While both bumblebees (Bombus spp.) and honey bees (Apis mellifera) are attracted to lavender (Lavandula spp.), the plant is more popular among bumblebees.
Which lavender do bees like best?
Research suggests that the larger lavender cultivars are the best for bees. You can find varieties from fragrant white to luscious dark purple. Look for the hardier and less picky Lavandula angustifolia or Lavandin x intermedia cultivars for individual plants or to make a lovely hedge.
Is lavender toxic to bees?
Plants for Bees: Lavender
Lavender is one of the most versatile plants on our list, ideal for gardens, pots, flowerbeds and anywhere else you want to include it. If you’ve grown lavender outdoors before, you know that it is popular among bees.
What smell do bees hate?
Bees also have a distaste for lavender oil, citronella oil, olive oil, vegetable oil, lemon, and lime. These are all topical defenses you can add to your skin to keep bees away. Unlike other flying insects, bees are not attracted to the scent of humans; they are just curious by nature.
Why is lavender important to bees?
BEES AND LAVENDER
Lavender provides nectar and pollen to the bees and the bees promote plant reproduction starting the hormonal reaction seminal in each flower’s seed set the process which also facilitates the flowers yield of essential oil.
Do lavender plants spread?
Lavender is a small shrub that usually grows 20 to 24 inches tall and wide. The height includes the flower stalks, so when not in bloom, the foliage may be only a foot tall. The plant does not spread as thyme, oregano, and other herbs tend to.
Why do bees like lavender so much?
Bees love lavender. This fragrant herb provides nectar for foraging bees from spring and through summer. From personal observation, they seem to like both English lavender and French lavender and hybrids.
What plant do bees like the most?
The 7 best flowers to plant for bees
- Bee balm (Monarda spp.)
- White wild indigo (Baptisia alba)
- Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
- Black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
- Joe-pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum)
- Marsh blazing star (Liatris spicata)
- Wrinkleleaf goldenrod (Solidago rugosa)
Do wasps like lavender?
Unlike the colorful and fragrant lavender plant, lavender essential oil actually repels wasps. The active ingredient linalool is what keeps all sorts of bugs away, including but not limited to fleas, fruit flies, wasps, and even bed bugs which are notoriously hard to get rid of.
What flowers do bees not like?
10 plants that repel bees and wasps
- Cucumber. This popular vegetable not only makes a great addition to summer salads, but also keeps bees and wasps away.
- Basil. Basil is another great choice for your garden that doubles as a kitchen resource and a pest repellent.
- Geraniums.
- Wormwood.
- Marigolds.
- Pitcher Plants.
What repels bees instantly?
Cinnamon and Mothballs
Funnily enough, mothballs and cinnamon. Bees have bad reactions to these compounds, which cause them to flee any area where cinnamon and mothballs are abundant. Of course, you can use just mothballs or just cinnamon, but when the two are combined they are particularly potent.
How do I keep bees from chasing my house?
How to keep bees away from your garden
- Vinegar. Place open bottles of white distilled vinegar around areas that bees are attracted to keep them away.
- Citronella candles. Mask the smells which attract bees with citronella candles.
- Marigolds.
What is the best bee repellent?
Neem, Mint, Citronella, Eucalyptus, and Cloves are some of the most common and effective ways to repel bees. They are easy to grow in pots and don’t require a lot of maintenance. Bee repellents such as marigold and germanium can also be a very effective way to keep them at bay.
Do bees sleep in lavender plants?
Several species of bumble bees in our bee garden seem to prefer the English lavender. They forage, they mate, and they sleep. The females sleep in their underground nests at night, while the males sleep on the lavender stems.
Can bees smell lavender?
They found that lavender and borage were both very attractive to bees, but that lavender had 10 times as many bumblebees as honey bees, whereas, just a few yards away, the borage had 10 times as many honey bees as bumblebees.
What is attracted to lavender?
Lavender is Good for Bees (and other pollinators)
Besides bees, it also attracts butterflies, hoverflies, and other beneficial insects.
Is lavender poisonous to dogs?
First of all, the ASPCA considers lavender to be toxic to dogs (as well as cats and horses). If ingested, the plant can cause nausea, vomiting, and inappetence. These symptoms can be traced to a single dangerous component known as linalool.
What happens if you don’t prune lavender?
Prune for healthier lavender plants
An annual pruning is an important step for long-lasting lavender (Lavandula spp. and hybrids) plants. Without it they grow a large, lanky, woody base that can split open — it looks bad and shortens the plant’s lifespan.
Can I cut lavender back to the ground?
Never cut them back, hoping to stimulate new growth. The plant cannot produce new growth from the woody parts. When you’re pruning woody lavender plants, it’s also a good idea not to prune all of the plant at the same time. Instead, work slowly, trimming back each branch, but never cutting into the brown wood.
Why are there no bees in my garden 2022?
Bees cannot thrive in unseasonably hot or cold weather, or conditions that are too wet or dry. Shorter winters, like winter 2020/2021, are both good and bad for the bees, Kelly adds.
What are bumble bees favorite flower?
urticifolia, a flowering plant in the mint family, was the plant most strongly selected by three of five bumble bee species surveyed. Other commonly selected flowers included thickstem asters and Ryderberg’s penstemon, a flower in the snapdragon family.