic honey. California native buckeyes can also produce toxic honey. Please bear in mind, bees need to consume a great deal of pollen and nectar for the toxic tendencies to actually produce an issue.

To learn more about plants  toxic  to bees, “www.helpabee.org” is a good starting place.

It is also important to know bees need pollen and nectar on a year-round basis.

Sunflowers and similar plants provide a good source of summer pollen as do oak and pine trees common to our valley. Tree dahlias and other winter flowering plants will do much to help sustain bees throughout a long winter.

It is interesting to note that cold does far less harm to bee populations than water. Honey is water soluble and while bees need water to survive, they cannot tolerate getting wet. Setting out a small flat dish of water, with rocks to aid in access, will serve the bees well.

Because bees’ vision is much different than other animals, they do not typically see reds, so flower color is not important, however, yellows and purples seem to attract more bees.

Clovers, dill, yarrow, lavender are some good choices as pollen producing plants. Some great nectar plants include borage, Echiums, Goldenrod, lemon balm and plants in the aster family.

Sharon McCray is a California native living in Santa Clara County since 1959. She became certified as a University of California cooperative extension master gardener in 1992 and a UCCE master naturalist in 2015. She hosts a monthly radio show on KKUP public radio and is now retired.