Looking for ways to make your garden a comfortable and inviting space for bees and other pollinators? Well, look no more. We have you covered with our guide to transform an ordinary lawn into a bee-friendly garden. From the simplest steps, such as sowing bee-friendly plants to exclusive tips for beekeeping in your backyard, we have covered everything that can help you create a bee-friendly space.
Let’s get buzzing!
Tips to Make a Bee-Friendly Garden
Anyone who is into gardening would agree to the fact that bees are a quintessential part of our ecosystem. However, the number of these small creatures is rapidly declining, which is why there has been a significant rise in bee farming.
That said, we have compiled a list of some crucial tips that you can use to make the lawn in your house more welcoming for bees and other pollinators. Here’s what you need to do:
- Choose Bee-Friendly Plants
- Use Organic Pesticides
- Add a Bee House in Your Garden
- Keep a Source of Water
- Consider Bee Farming
Before we begin, we would like to assure you that if you have space constraints in your garden, you can consider setting up a vertical garden. Not sure how to do that? Take assistance from our simple guide for beginners.
Now, let’s pick up from where we left off!
Choose Bee-Friendly Plants
The first step for creating a bee-friendly garden is to have plants and flowers that are welcoming and are considered ideal for honeybees and other pollinators. Bees need natural meadows to thrive, but most gardens in cities do not provide their source of food. Several plants contain natural bodies to create a more welcoming space for bees and other pollinators, so consider planting the following flowers that attract bees:
- Lavender
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Purple flowers
- Mints
The good thing about these flowers is that they are easy to grow in any garden, so you do not have to layout a different scheme for creating a bee-friendly garden. Moreover, some of these flowers are also considered ideal perennials for bees.
Use Organic Pesticides
The general rule of thumb for creating a bee-friendly garden is to avoid chemicals of any sort and switch to organic pesticides. Commercial pesticides are one of the major reasons why there’s an overall decline in the bee population across the globe. Not to mention that these pesticides are also harmful to human health.
Now, if you are concerned about pest control in your garden, here is a list of some organic alternatives for commercial pesticides that are harmless for both wildlife and humans:
- Epsom salt
- Eucalyptus oil
- Garlic or onion
- Neem oil
Moreover, you can also use natural or plant-based soap as an alternative to harmful pesticides. All you need is to grate some soap and make a mixture in a spray bottle. Spray it over stems and leaves. Avoid spraying over flowers since they are a crucial source of food for bees and other remarkable wildlife. Make sure that the soap doesn’t contain any bleach or harmful chemicals.
On a side note, if you want some tips to protect your plants from sunburn, you can take help from our recently published blog on this subject.
Add a Bee House in Your Garden
The next and most crucial part of creating a pollinator-friendly garden is to make a nest for them – a place that hosts travelling bees by providing them shelter, food, and whatever else they need to stay and survive.
Just like any other wildlife, bees often migrate from one place to the other in search of food and water. Quite naturally, some of them get tired from covering long distances. If you want your garden to become a bee-friendly stop, you must provide them a makeshift home to relax. You can easily create a bee house in your garden from simple bricks and wood – all you need is to drill holes in them to make it appear like a honeycomb [as shown in the picture above].
Keep a Source of Water
If you are planting a bee garden, you should not forget to install a source of water for them. Not a lot of gardeners know this, but bees are highly attracted to clean water. At this point, you should consider installing a small and attractive water basin in your garden. You can also keep a bowl of clean and fresh water. Do not forget to leave some pebbles in the bowl, bees can drown pretty easily. Just make sure that you make an island for them to stay and drink water from, as shown in the picture above.
Consider Bee Farming
You can take this thing to the next level by opting for beekeeping in Pakistan as a formal career. As such, many banks in the country are providing loans for agricultural and horticultural activities. If you have enough space outside, you can consider gardening for bees. It will enable you to support a small bee colony. Just familiarise yourself with the laws and rules of beekeeping in Pakistan to ensure that you are not breaking any laws. If you are considering it in your home’s garden, it is best to inform your neighbours about it beforehand.
Remember, just like any other farming activity, beekeeping is a painstaking, diligent, and long-term process that requires extreme patience and preparation. If you have no clue about this matter, you will need to spend some money on training as well.
Just make sure that you and your family members are not allergic or afraid of bee stings because there’s a possibility that you will be stung at some point. You can protect yourself by wearing the appropriate gear. Keep in mind that bees are not aggressive creatures and they do harm others around them until or unless they feel intruded or threatened by someone, whether it is a pet or human.
Above all, beekeeping is an extremely exciting and highly rewarding profession. If nothing else, you will get to taste some organic, tasty, and homegrown honey that works wonders for your health.
Moving forward, if you do not have enough space to set up a garden outside your home, we have compiled some solutions for you in our recently published blog that focuses on tips for growing healthy houseplants.
So, this was our post on how to create a bee-friendly garden. We have mentioned some of the most effective tips in this blog that you can easily apply to your home’s yard to attract bees and other pollinators. If you have any further ideas that worked for you, share with us at blog@zameen.com or send us a message on our Facebook page.
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