Attracting Bees

[HotStuff]

A work colleague of my OH suggested spraying plants with a solution of sugar disolved in water as a means of attracting bees. Not sure if she was being serious or pulling my leg. Have any other Grapes heard of this or done this?

[Paulottie]

You certainly can feed bees with a fructose solution in the hive. Can't imagine the point of spraying plants to attract bees, you'll certainly get every manner of fungus, mould and ant on your plants though.

Plant some more flowers about the lottie Eg ..try poached egg plant (limanthes) early season and lavender later. Yellow and blue are the best colours.

[Madasafish]

Bees like bluebells at present.. and wallflower. Wild blue geraniums next drive them wild..then buddleia

[cupcake]

Oregano when it's in flower.And nepeta (catmint)

[Harry T]

I am intrigued by the number of bees (hundreds) collecting nectar from the cotoneaster bush outside our back door, and the flowers are soooo small.

[Two_Sheds]

You can make a butterfly feeder out of sugar water (perhaps she was thinking of this?) Make a Butterfly Feeder

Spraying plants with sugary water will attract a load of flies I would think.

[hamsterqueen]

Bumble bees seem to love the chive flowers

[JILLY JACKSON]

Harry T,I am sure that is the plant my friend has,its FULL of bees,i have never seen anything like it.I;ve asked her for a root!It seems to like its root confined tightly and has spread over a wall.does that sound right?i am definately going to get oneif she cant get a root for me i will order one

[Two_Sheds]

Right now the bees are feasting on the bolted kale and PSB. It's covered in red bums.

[Alice]

Any flowers will attract bees Hotstuff and sugar dissolved in water will feed them but I wouldn't spray it on the plants. If you put out sugary water (it's not necessary) watch out that the bees don't drown in it.

[Tam]

We have loads of flowers that attract the bees - poached egg, thyme, verbascums etc etc, but I must agree with the remarks about cotoneaster. I have found no plant that attracts bees like it. We have a fairly long hedge of it and I am constructing another as a windbreak. Late planted sunflowers give an autumn feast for the bees - I hope they are still around come autumn. when the birds are disposing of the cotoneaster berries.

[mrdinkle]

The bees are into the comfrey in our garden.

I looked into some plants to help them in the early part of the year and found that Pulmonaria, viper's bugloss and borage were suggested.

Which reminds me I need to locate the pulmonaria I left in the pot over the winter.

[IgglePiggle]

I've got a Jacobs Ladder which the bee's seems to be liking, also get some Aquilegia and lavender is a must

Plant some more flowers about the lottie Eg ..try poached egg plant (limanthes) early season and lavender later. Yellow and blue are the best colours.

I've found it's better to grow the poached egg plants in the autumn, so they flower early the following year. Mine is covered at the moment and the hover files are about, which is great as so is the greenfly

[Two_Sheds]

I've found it's better to grow the poached egg plants in the autumn, so they flower early the following year. Mine is covered at the moment and the hover files are about, which is great as so is the greenfly

I agree. I let mine self-seed, and use it as a winter ground cover (it's fairly hardy).
It is just beginning to go to seed again after flowering its socks off for weeks now.
*whispers : and I've not had any blackfly or greenfly yet this year