Author Topic: Bee Plants  (Read 2957 times)

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Offline neillsayers

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Bee Plants
« on: November 21, 2015, 09:46:00 pm »
I'm looking for suggestions for bee plants that will thrive in full or partial shade and are perennial. Legumes even better. Anyone have suggestions.
Neill Sayers
Herbhome Bees
USDA Zone 7a

Offline Les

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Re: Bee Plants
« Reply #1 on: November 22, 2015, 07:41:59 am »
That's a tough one.....bees do prefer to forage in the sunshine but I know they like the flowers from hostas.  I have a shady corner right next to my hives that is only planted with different varieties of hosta and they are in the flowers all the time.  Lungwort is another shade plant that they like.  Does the area get any sunlight....dappled sunlight?  You might be able to plant foxgloves if you get some sun.  Also, some bulbs such as daffodil or crocus, that would give them a great start in the Spring. You could still get some bulbs in the ground now.  Bees don't like to search for flowers, so plant in mass so they can hop from plant to plant.  Good luck! 

Offline Bakersdozen

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Re: Bee Plants
« Reply #2 on: November 22, 2015, 10:28:44 am »
  Bees don't like to search for flowers, so plant in mass so they can hop from plant to plant.  Good luck!
Good point, Les.  The more I know about bees, the more impressed I am with their sense of smell.  A patch of nectar plants is much easier to find that a single plant, visually and through the sense of smell.
I was reading American Honey Plants by Frank Pellett.  Pellett emphasizes that even a timely minor nectar plant, in large quantities, will contribute to a surplus honey flow.  In early spring, prior to a major nectar flow, a minor nectar plant bloom in large quantities can stimulate brood rearing enough to build the colony up for the major flow.  Pellett praises the lowly Dandelion as a contributor to spring build up. 

American Honey Plants is available at numerous sites for free download.  This is an easy to read version that a bee club has made available. http://site.alamedabees.org/2012/09/11/american-honey-plants/  Scroll down to find the link.
Several of Pellett's books are available for free download.  They are easy to find doing a search of the internet.

Offline Bakersdozen

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Re: Bee Plants
« Reply #3 on: November 22, 2015, 12:23:07 pm »
Oh yeah.  I almost forgot.  Legumes that bees work and make surplus honey from include alfalfa and white clover.