The Gardener's Almanac
Index FAQ's Links Photos Guest book
 
Google
 
Bees
 
Related Links

Gardeners should try and encourage natural pollinators such as bees into their gardens.

Bees pollinate trees, flowers, fruit and vegetables this in turn helps to increase the yield.

On the down side, they can sometimes bite small holes in flowers, but seldom is the damage severe

Gardens need bees, bees need homes, you can give them a helping hand by introducing a few bees nests around the garden, all you have to do is simply place the nest/s according to instructions.

There is a bee that can do some damage to plants but the damage is generally insignificant, meaning, control is seldom necessary, that bee is the 'Leaf cutting' bee

The symptoms are circular or elongated notches on the edges of leaves, usually appearing from June until August when the bees are most active, these notches are usually uniform in shape and size.

This coincides with the time when the female bee is constructing its nest.

What happens is; the bees carry pieces of leaf back to the nest and uses them to form cells.

The bee will then stock these cells with nectar and pollen as a food store for its larvae.

To locate these nests you may have to look in hollow plant stems or tunnels dug into rotten wood or soil.

 
About this Site © The Gardener's Almanac 2005 Top of page