7. Don’t pull those weeds
Those pesky weeds that pop up unannounced every year can become a bee’s best friend in your neighborhood. Some of the first foods for bees just coming out of winter are henbit, deadnettle and dandelions. Weeds like clover and dandelions are a bee favorite and letting them grow will bring the bees to your yard. If you’re worried about neighbors, let weeds grow in your backyard and pull them in the front. Or, make a decorative bee sign to educate neighbors that you are bee-friendly.
8. Take a beekeeping class
When you talk to beekeepers, the one thing they suggest to everyone is to start a backyard hive. The rewards include the freshest honey, a better garden harvest and an ongoing fascination with the imaginative creatures. Misko suggests almost everyone can become a keeper; all you need is a back yard, porch or a rooftop. Hobby beekeeping has gained in popularity ever since CCD, and as a result, there are many local and national resources to get you started.
There are rules that come with beekeeping; research current restrictions in your area, don’t annoy your neighbors, and last but not least, “share the sweet rewards of the hive.” To get started, attend a beginning bee workshop or contact your local beekeeping association.
“One’s learning about the honey bee and beekeeping will never grow stagnant. The challenges have never been greater, and they have never needed our help as much as they do now,” says Misko.
Learn month-by-month beekeeping management at Powell Garden’s Beekeeping 301: Seasonal Management event on October 3. The workshop will include hive inspection and maintenance, checking for food stores, feeding bees in the winter and spring build up feeding and medication. Discover the ins and outs of fall honey harvest and the proper set up of the hive in the apiary. Get the event details here.
Visit www.mostatebeekeepers.org, www.kansashoneyproducers.org or www.nekba.org to find a local beekeepers association.
9. Let bees do the healing
Next time your throat is sore, look no further than honey. Honey, pollen, beeswax and other products from the hive are found in our cosmetics, drugs and the food we eat because of their restorative and nutritious properties. Some people swear by eating a tablespoon of bee pollen a day because it contains so many nutrients that it has even been considered a super-food. Visit local beekeepers at your farmers market to find new bee products beyond honey, and learn their favorite recipes to heal with honey. Use responsible, bee-inclusive products to heal your ailments, from chapped lips to open cuts. Next time you have a cut, try dabbing a little honey on it before you patch it up. Or, add honey to hot tea to heal a sore throat. Letting honey do the healing just might help remind us that we need to heal the bees. The harvest of these products does not harm the colony’s livelihood because a responsible beekeeper leaves enough honey for the honeybees’ use.
10. Go crazy for wild bees
Join the nationwide count for the disappearing bees. Take a short trek to your backyard or favorite trail and look for bees. Are they there? How many did you see? What plants were they attracted to? The Great Sunflower Project is a national pollinator count, and they need our help in tracking the bees. Over time, important data will be compiled from individuals all over the country to identify how the bees are doing and what plants attract them. So next time you are on your favorite trail or looking at your favorite flowering plants in your backyard, record what pollinators you see and share your results with the Great Sunflower Project. Visit www.greatsunflower.org to get started.
11. See the bees
Everywhere in the community, people care about the bees. See the bee-friendly garden at the Lakeside Nature Center or visit the honeybee display at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum. Additional chances to see bee displays are nearby at the St. Louis Zoo and the Remington Nature Center of St. Joseph.
Tell us your thoughts. What are some of your favorite bee-friendly products, resources and tips?
Top photo: Bees thrive in gardens planted with native flowers that are not treated with insecticides or pesticides. Photo: Valerie Kutchko
My favorite bee-friendly place is Powell Gardens! They have been my inspiration for 20 years not only for plant ideas, but for information on native plantings and organic gardening. Their lawns are chemical-free with clover and dandelions for bees and other pollinators. The Heartland Harvest Garden is organic and has native bee homes placed throughout. They incorporate natural landscapes perfect for insects rather than plants neatly segregated in seas of imported mulch. Powell Gardens is an exceptional example of how gardening should be done!