Why are bees so important?

Seeing bees gliding across the garden is something to be very excited about this Summer as they are incredibly important additions to our flower beds and crops. Bees are known as natures best pollinator, which means they are vital for turning your garden into a blooming oasis of colourful, fragrant flowers and plants.

When you see bees in your garden, they are likely to be looking for two things. Nectar – a sweet substance flowers make which supplies bees with energy, or pollen – a  fine powder that flowers use to reproduce, and also provides protein for bees.

As they feed, bees spread pollen from flower to flower – this is known as pollination. This is critical for plants to reproduce, produce seeds, and keep flowers and fruits keep blooming in the months ahead.

Research shows that it has been estimated that bees pollinate around a third of everything we eat and play a vital role in sustaining the planet’s ecosystem. Therefore, we must we do everything we can to help bees thrive and survive in our own gardens.

So, how can you create a blooming oasis to attract bees into your garden?

There are a number of easy changes and habits you can make to create a bee-friendly garden. This could be something as simple as ensuring your garden contains lots of flowers rich in pollen and nectar. Interestingly, bees do have a preference when it comes to flowers. Their favourite flowers are tubular-shaped and purple – they see this colour more clearly than any other.

If you want to go the extra step why not create a bee bath to give bees easy access to fresh, clean water. Fill a shallow container with water and place twigs and leaves in the container for the bees to land on while drinking.

Beekeeping is a another great way to help boost the bee population, and is also a lot of fun! Keeping bees helps to strengthen the gene pool by adding healthy bees back into the population. Not to mention just two hives can pollinate an entire garden for thriving plants!

-Justina, Co-Founder and Creative Director