"Ivy, often maligned as a garden pest, is vital to honey bees and other pollinators seeking food in autumn, new research from the University of Sussex reveals.

The research, carried out by scientists at the University's Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects (LASI) is published online today (26 April 2013) in the journal Insect Conservation and Diversity.


Honey bees returning from successful forage trips perform the waggle dance to tell nest mates where to find nectar and pollen-rich flowers (the dance indicates the direction and distance to the flowers). Researchers video then decode the waggle dances and use the data to find out how far bees fly, where they go to and what types of plants they are feeding on at different times in the year.

The main findings were:

• On average 89 per cent of pollen pellets brought by worker bees to hives were from ivy. There was no difference between hives located in an urban (Brighton) versus a rural area (University of Sussex).
• 80 per cent of honey bees foraging on ivy were collecting nectar not pollen.
• Ivy nectar was high quality, with a lot of sugar (49 per cent).
• Ivy flowers are visited by a wide range of insects, such as late-season butterflies, hover flies, other types of flies, wasps, bumble bees, and the ivy bee (a bee that specialises on ivy). Insects were attracted to ivy flowers in large numbers in both urban and rural areas.
• Ivy is common and available to insects in both town and countryside."

The honey and the ivy: Why gardeners' foe is the bees' friend
by Maggie Clune

  "Bee expert Marla Spivak is concerned about the pesticides known as neonicotinoids, but also about other threats to bees that are much easier to pronounce: Viruses. Mites. Drought.

A recent New York Times article about the alarming decline of bees discussed all of those. But Spivak, a professor in entomology and director of the Bee Lab at the University of Minnesota, homes in on a broader problem: a lack of flowers.

'We really have a flowerless landscape out there, and bees need flowers for good nutrition,' Spivak said Monday on The Daily Circuit. 'If bees have good nutrition, and a lot of pollen and protein coming in and nectar coming in, they're better able to fight off these diseases. And it helps them detoxify some of the pesticides. We really need bee-friendly flowers out there, everywhere.'



"A caller from St. Cloud said she was planning her garden for this year, and asked what seeds she could plant to help the bees in her area. 'Go with the native perennials,' Spivak advised. 'All of those native plants that flower are great for bees.' She listed some by common name:

•Prairie clover.
•Mountain mint.
•Bee balm.
•Milkweeds.
•Late season asters and goldenrods.

Milkweed is also good for monarch butterflies, Spivak said. And 'Honeybees really like clover and alfalfa and buckwheat,' so people with enough land to plant should consider those."


With hives in sharp decline, expert calls for bee-friendly flowers
from: minnesota.publicradio.org

"For most people, the buzzing sound of bees is a caution to keep your distance.

"Even though they are armed with intimidating stingers, bees play an important role in our ecosystem by pollinating flowers, fruits and vegetables and keeping our crops growing from year to year.

“'I have never been stung by a honeybee. The only thing I have ever been stung by is a brown hornet if I disturb their nest. Other than that, they will never sting you,' she said. 'If you are stung by a bumblebee, it is because it went down your shirt and got confused; it did not attack you. Yellow jackets are nasty creatures, but you will only get stung if you go near one of their nests. Honeybees are just so nonaggressive.'"  Carver's Claire DeLoid.


Carver's Claire DeLoid encourages residents to preserve bee habitats
By Brittany Burrows

"What would a garden – or farm – be without bees? A lot less fruitful. Honeybees account for about 80 percent of all insect pollination. Understanding bees and their needs makes it easier to help them help us.
"Favorite plants for bees include: aster, seaside daisy, lavender, California lilac, coneflowers, poppies, yarrow, cosmos, oregano, thyme, rosemary, roses, buckwheat, sage, penstemon, snapdragons, morning glories, sunflowers, tower of jewels and golden rod.
"Bees need pollen sources most of the year. If planting a bee-friendly garden, choose plants that bloom a long time. Mix several different kinds of plants to extend the bloom season from early spring until winter. Group similar plants together (ideally, in clusters 4 feet across); that makes it easier for the bees to find them."

To bee or not to bee – there's no question
– Debbie Arrington

Plant these seeds to attract deer and the bees will thrive as well.

Sweet clover: "Sweet clover is a fine source of nectar and pollen for honey bees. Usually both yellow and white are used by beekeepers because yellow may bloom as much as two weeks before white, and a combination of the two extends the flowering season."- White, Ladino and Sweet Clover, Jimmy C. Henning and Howell N. Wheaton, Department of Agronomy

Alfalfa: "Alfalfa is a perennial plant in the important family of bee plants, the legumes. From alfalfa, the bees collect both nectar and pollen." - Alfalfa in Bloom, Richard Underhill

Buckwheat: "I have two small plots currently in buckwheat. They total about .6 of an acre. They were planted June 8th.....so as of today they are almost exactly 6weeks old.
The crop is bountiful, as you would expect with all the moisture & heat we've been getting. Coincendentally my neighbor has allowed a beekeeper to put about 12boxes 50yds off of my property line. (a blessing, I know).
Well, you simply cannot believe the buzz coming off of the plots at about 10am these mornings. You can hear bees from nearly 40yds away. And when you step up to the side of each plot the air above the plants is alive with bees flitting from one blossom to another." - ...Buckwheat & Honey Bees.... fairfax1