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Everything Salvias: Bees in the Garden

Posts titled Bees in the Garden provide reliable buzz about one of our most important groups of pollinators making it possible to produce food and ornamentals. In addition to sharing information about plants for good bee nutrition, we cover topics ranging from bee research to ways you can help bees in your garden.

Researchers estimate 20,000 species of bees worldwide, most of which aren't kinds in managed hives. Bees in the Garden articles talk about wild bees as well as honeybees -- both managed honeybees in box hives and feral colonies found in tree trunks and unexpected locations. At Flowers by the Sea, we are closely acquainted with honeybees, because we manage our own hives and spend our days surrounded by these hard workers in our test gardens and greenhouses.

Whereas approximately 4,000 species of wild bees are native to North America, the apian species most familiar to all of us is the honeybee, which comes in many varieties. It is fitting that on a continent dominated by immigrants, honeybees are Old World emigrés that first arrived here in 1622.

The nectar and pollen of Salvias don't just taste and smell good to these tiny creatures. They are nutritionally powerful foods for bees, which need a healthy, varied diet to withstand the many perils they face ranging from habitat loss to pesticides. Part of our mission at FBTS is to support all kinds of pollinators with excellent plants for wildlife gardens. We invite you to become part of this mission.

Types of Bees Working in Your Garden

Posted: Thursday, January 29, 2015
Synopsis:

America buzzes with bee diversity, including 4,000 native species and many types of nonnative honeybees. Flowers by the Sea details the variety and value of our imperiled bees. This is the second article in a two-part series focused on identifying and understanding bees, becoming aware of threats to their survival and noting ways gardeners can protect these tiny wildlife. It includes tips on how to avoid bee stings.



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The Not-So-Secret Lives of Honeybees

Posted: Thursday, January 15, 2015
Synopsis:

It's no secret that Honeybees are American immigrants. Yet along with native bees, they descended from meat-eating wasps. All bees make food and flowers possible through pollination. This is the first article in a four-part Bees in the Garden series in the Everything Salvias blog of Flowers by the Sea. The series focuses on identifying and understanding bees, becoming aware of threats to their survival and noting ways gardeners can protect these tiny wildlife.



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