We all know bees love flowers, but which ones do they love the most? Certain plants produce more pollen and nectar than others and the same can be said about flowers. Below are a few examples of flowers to add to your yard to help the bees out: Aster Asters are daisy-like perennials that bring a variety of colours during the mid-late summer. Asters have dozens of blooms on a single plant creating lots of pollinating potential for bees. Black-eyed Susan Black-eyed Susans are an incredibly drought-resistance native perennial that makes for a very low maintenance flower. Their appealing yellow makes for a welcome addition to any garden. Cosmos Cosmos do well in hot and dry climates and average...
Most people are aware of how pollinators influence things like flowers and food, but what else do they affect? One lesser-known beneficiary of pollinators is the most popular fabric worldwide, cotton. While not dependent on insect pollination, bees help increase the crop's yield allowing farmers to produce substantially more cotton. Without this increased boost in supply from pollinators, cotton would be a more expensive commodity, so it's worth thinking about the next time you buy a new shirt. Similar to cotton, coffee is an everyday product that many people may not know is supported by bees. Bees have been found to improve coffee bean yields by 20-25%. Along with the economic impact this would have on the price of coffee,...
Honey is nature's oldest sweetener and humans have a long history with it. From medicinal treatments in ancient Mesopotamia to a currency in 11th century Germany it's had many different uses over the years. Nowadays honey is primarily used as an ingredient or eaten on its own and when compared to processed sugars it offers a number of benefits including trace amounts of: enzymes amino acids B vitamins vitamin C antioxidants Honey is also much easier for our bodies to digest because of the enzymes that are added to the nectar by bees. Many added sugars and high fructose corn syrups can be inflammatory and cause digestive issues that upon extensive consumption may lead to conditions such as diabetes, heart...
Ever wonder what bees do during the winter? When temperatures begin to cool in autumn, one of the first things a hive does is drop in population. The queen does this by laying fewer eggs to have fewer bees in the hive to make the food supply last. Another way to shrink the hive is by booting all the male drones out. Yup, that's right! A drone's only purpose is to reproduce with other queens, all of which will be staying at home during the winter leaving the drones unemployed. With no useful function during the winter and limited food, they are just extra mouths to feed so the ladies kick them to the curb. As always and especially during...
