Supporting pollinators in the garden is so important for the natural ecosystem and for producing vegetables and fruits. Even if you don’t grow food, you should provide plants that encourage pollinators to support their numbers, which in some instances are dwindling. Choosing the right plants is important, but equally crucial is avoiding plants that are harmful to bees or simply unappealing.
Bees are among the most important pollinators to support because their numbers have dropped due to a phenomenon known as colony collapse. If you want to help bees by providing nectar-producing flowers, it’s essential that you choose the kinds of blooms that attract them.
Bees see a lot of colors, including ultraviolet, which humans cannot see. They do not, however, see red very well. Red flowers are not plants that hurt bees — they simply won’t attract them.
An entire group of plants that will not attract bumblebees or honeybees are the cucurbits. This includes cucumbers, squashes, and melons. Feeding on cucurbit pollen can actually harm bumblebees and limit reproduction.
Cucurbits do have pollinators, otherwise they would not produce fruit. But, if you are actively trying to attract and support bumblebees and honeybees, avoid these in your veggie garden.
Plants bad for bees in more direct ways include those that are toxic. Avoid these at all costs to prevent harm to you friendly pollinators. Some members of the Tilia genus (lime trees, or linden) are toxic to bumblebees. When they feed on these species, they experience a narcotic effect and might even die. Safe species of Tilia include small-leaved and large-leaved lime, or linden. Toxic species include weeping silver lime, Caucasian lime, silver linden, and Chinese lime.
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