Bee plants for early spring?

[FB.]

This year, many flowers were a bit late.
Often, the Helleborus niger attracts the attention of the first bees.
But this year, the crocus were also open when the first bees appeared.
Most of the bees went straight for the crocus (bumble, honey and solitary). Whether random or not, they seemed to slightly prefer the lighter coloured or white crocus. But maybe that's what was ripe for harvesting when the bees came.
A few bees (mostly bumbles) visited the other spring bulbs. Daffodils seemed to get a little bit of attention from the more unusual types of bees.

Since the crocus flowers faded (a week or two ago), the bees have mostly disappered, despite daffodil and hyacinth still in flower.

The next attraction for the bees will be fruit tree blossom. Apple blossom is often more attractive to bees than pear blossom. Fruit tree blossom is especially attractive to the solitary bees and their life cycle coincides with the April-June fruit blossom period.

Dandelions, poppies, buddleia, foxgloves, chives and various beans will please the bees during the summer.
In late summer, lavender is very popular.

While I have nothing against honey bees, it is reckoned that they are so efficient at collecting pollen that very little is allowed to go to waste by being dropped onto other flowers, and they don't actually do much pollination as a result of this high-efficiency pollen harvesting.
It is reckoned that a single bumblebee or solitary bee is as effective at pollination as a couple of dozen honey bees - because these solitary/small-colony bees visit a wider range of flowers per single flight, plus are often large and clumsy (scatter pollen all over the place) and their very hairy bodies are better at getting dusted with pollen and then smearing that pollen all over the next flower they visit.

[purplekat]

Thanks for all your replies

I've just got some pulmonarias and lamium (dead nettle) but the bees don't seem to have found them yet - although it's early days, they've only been in a week. Also my Berberis darwinii looks like it should be starting to flower very soon

I already have hawthorn, tulips, crocus and dandelions but they're not out yet. I think I might have to get a few primroses and crocus and put them in the sunny bit at the bottom of the garden for next year- I love Hellebores but they're poisonous and they'd be going where my toddler plays so not until she's older

Seasprout - Thanks for the link, I'm a member of the BBCT but most of the flowers they suggest for March/April aren't out yet (in my garden at least) so that's why I was asking about the very early ones. It's a very good list for later in the year though

I think the trouble with planting for bees is that they like to collect from only one type of flower at a time so you need quite a big patch of each plant rather than just lots of individual ones dotted about (as mine is a the moment)

FB - that's very interesting about the honey bees not being very efficient pollinators - part of the reason for me encouraging the bees is for their help with the pollination of my fruit trees. One of my projects for the next few weeks is to make a solitary bee house so hopefully that should encourage a few of those into the garden.

[FB.]

If your fruit trees are young, don't be surprised if lots of blossom doesn't produce much fruit - young trees often refuse to fruit properly until a few years after planting, with some varieties/rootstocks worse than others.

Adequate fruit production of a mature tree only requires a small proportion of the flowers to be pollinated. For apples and pears, they only need about one flower pollinated per two clusters. Smaller-fruited trees (plum/cherry) would need a higher level of pollination.
Partially-self-fertile varieties can be useful for getting a useful crop in poor years.

[smallblueplanet]

...While I have nothing against honey bees, it is reckoned that they are so efficient at collecting pollen that very little is allowed to go to waste by being dropped onto other flowers, and they don't actually do much pollination as a result of this high-efficiency pollen harvesting...

Really, sounds like an 'old wives tale'? You think that nowadays this would be easily proved as there aren't enough bees to go round?

[Headfry]

Something for me to look into FB, all I know is that in the States thousand of bucks are paid to beekeepers to ship their hives around - not for the honey but purely for pollination.
Not sure about the 'methods' employed in the moving of the bees though, seems to put them under a lot of stress. A very interesting subject though and worth researching.

[FB.]

Really, sounds like an 'old wives tale'? You think that nowadays this would be easily proved as there aren't enough bees to go round?

There have been studies.

Next time you're in the garden, look at how covered in pollen the bumblebees are (pollen all over their forehead and back), compared to honey bees (all neatly stashed on the back legs).

Here's an article that may be of interest (I only did a quick search):
Article RED MASON BEE

.

"......

It flies at temperatures below which the honeybee is grounded.
At any given temperature, it visits more flowers per minute than the honeybee.
On any given foraging trip, a female Osmia rufa is more promiscuous in terms of the number of trees visited than the worker honeybee.
Osmia rufa does not store honey in its nests: it is entirely pollen driven and uses nectar only as an energy source to satisfy immediate needs, so, unlike the honeybee, it always scrabbles around for pollen when it visits fruit blossoms.
Osmia rufa is not as efficient as the honeybee in grooming itself, so when visiting flowers, is much more heavily dusted with pollen and so the chances of pollination are greater.
Because its pollen collecting apparatus is situated on the underside of the abdomen rather than on the hind leg, there is a greater chance of pollen coming into direct contact with receptive stigmas of flowers.
The peak of activity of Osmia rufa coincides with the flowering of all the major orchard fruits.

......

[smallblueplanet]

...Osmia rufa is not as efficient as the honeybee in grooming itself, so when visiting flowers, is much more heavily dusted with pollen and so the chances of pollination are greater...

So should I put up a sign 'Mason bees only!'? Although I'm not sure I'd be able to tell the difference between them.

[aud]

well the honey bees like the crocus flowers and mahonaia

[BFG]

Thanks for all your replies
..

I think the trouble with planting for bees is that they like to collect from only one type of flower at a time so you need quite a big patch of each plant rather than just lots of individual ones dotted about (as mine is a the moment)

..

I think it's just Honey Bees that forage on one plant type at a time. Bumbles mix and match. Maybe something to do with the Honey bees storing it for honey production.

I'd guess the fact that the Honey Bees do that means that they should be better pollinators, as they're going from say, apple tree to apple tree.

[HebrideanSea]

Don't forget early flowering trees and shrubs

Here in the West Highlands the first bumble bees to emerge have been very busy visiting an early flowering cherry and pussy willow (masses of pollen).