How good is Lavender for Bees really?

@"M" @Fern4 @Sheal

 

Thanks Spruce. I've grown Antirrhinums for the last few years and have seeds under way for this year. The bumble bees certainly love them.

 

@Spruce ....brilliant!! Takes me back to last summer! I can't wait to hear that buzzing sound - I haven't seen any bees here yet. It looks like the bees is using it's weight and legs to open the flower.

 

Pleasure, do we still call them "Snapdragons" ?

 

all this should be going on the bee thread

 

well I certainly do. Loved the video.

Can confirm bees love french lavender. Had loads round my pots last summer. Felt I was taking my life in my hands when I tried to deadhead them at times!

 

I wont go crazy last one

 

I've never called them Snapdragons! I was reared calling them bunny rabbits as were my children.

 

One of my great pleasures last summer were the months when our large potted english lavender was in flower and the scores of bees that visited it. The pleasure was enhanced watching our three and a half year old granddaughter closely watching the bees without fear, unlike some of her family who wouldn't go near them!

 

@Spruce ....one of my cats wasn't impressed with the music. She's just shot out of the room! I like it though.

 

There was a distinctive lack of bees in my garden last year and the Sedum didn't get the 'work out' from them as in previous years. Hopefully they'll be back in force this summer.

 

I can put a mouse video on if she likes

 

Thanks for the feedback, Spruce. I do aim to give them as wide a variety of choice as my little garden will allow, but they do seem to favour the lavender overall. I have noticed quite a few disoriented bees, and some dying ones, over the last two summers, and am not sure really if that's linked to pesticides from our neighbouring farm, varroa mite or something else all together. But I guess it's good to know the lavender dissuades this mite.

The rest of your answer is more about the attractiveness of plants to bees than their nutritional value - to use the rather lame fast food analogy again, if humans were observed feeding then McDonald's (sadly) might well be seen as being to humans as lavender/nasturtiums etc is to bees in terms of generating traffic. This doesn't make it a good thing.
With bees, is this not an issue? Are all plant nectars of value to them nutritionally, so attractiveness of plant is the only issue of importance rather than quality of nectar that kind of plant produces?

Thanks

 

@AndyS

Hi Andy
To be honest and I have always claimed on here I am no expert or scientist its a hobble that I have been keen on for over 15 years. But I do know of on going studies in to the food value to bees on pollen and nectar with the 50 major food plants that are produced in the UK.
Studies on certain plants in the USA and Australia have been produced but they as you must know are a different climate to us and most are unique to the growing conditions in those country's, its made me think what is the food content to honey bees as I know in my own garden I grow two apple trees both different varieties that flower at the same time the honey bees prefer one tree to the other and always have and this is going into the 8th year with them , so they know more than me on what they like to eat and collect to share in the hive with each other.

Bees die away from the hive through wear and tare, or prodation, average life of a worker bee in the summer months is between 30 to 40 days , in one hive alone hundreds die each day as the average population in the summer is over 50 thousand.
With bumble bees its normally because they are cold and to move them on to a warm sunny fence will soon make them come back to life

I am glad you raised the thread as you can see its been very popular .

Spruce