what are honeybees liking best in your garden right now?

[rainbowgardener]

In my garden a little bit ago it was the wild grape vine. But now the big patch of iron weed is blooming and honeybees LURV it!

ironweed 8-2015.jpg (102.89 KiB) Viewed 884 times

ironweed 3.jpg (72.2 KiB) Viewed 884 times

I don't know how visible it is, but there are honeybees in bottom left and top right of the middle picture

ironweed 2.jpg (83.75 KiB) Viewed 884 times

Hard to count, but there were at least 6 honeybees working the ironweed clump at one time and of course many other fliers.

[applestar]

I REALLY have to get one of those. I keep saying that every time you post about the ironweed.

In my garden, I think it was the Buttonbush a little while ago and now Summer Sweet and Joe Pye Weed. I imagine Virginia Sweets had their attention at some point, but I don't remember when. Oh, and squash. C.maxima are done, C.pepos are mostly done, but the C.moschata varieties are still going strong.

I need to deadhead the Joe Pye Weed since most of the flowers have faded. Mints and hardy ageratum are starting to bloom so those will be next, I think.

[Marlingardener]

Our bees are working the horsemint and dwarf ruellia in the pasture, and the zinnias in the yard. This is our "brown and crisp" season, so the bees' diet is limited.
I definitely need to look into ironweed--sounds like something that could survive Texas' climate!

[rainbowgardener]

Watch the roadsides. Mine started as one plant I dug up from a roadside and has spread a whole bunch since then. But come with a sharp shovel. They have a tap root and do not dig out easily. Might be easier to watch for one that is setting seed.

It spreads slowly, not invasively. Mostly the clump gradually gets bigger. This year for the first time one popped up on the other side of the walkway, but my guess would be the roots just spread under the pavers.

[BirdLover]

The bumble bees are all over my orange poppies. And they love the dandelions in my no-chemical "lawn", which makes me want to keep it that way. There are some other types of bees as well. Mason bees perhaps.

[rainbowgardener]

The map of native distribution of ironweed is very strange:

http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=VENO (you have to scroll down a bit)

Native to the whole eastern third of the US from NY to Florida plus New Mexico (not TX or any place else). But if it can handle NM, it seems like it could handle TX. It is listed for zones 3 - 9.

[Susan W]

Is this question only for honeybees?! I have bumblebees and small native bees, and a few honeybees. Neighbor across the street has a hive. I see a few honeybees, some hanging around wet dirt getting a drink, and around some flowers.

[Marlingardener]

Susan, bees don't want to drink water close to home (don't ask me why). We have butterfly watering stations--shallow bowls filled with gravel--and we occasionally see bees there, about 1/2 acre from their hives. We had ice left over from a get-together, and I set it out in a circle around a couple of fruit trees about an acre from the hives, and as soon as the ice started to melt the bees were all over it, getting drinks.
We have mason bees also, and big, slow, adorable cedar bees that have no stinger and just bumble around the garden doing whatever cedar bees do.
Keep an eye out for your neighbor's honeybees--they forage for three miles, so you are probably one stop on their daily path to the good stuff!

[imafan26]

Basil, sunflowers, alyssum, dragon fruit, and fennel for the honey bees. lavender and verbena for the carpenter bees. If you water early in the morning and the foliage is wet when the bees come it is an easy way for them and the butterflies to lap up some water too. The bees are not that active now, they don't like to go out in the rain or extreme heat. On cloudy days, I don't see as many coming out. The bees have been busy fanning the hive though trying to keep it cool. I think right now they would like to be under a nice big shade tree.

[pinksand]

I have various bees enjoying my sunflowers and many different varieties of agastache.

[rainbowgardener]

Yes, the agastache (anise hyssop) is a really good bee plant. Not to mention that it is very nice in herbal tea blends. I have about a pint of dried anise hyssop to use for teas already.

[Susan W]

I am no expert on bees, but certainly happy to see the varieties including bumblebees, native bees and of course the honeybees. The honeybees getting our attention, a good thing. The bumblebees and native bees (many species of both) are also having numbers issues.

A few blooms that catch attention -agastache Anise Hyssop (other varieties should be great also) has bumblebees and native bees, cucumber leaf sunflower (many smaller blooms) has the small bees, monarda, salvias, Mexican sage, Russian sage, and others, chive blooms, both regular and garlic, coneflowers and so many more.

For me, if one sees a variety of bees in the yard, doing something right for the environment.

[imafan26]

When the mango, citrus, macadamia nut, and avocado trees are in bloom the bees are all over them. Right now some citrus may be in bloom but the others are finishing their season and won't bloom again unti next year.