Honey bee hive under a potted plant?
eileen15
18 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (17)
Konrad___far_north
18 years agoeileen15
18 years agoRelated Discussions
HAVE: 4' pots of agastache 'honey bee blue' nepeta caryopt +
Comments (5)Not to stomp of Sally's toes, but I am interested in the Caryopteris and the Clethra, too. From your list, the only thing I have is peonies in exchange for the Clethra, but I also have these: 4" pots Anemone sylvestris Stachys Monnieri Hummelo Gallon pot Mums Rooted Cuttings (Little plants, may even bloom this fall): Mums From the garden: White butterfly bush with humongously long panicles (photo upon requst) Peony Fairbanks (Pretty sure that's the name and that's what it looks like from Gilbert Wild & Sons) Blue Butterfly Bush - x Nanho Blue Other Peonies - I forgot the colors already but they have to be moved :( Also from Wild's Bulbs: Eremurus (yellow) Daffodils (pink or other if you want - these are very special bulbs.) Allium christophii (looks good in front of the peonies)...See MoreI'm going to build a mini bee hive, even though it's summer
Comments (2)Are you looking to get bees to move into the box or just attract them to watch them feed. If you just want them to come and eat, you might try granulated table sugar mixed with water. We generally feed ratio of 1:1 sugar/water in spring for building up an existing hive, but if you just want to attract bees try 2:1 ratio of sugar to water. It may attract more than just honey bees. If you're looking to get a swarm to move in you should bait the box with a swarm attractant which contains a pheremone to attract swarms looking for a potential home. A strip of beeswax foundation inside would also be helpful. The thing is, if you do get lucky and catch a swarm, they will have to be hived shortly afterward. You should do some research, reading, and be prepared with at least a 5 frame nuc box to put a swarm in and eventually a 10 frame hive body. You might also want to check out top bar style hives which you can build yourself, and are much less expensive to get started with. Look for a local supply house and a local beekeeping club for help. A word of caution. If you live in an area that has africanized bees (check with locals) you won't want to risk catching a swarm and it might not even be allowed....See Morelack of Bumble Bees and Honey Bees
Comments (3)My garden is quiet, too. I have always been proud in the amount of bees, wasps, hornets, butterfles, etc, attracted to my flower and vegetgable garden. (Even though I get stung). We are organic gardeners and I never spray pesticides. Last year we counted more than a dozen different species on my gooseneck loosetrife at the same time. This morning I saw one yellow jacket and one little white moth. I live next to a pond and I don't even have any dragon flies - in the past, there is almost always one perched on every fence post. I haven't even seen a hummingbird and I ususlly see those every day in the summer - dive bombing me if I get too close to the bee balm. We had several cases of EEE last year in our area and I know the towns sprayed last year and the state is offering free spraying for residents this year. Could this be killing off our beneficials too? I have a lot of melon plants waiting for pollenation and I especially miss my big bumble bee buddies. If you listen, you can hear them saying yum, yum yummm! in the hollyhocks. I am worried about the future. What can we do?...See MoreHoney bees in my garden: where's the hive?
Comments (2)Cameron, You sound like the perfect kind of neighbor to have - doing things exactly right. When I'm sitting out on my back porch come about September, the back yard (field) looks like a main runway for the Monarchs headed to Mexico! There's a very uniform movement of them from north to south with several coming by every minute of the daylight hours - it's really fun to watch. The honeybees certainly can be from a wild (feral) colony - not all have died out (like the news reports would have you believe). But in the same breath, I would say, it's equally possible that one of your neighbors has a hive or two around that you're unaware of. Generally, the bees will forage within a radius of about two or three miles. However, they could be much closer also (a few hundred yards). There are "old timey" ways to locate the hive or tree where their hive is but you can at least get a sense of the direction to it by putting out a few drops of honey on a paper plate or jar lid. Once the bees have discovered the honey, they will 'load up' on it and fly directly back to their hive - just (carefully) observe their direction of flight. They might make a couple of small circles to get their orientation but then they will unmistakably dart off in a particular direction. The vitex is great for attracting the bees (as is certain types of lavender). In a different posting, someone else asked about the 'bee bee tree' - that's also great for the bees. The tree grows pretty fast and doesn't get too big and I've stood under it when it seemed to me, to be raining nectar! They also love the blooms of the lime tree (basswood) tree which grows in the mountain part of NC....See MoreKonrad___far_north
18 years agoselocic
18 years agoeileen15
18 years agoluckygt
17 years agoCarolyn Barnes
3 years agoCarolyn Barnes
3 years agoHU-193067298
3 years agoHU-193067298
3 years agolisanti07028
3 years agoHU-193067298
3 years agoHU-200285713
3 years agobjb13jun
2 years agobjb13jun
2 years agoHU-191652402
11 months ago
Related Stories
GARDENING GUIDESInvite Mining Bees to Your Garden by Planting Their Favorite Plants
Look for mining bees (Andrena) pollinating woodland wildflowers in U.S. gardens this spring
Full StoryEARTH DAY12 Entertaining ‘Bee-haviors’ of Native Bees
The parade of pollinator antics is another reason to create a garden that nurtures native bees
Full StoryFARM YOUR YARDHello, Honey: Beekeeping Anywhere for Fun, Food and Good Deeds
We need pollinators, and they increasingly need us too. Here, why and how to be a bee friend
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESSmall Carpenter Bees Are Looking for a Home in Your Plant Stems
Provide flowers and nesting sites in your garden for this beautiful, tiny, metallic blue wild bee — your plants will thank you
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESPrunus Virginiana Thrives Under Deciduous Trees
Plant chokecherry for showy white flowers favored by native bees in spring, and to provide nesting habitat and food for birds
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESAttract Hummingbirds and Bees With These Beautiful Summer Flowers
Roll out a welcome mat for pollinators to keep your landscape in balance and thriving
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESInvite Cellophane Bees to Your Garden by Providing Patches of Bare Soil
Look for cellophane bees (Colletes) pollinating flowering trees and shrubs in U.S. gardens this spring
Full StoryGARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIESGardening for the Bees, and Why It’s a Good Thing
When you discover how hard bees work for our food supply, you may never garden without them in mind again
Full StoryEARTH DAYHow to Design a Garden for Native Bees
Create a garden that not only looks beautiful but also nurtures native bees — and helps other wildlife in the process
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGreat Design Plant: Butterfly Milkweed, a Beacon in the Prairie
Vivacious orange flowers for you, nectar for the butterflies and bees. Asclepias tuberosa is worth planting for more reasons than one
Full StorySponsored
HU-193067298