Honey Bee on Thistle Flower
Feeding the Bees
In order to keep a bee colony thriving, it helps to provide them with easy access to food. While it might sound a daunting task to feed 50,000 hungry mouths, it's really quite simple.
Supplemental Feed
Early in the season, I feed a special herbal bee-tea that helps build the bees' immune systems.
- Combine a 1/2 tsp. of Celtic sea salt with local herbs like, thyme, dandelion and chamomile
- Steep for 15 minutes in boiling water
- Add one gallon of water and 10 lbs. white cane sugar to the mixture and stir until dissolved
Cool this simple syrup and put into a
bee feeder in front of the hive!
Planting "Food" for Bees
Each year to support the bees health, I plant several new perennials, annuals and flowering trees containing nectar and pollen. In addition, I never cut clover that blooms in my lawn as this is a favorite nectar source for the bees. I also let huge islands of grass grow long and keep a meadow full of wildflowers for the bees.
While the variety of plants providing pollen and nectar for the bees is numerous, I’ve listed a few here that I've found to be favorites with the bees:
| Name |
Type |
Location |
Nectar/Pollen |
Notes |
| Bushes/Berries |
| Blackberry |
Bush |
Field, Intentional Cultivation |
Poor nectar and pollen source |
|
| Blueberry |
Bush |
Wild, Field, Intentional Cultivation |
Good nectar and pollen source |
Spring/ summer - Increases fruiting |
| Inkberry/Winterberry |
Bush |
Field |
Pollen |
|
| Joe Pye Weed |
Bush |
Field |
Nectar and pollen |
Mid-summer. Will naturalize - great bee plant to introduce in fields |
| Raspberry |
Bush |
Field, Intentional Cultivation |
Good pollen |
Summer |
| Staghorn Sumac |
Bush |
Woodland Edge |
Good pollen |
Fall - Can be used in smoker for the bees to calm them down |
| Viburnum |
Bush |
Field / Woodland |
Good pollen |
Abundant flowers |
| Flowers / Cover Crops |
| Alfalfa |
Flower |
Field, Intentional Cultivation |
Nectar |
Summer / Abundant |
| Aster |
Flower |
Field |
|
|
| Chamomile |
Herb, Medicinal |
Garden |
Pollen |
Late Spring / Summer |
| Thyme |
Herb, Medicinal |
Garden / Path Edge |
Pollen |
Spring / Helps strengthen bees' immune systems |
| Borage |
Plant |
Garden |
Nectar |
Summer / Flowers are beautiful and the bees love this! |
| Dandelion |
Plant |
Anywhere |
Pollen / Nectar |
Spring / Summer - Enormous pollen collection - Strengthens immune system - Makes pollen bright yellow |
| Goldenrod |
Plant |
Fields |
Pollen |
Late Summer / Fall - Strengthens bees / medicinal feed throughout winter months |
| Mint |
Plant / Herb |
Garden |
Pollen / Nectar |
Summer / Let mint come to flower for pollen and nectar |
| Clover, Alsike |
Plant, Low-Growing |
Lawn, Ground, Field |
Nectar |
Summer - Great choice to cultivate, very prolific |
| Clover, Red |
Plant, Medicinal |
Field |
Nectar - Very poor choice for the honeybee, but great for the bumblebee |
Summer / Though only in drought and excessive rainy season - to shorten flower for bees proboscis or extensive nectar flow |
| Clover, White |
Plant, Low-Growing |
Lawn, Field |
Nectar |
Summer - Most abundant flower for honey run |
| Echinacea |
Plant, Medicinal |
Garden |
Pollen |
Late Summer |
| Trees |
| Almond |
Tree |
Orchard |
Pollen / Nectar |
Spring / Pollination increases fruiting |
| Basswood |
Tree |
Field |
Nectar |
Spring - Needs hot humid days to secrete, results in amazing tasting honey, keep in the field! |
Fruit Trees:
Apple,
Plum,
Pear,
Cherry,
Nectarine,
Persimmon |
Tree |
Orchard |
Pollen / Nectar |
Spring - Bees increase fruit yield! |
| Linden |
Tree |
Woodland / Ornamental |
Pollen / Nectar |
Adds to flavor of honey |
Maple Trees:
Sugar,
Red,
Silver |
Tree |
Woodland / Landscape |
Green pendulous flowers / Red flowers |
Spring - Early Food Supply |
| Poplar |
Tree |
Woodland |
Enormous source of nectar |
Imparts a sweet caramel flavor to honey |
| Shadbush |
Tree |
Inner Woodland |
Pollen / Nectar |
Early Spring - Enormous volume of berries |
| Sourwood |
Tree |
Inner Woodland |
Enormous Nectar source in flowers with up-righted cups |
Favorite honey in the south - buy this if you can, cultivate trees in the meantime |
Other Bee Notes:
- Bees need a water source; I have a small pond for them in the orchard.
- Weather - according to legend John Lovell, bees need vigorous rain for abundant nectar and then hot dry seasons as bees can’t work in wet conditions.
Honey Bee Resources - Educate Yourself!
Books:
Natural Beekeeping: Organic Approaches to Modern Apiculture
Ross Conrad, Chelsea Green Publishing 1997 reprint [ISBN-10: 1933392088]
Bees, with an afterword on the Art of Joseph Beuys
Rudolf Steiner, Anthroposophic Press 1998 [ISBN-10: 0880104570]
Honey Plants of North America
John H. Lovell, A. I. Root Company, 1926 [ISBN-10: 0936028203]
A Spring without Bees: How Colony Collapse Disorder Has Endangered Our Food Supply
Michael Schacker, forward by Bill McKibben, The Lyons Press 2008 [ISBN-10: 1599216000]
Organizations:
Spikenard Farm Honeybee Sanctuary -
www.spikenardfarm.org
The Pfeiffer Center, Spring Valley, NY -
www.pfeiffercenter.org
Honeybee classes and biodynamic farming courses.
Sources for Beekeeping Supplies:
Betterbee -
www.betterbee.com
Brushy Mountain Bee Supply -
www.brushymountainbeefarm.com
