Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
ALMOST BEEKEEPING - RELATED TOPICS => GARDENING AROUND THE HOUSE => Topic started by: MrILoveTheAnts on May 17, 2010, 07:52:19 pm
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Bees working some plants in the garden. I get so tired of reading about good nectar plants for bees only to buy it not see a single bee on the thing. So I figured I'd post video evidence that they like things so people can see how big or how much it takes to get their attention.
Hallow Stem Joe Pye Weed, Eupatorium fistulosum.
Bees on Joe Pye Weed.MOV (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz2UDA_I8XA#)
Goldenrod, Solidago gigantea I believe.
Goldenrod Bees.MOV (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg0hZZx7WfQ#)
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Them girls love their goldenrod huh ?
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Oh yes, that variety even more so than others because it blooms so much later in the year. Goldenrods tends to bloom based on height. So the smallest species tend to bloom in July, this one and it's 11 feet or more glory blooms in November. It's probably the only thing blooming that late too.
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that must be an HD cam. The close up clarity on the joe pye weed is really nice.
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Very nice videos.
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I notice there's a complete lack of videos on youtube regarding this subject in general. I hope to change that. Not just bees but butterflies too. You read about so many plants being "Butterfly Plants" but they don't go into any detail on the label. Liatris for example is one such butterfly plant, but the one so commonly sold in stores blooms way to early in the year to get their true potential. L. spicata blooms in June or July, while most other Liatris species bloom in late summer right when the Monarchs start migrating south.
Butterfly Plant Minneapolis (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mw7xRuy35NM#)
This isn't my video and I believe the owner has improperly identified their Liatris. I believe it's actually L. ligulistylis. Bees like it too but they're usually to caught up working other plants.
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What is the name of that verity of goldenrod that gets so tall ?
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To be honest I don't know. Originally I had a butterfly bush planted there, and I got rid of that before it got to tall. But while I was removing the butterfly bush I noticed a cane that looked different. So I removed everything but that one cane and in the fall time I found out it was a goldenrod. Solidago though is a very diverse genus with species from around the world and a number of hybrids do exist. The tallest one I could find is Solidago gigantea but that's said to get 7' tall (shorter than the one in the video). For now S. gigantea is my best guess. It also has things in common I think like stem color and leaf orientation.
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I have never seen it so tall and the bees look like they are going at it 10/1 compared to the Joe Pye video.
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That's probably because of how late that goldenrod blooms. It's likely the only thing besides a few asters and tropical plants left out that are flowering. As for the Joe Pye Weed if you notice most of the flowers haven't opened yet but there are still a fair amount of bees. It's also good at attracting butterflies. I usually harvest honey from my hives right after the Joe Pye Weed has bloomed for a week or two, usually in July.
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Butterfly Weed Honey Bees (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koXV2N5z0q4#ws)
A yellow form of Asclepias tuberosa. The true orange and other forms work just as well as do most other Milkweeds.
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Buttonbush Buzzing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD73NJW55kk#ws)
Buttonbush. Honey Bees aren't big for this bush but butterflies and bumblebees love it. The flowers are lightly scented, mean you have to put your nose up to them. They're good for poor drainage (they'll grow in 4 feet of water) and shady areas.
Allium sp. Buzzing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi2YiJKnuBs#ws)
Onions. It takes a few of these to get pollinator attention. Even then I never really see more than one pollinator per giant ball of flowers.
Goldfinche on a Sunflower (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=291Ndm2nQPs#ws)
Sunflowers. Not a video of pollinators but an added benefit for people that grow them. Goldfinches!
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Wonderful videos, Thanks for sharing the fun
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I have a video of my girls on Borage going nuts!! But its a really long video of my whole garden and don't know how to shorten the video. Any ideas?
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Again nice videos. Last year when I planted sunflowers I never saw any gold finches but I sure did have the blue jays. It was funny to see such a big bird trying to hang upside down to get the seeds.
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St. John's wort (Hypericum sp.) Buzzing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeBtyHVukeE#ws)
This was at Pope's Nursery here in NJ on the Old White Horse Pike. This is St. John's Wort, though the species is unclear. We have dozens of native species in the Hypericum genus along with two wide spread nonnatives. I believe this was a native from how puffy the flowers were but I might be wrong. They grow about 4 feet tall and get slightly wider as you can see. Dry conditions are best I read and full sun of course.
I was so impressed by this plant that I bought one. (A 3 gallon potted shrub, for $15.00 was a great deal too!) Upon planting it in my yard the Honey Bees were quick to find it.
Last year when I planted sunflowers I never saw any gold finches but I sure did have the blue jays. It was funny to see such a big bird trying to hang upside down to get the seeds.
I'd say keep at it. The first year we planted a sunflower patch we only saw a single gold finch off and on. The second year that increased, and this was consistent for the third year but during their migration south we had a day where several dozen of them were out there.
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Well I had a big post all typed out and for what ever reason I got a no connection when I hit the "psot" button. Thank you for starting this post, I have enjoyed it. I want to video my bees, well someone's bees, all over my cat mint and the salvia. Once my Anise Hyssop bloom the bees forget about the cat mint and stay on the hyssop. The liatris I planted last year is up but blooming. The Sea Holly I planted this year is blooming but no bees on them, blooms are really small. I will try to figure out how to upload a video and get it posted.
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Blue Globe Thistle, Echinops ritro (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIi8_Q-o6QY#ws)
Though not native and the very definition of "weedy looking," Blue Globe Thistle, Echinops ritro, gets a fair amount of pollinator action.
Cup Plant, Silphium perfoliatum (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6Oc5L6TG5o#ws)
Cup Plant, Silphium perfoliatum, is native but it's also pretty weedy. Plant with caution. a good alternative would be the classic patch of Sunflowers.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/mrilovetheants/Plants/CupPlantEasternTigerSwallowtail.jpg)
Swallowtail butterflies also love them.
Anise Hyssop, Agastache foeniculum (part 1) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI6U3SusCyI#ws)
Anise Hyssop, Agastache foeniculum (part 2) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSvsRPBuNEE#ws)
Anise Hyssop, Agastache foeniculum, is by far one of the best sources at this time of year. They're a native perennial, will reseed in the right type of soil, and look great in the garden.
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I think your right about the anise hyssop. Mine are covered in bees. My cat mint whcih is usually the best all year round does not seem to have the attraction right now. Sea Holly not showing any signs of attraction or is the Liatris. Great videos keep them coming.
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Thanks for sharing these!
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Clethra alnifolia "ruby spice" Summer Sweet (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3QKp5QK7Ak#ws)
Clethra alnifolia. Don't let this video of 3 bees on this shrub fool you, it's just the best I could do given the weather and the plant placement. I have two of these shrubs planted next to each other out front, they smell great even from a distance, but they're right under the eves. All that snow we had this past winter bent the branches downward so it doesn't look that great. Here is a http://www.google.com/images?q=clethra%20alnifolia&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1024&bih=587google image search (http://www.google.com/images?q=clethra%20alnifolia&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1024&bih=587google image search) to help my case here.
Anyhow, this shrub gets to be about 8 feet tall and, when it's that big I've seen plants swarmed by bees.
VA De Md Deer Resistant Shrubs... Clethra Alnifolia Summersweet Sweet Pepperbush 215 651 8329 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frZVk0D7McU#)
Here's some plant nurseries Ad for the plant and you can see bees love it. It's native to the eastern US, and best of all it's one of the very rare shrubs (sun or shade!) that blooms in mid summer.
"Ruby Spice" is a cultivar featured here that has pink in the flowers. The true species has solid white flowers.
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Rattlesnake Master, Eryngium yuccifolium (part 3) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjE95Ww7_UA#ws)
This isn't necessarily a "good" nectar plant. I've never seen a honey bee on the thing and I'd even say it's rare seeing bees pollinating it. Somehow or other this plant gears towards wasps, specifically wasps that are specialized predators. Scoliid Wasps that specialize in grass root eating grubs, and Hunting Wasps that specialize in hunting spiders are just a few that this plant attracts.
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Don't know what it but the bee's love it.
Movie_0001.wmv bee's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88LLyz8fulI#)
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Irwin, that looks like Russian Sage.
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I have a video of my girls on Borage going nuts!! But its a really long video of my whole garden and don't know how to shorten the video. Any ideas?
I use windows movie maker and find it easy to use.
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Wow we are in such a drought right now. Is anyone seeing bees working anything?
One plant I believe that is flowering now that should be covered in bees is Sanguisorba canadensis. Canadian Burnet. But I don't know anyone with this plant.
New England Asters are just starting to open, and I'll hopefully have a video of them soon.
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I still have bees on my cat mint. The clematis is just starting to bloom and the bees are already trying to get to the nectar.
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Sedums a Other Late Summer Flowers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeLUmist_Yo#ws)
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Great videos, keep them coming. I have bought a couple of native wildflower ID books lately just so I can look up stuff I see blooming. Then I go around in the late Fall and collect seeds. I was doing that even before getting the bees as I was (and am) trying to reestablish prairie on areas of my property.
I started along my road, I must be successful because little "prairie plants, do not spray" signs popped up along with the flowers this Spring! :-D (Our state has a roadside prairie planting program, so either someone was nice or the guy with signs thought the state did it. In either case I love the signs!)
JC
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New England Aster, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QioDRaAMIjA#ws)
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Apparently when I posted the Liatris ligulistylis I offended the author by correcting their ID. I received a nasty letter saying "YOU ARE WRONG" and now the video has been taken down by the author. Oh well, thankfully over the past year plenty of people have planted Liatris ligulistylis and put up their videos. This plant seriously is a Monarch magnet.
monarchs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAtcQ5Re_pI#ws)
Blooms mid to late summer.
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Have this video of neighbors cactus flowering that was attracting all sorts of honey bee action weeks ago. Not sure what kinda cactus, maybe someone in southern California or SW states might have as well? Also having Queen Palms blossoming & attracting the bees now. Still working on getting better video.
Early Morning Cacti Flower Bee Forage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXzH-j6YSMo#)
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New England Aster, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (part 2) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpQAJ3hE9tk#ws)
This is a New England Aster a little bit past it's prime but still getting lots of attention.
Tall Goldenrod, Solidago altissima (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-5MmMFL9fw#ws)
What I've identified as Tall Goldenrod, Solidago altissima, if finally blooming out in the yard. This years theme seems to be tall perennials falling over and this Goldenrod, (10' tall!) is no exception. This is probably the latest plant to start flowering (short of a heather of some sort) and it's getting lots of attention.
Bumblebee queen on Solidago altissima (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJDbbZ3K9Qk#ws)
I also noticed a few Bumblebees that are likely next year's queens.
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I have a video of my girls on Borage going nuts!! But its a really long video of my whole garden and don't know how to shorten the video. Any ideas?
You bet they do. We believe Borage is what has made our honey so delectable. Once you get it going it grows like a weed.
If you can send me a file I might be able to chop it up for you. I have some video software. Let me know if I can help?
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Bees (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSDecZ6KDBs#)
Dalea purpurea (purple prairie clover). I've never seen this plant get that big before or grow that dense. I'm guessing this is multiple plants all growing together.
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Coltsfoot - One of the earliest forage plants in Zone 6 Ohio.
Coltsfoot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR66J0N_ub4#ws)
Video was shot on 12 March 2011
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Apple Tree Buzzing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8Jp7m5KOmU#ws)
Really any tree will work provided it's not wind pollinated. Even then some trees like Willows are still raided for pollen as it hangs freely for the taking. I'm unsure about nut trees though. I know Honeybees are great for Almonds but how do they fair with other nuts. I believe Acorn trees have both male and female flowers on the same tree but the more commonly eaten varieties seem to keep the genders separate. Regardless of the tree, having an orchard or forest certainly helps.
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I am just dropping by to thank MrILoveAnts for posting this special thread. I am extremely appreciative. Chasing after Diva honeybees has made me pretty exhausted after averaging $300 every year trying to buy so-called bee attractive-rated plants for my rose garden and failing miserably, lol! I am looking forward to more upcoming videos from everyone. Someday I need to take video of the honeybees that swarm my local nursery's English holly or any other decorative gardening plant that has the beehive potential without being an invasive plant in of itself. I am testing out a self-pollinating holly bush hybrid because a "true" holly would get too large for my garden. But that is a different issue that I'll bring up in a different thread (the concerns that overhybridization can lessen bee attraction). So far I've been quite unlucky in that at the time my newly bought holly started blooming we were attacked by rains and honeybees are very afraid of rain. It takes about 2 days of clear weather it seems before the honeybees start to arrive to a new bee magnet plant. I had just one clear day, and indeed a honeybee came, so hopefully she hasn't forgotten me and will bring the rest of her sisters.
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Wasps on Mountain Mint (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOfXpu4kSHc#ws)
Pycnanthemum sp. About a month ago this plant consistently had about 4 honeybees at a time. It's a standard 3 gallon pot. As with most mint plants, I find honeybees lose interest after the first month that they flower. I'm not sure what draws their attention away.
Swamp Milkweed (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U_vJjHRufE#ws)
Asclepias incarnata, normally this plant has multiple stems so it was odd to find this single stemmed form. Everything looks fatter than normal. There were other A. incarnata plants growing in this field that had more stems or were a mix of the two. Very different than what's sold in nurseries.
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I was at a nursery today and stumbled upon a strange plant that caught my eye. It was a cultivated milkweed; Asclepias Incarnata ‘Milkmaid’. It was a tall scraggly plant with fairly non-descript white flowers. Nothing to write home about. The nursery had 2 of these plants for sale.
What immediately caught my eye about this plant was not the looks, but the fact the thing was COVERED with monarch butterfly caterpillars! I mean covered. The one plant had just about all its leaves chewed up. I bought the other plant along with about 6 monarch butterfly caterpillars that were feeding on it. I’m just amazed the dudes and the nursery hadn’t noticed all the caterpillars before.
Don’t know if it will attract any bees yet, but is sure attracts the monarchs!
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Milkweeds usually do great attracting bees, but I always recommend people have 3 to 5 plants (in 3 gallon size for each). That way there's plenty of milkweed to go around. The Monarchs won't nibble them to the ground, and they'll flower enough to get lots of pollinator attention. Be sure to plant A. incarnata someplace where it's slightly wet. It's the black sheep of the milkweed family in that it wants to grow around water, while other species such as A. tuberosa love being bone dry and are completely care free.
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Milkweed is for monarchs. Don't get rid of your milkweed. I believe the bees like it too.
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Went on day hike in Southern Callif. in canyon near San Gabriel mountain foothills & heard & seen bees foraging on buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) & scale broom (Lepidospartum squamatum). This video has a Tarantula Hawk joining in on the pollination/nectar gathering:
Foraging Tarantula Hawk & Honey Bees (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcwd36o_bk0#)
Uploading the buckwheat now & will post momentarily.
Cheers, AMR
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Buckwheat still holding up late summer & bees loving it:
Honey Bees Foraging Southern California Buckwheat (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOyQXN4MCvg#)
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Liatris microcephala Buzzing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGfFYZ3ZlOE#ws)
I was at a wholesale nursery this week and found the bees all over this Dwarf Shooting Star. Liatris microcephala is one of the smallest species in the genus, though I'm not sure how common it is to see it making clumps as big as what's in these pots. I'd love to know if anyone knows if that's typical and how many years it gets to be like something that big.
The honey bees were also all over assorted Russian Sage, Sage, a white flowering Mint that looked more like Catmint, and just about everything else that resembles Anise Hyssop now that we're past it's peak bloom.
Also this year I've planted a number of different Aster species. Specifically within the genus Symphyotrichum, but honeybees are passing right by them for their prized Symphotrichum novae-angliae, New England Aster. I already have several videos of that plant with honeybees all over it, so we don't need another at this time.
I have lots of Goldenrods too but I'm not seeing a lot of Honeybees working them yet either. And I find this surprising. They seem to favor Canadian Goldenrod, over Showy Goldenrod, 'Golden Fleas', ZigZag, and 'Fireworks'. Tall Goldenrod, Solidago altissima, has yet to start blooming here but when it has in the past it's always been a honeybee favorite.
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hehe, movie magic music too! :-D Liatris microcephala looks very lovely.
MrILoveTheAnts, I also looked up your Symphotrichum novae-angliae, and I will have to get this plant. :rainbowflower:I'm beginning to understand that honeybees are just crazy about certain shades of purple....
I am also needing taller plants besides climbing roses to help hide all that bare space beneath my raised patio too, and it seems that Symphotrichum novae-angliae would be the perfect height.
Merci beaucoup!
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This sweet fragrant bushy shrub started flowering w/ early rains this late October & bees are just loving it by the evidence of the harmonious symphony of buzzing while I passed by this deer resistant plant.
Shrub Marigold, Mexican Bush Marigold, Mount Lemmon Marigold, AKA Tagetes lemmonii (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcjChlBkn0g#)
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Bottle Brush AKA Callistemon citrinus Bee Forage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN0DeEmH9gk#)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callistemon_citrinus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callistemon_citrinus)
Seen the bees still foraging from October. Rains & colder days have kept this shrub/small tree going & new seeds are forming. Ants even on the flowers but my video portion of camera not able to capture. Let me see if can post photo here.
Bottle Brush AKA Callistemon citrinus (https://picasaweb.google.com/117290221471744577880/SouthernCaliforniaFloraAndFauna#5675327844607220834)
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Very nice both of them. Here on the east coast we have Bottlebrush Buckeye which has white flowers. I'm not sure if honeybees go to it but these plants are very popular with butterflies and hummingbirds.
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Mr.ILuvAnts glad you enjoyed seems ants & bees are crossing paths.
Caught this spectacular ant video here & has ant takeover of hive:
ANTS - Nature's Secret Power (Full) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-gIx7LXcQM#ws)
Here is a carob tree I caught Nov 12th w/ the bees a buzzing for the flowers. After rains the bees were out in forces w/ audible buzz (unfortunately camera didn't catch more details). Not sure if were male or female flowered.
Mid Nov Autumn Honey Bee Forage in Carob Trees (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoKQkU-Jw3A#)
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:bee: Looks like a great collection of videos. I'll be back to watch more. :bee:
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Alternate Leaf Dogwood, Cornus alternifolia (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xRwLQR-V58#)
Alternate Leaf Dogwood, Cornus alternifolia
I found Honeybees using this little tree as a pollen source. And I can't complain about the amount of flowers.
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Bees & Hairstreak butterflies on Asclepias speciosa milkweed, Somerset, CA 6-11-12 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgK9K4m2Ugc#ws)
Here's someone's video with Honeybees on Showy Milkweed, Asclepias speciosa; it's a western species.
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Honeybees on Native Plants (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bTNX2IWlnQ#)
More Milkweed, Mountain Mint, and Buttonbush started getting attention this week. Anise Hyssop started flowering too but so far the bees aren't interested. I'm sure that will change in a week or so.
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Bees & Hairstreak butterflies on Asclepias speciosa milkweed, Somerset, CA 6-11-12 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgK9K4m2Ugc#ws)
Here's someone's video with Honeybees on Showy Milkweed, Asclepias speciosa; it's a western species.
Somerset Ca is pretty close by to my house, but I have never seen any thing like this growing around near me. Probably someone planted them?? Not native to this area I believe.
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Bees & Hairstreak butterflies on Asclepias speciosa milkweed, Somerset, CA 6-11-12 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgK9K4m2Ugc#ws)
Here's someone's video with Honeybees on Showy Milkweed, Asclepias speciosa; it's a western species.
Somerset Ca is pretty close by to my house, but I have never seen any thing like this growing around near me. Probably someone planted them?? Not native to this area I believe.
Showy Milkweed (http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ASSP&mapType=nativity&photoID=assp_002_ahp.tif) is native to all the western US. It probably grows best in irrigated ditches along the road.