Save bees: The right plants for a bee-friendly balcony

Pollen and nectar are vital for bees to survive. There are tips for the balcony and garden to counteract the extinction of species.

Bee death is a worrying issue. Every year entire colonies die from the effects of pesticides, which are used both in agriculture and in the home garden. The lack of plant diversity also contributes to the mass extinction of insects. Bees are extremely important for the ecosystem. Without their pollination, there would be neither the delicious honey nor the blooming flowers. Because they fertilize the plants and form fruit and seeds. To help the little aviators, everyone can make their garden or balcony bee-friendly.

Honey vs. Wild bee

A wide variety of pollinators are on the move in Germany. The honeybee is the most well-known type. As a useful bee, it collects pollen and nectar in order to produce the delicious honey in the beehive. Visually, it hardly differs from the wild bee. However, there are small differences in the behavior of the two species. There are more than 500 different species of wild bees. While the honeybee is mostly found in communities, the wild bee often prefers to live alone. Some of them also specialize in certain plants. For example, the May longhorn bee only collects pollen from butterfly flowers such as clover, vetch or alfalfa. To support as many species as possible, a rich selection of plants helps.

Plant wild perennials in the garden

Wild perennials, also called bee pastures, offer insects such as bees and butterflies an important habitat with plenty of food. It makes sense to choose early, medium and late flowering plant species so that bees can find nectar all year round. The honeybee is adaptable, but is still happy about variety. We recommend varieties such as borage, buckwheat, nasturtium, catnip, mallow, marigolds and sunflowers. For wild bees, on the other hand, autumn asters, yarrow, chamomile, scratch thistle, rabbit clover, fence wraps and fennel are suitable. Basically, the following applies here: the more varied the food supply, the more species of bees.

Let herbs grow

What many do not know: bees love herb gardens. They also look great on the balcony. Wild bees like to use sage and thyme, for example. Lavender, oregano, mint and lemon balm also serve as excellent filling stations for bees. Important: Do not cut too much when harvesting and leave any flowers on.

Trees full of nectar sources

Bees also collect nectar in shrubs and trees. Deciduous deciduous trees such as maple, sloe, chestnut and linden are available in large quantities. Fruit trees also benefit from the insects, because the quality of the fruit depends on the pollination of the bees, as does the size of the harvest. Apple trees are considered to be particularly bee-friendly.

Beautify the balcony with wild plants

Anyone who thinks that there is nothing good for bees without a garden is wrong. Even a window sill with flowers offers bees an important source of food. A balcony with wild plants is even better. They are not only hardy and easy to care for, but also beautify your home. But be careful: bees find neither pollen nor nectar in double flowers, they only look good. In the hardware store or garden center, pay particular attention to unfilled flowers.

Avoid poison

Any kind of poison can be fatal to bees. Anyone who has to deal with pests in the home garden should rather rely on beneficial insects such as ladybugs, lacewings, parasitic wasps or predatory bugs. These kill pests effectively and are available in the mail for little money.

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