The Heartland Bee Newsletter
May 2021 (8th edition)
The Best Way to Feed Bees
A common beekeeper desire is to provide plentiful, year-round forage for honey bees. Multiple studies cite the importance of diverse floral sources, and their benefits over sugar feeds and pollen supplements. So, where to begin?
The easiest way to provide more forage for pollinators is to try doing less. One of Florida's most common weeds, Spanish needle (Bidens bipinnata), is a native pollinator powerhouse that will grow phenomenally with absolutely zero effort from the beekeeper. Butterflies, honey bees, and native bees will graze nearly year-round on the plentiful, creeping blooms.
For those with more intent, Florida's state wildflower, tickseed (genus Coreopsis), can be easily found throughout the state, growing wild on roadsides and prairies. Seeds are commercially available, or they can be harvested locally when the yellow flowers wither. Tickseed can behave as a short-lived perennial in warmer parts of the state, and will reseed itself readily in moist soil. Trimming back blooms produces an additional flush of flowers.
The ideal candidate: False rosemary (genus Conradina) is an evergreen, perennial shrub with short, needlelike leaves--similar in appearance to rosemary, but its foliage emits a minty scent when bruised. There are six species of Conradina native to Florida, but only one isn't endangered or threatened, limiting availability. False rosemary blooms abundantly from spring through fall, and prefers to be left alone in full sun and dry, sandy soil. Short-leaved false rosemary, C. brevifolia, is found only in scrub habitats in Polk and Highlands counties, making it a preferred planting for native pollinators; however, it releases a chemical that suppresses the growth of nearby plants, so its location should be chosen carefully. Seeds and cuttings can be collected from plants.
Finally, a non-native flowering plant that deserves special recognition: tropical hydrangea (genus Dombeya). This shrub can grow to a towering twenty feet in record time, without being fussy about its care or maintenance. Tropical hydrangea blooms plentifully in the winter, when nectar availability is limited, and honey bees are unable to resist the intoxicating, cake-like smell of the immense pink flower clusters. This helps strengthen colonies at a vital time: just prior to the citrus blossom. These plants are available in nurseries, but can also be produced from cuttings kept in a moist growing medium.
Floral forage can be spread beyond the beekeeper's space by gifting seeds and cuttings from nectar plants to neighbors and friends. A potted arrangement may not seem like much, but every little bit is more nutrition to feed not just honey bees, but also butterflies, birds, moths, flies, ants, and native bees.
To find a native plant nursery, visit www.PlantRealFlorida.org
To purchase native wildflower seeds, visit www.FloridaWildflowers.com
To learn more about native plants, visit www.FNPS.org
