May 20 is World Bee Day. An important day to remember, because the bee population is declining rapidly. With these tips you can save the bees with flowers and plants on your balcony.
It has been a negative trend for years:the bee population is declining rapidly. The reasons for the massive deaths of the bees are very diverse. From environmental pollution to pathogens and from pesticide use to excessive breeding (although the latter sounds rather contradictory). Unfortunately, more and more people are opting for a low-maintenance garden, where bees cannot find food.
The loss of the bees has devastating consequences for humanity. After all, without bees, little or no pollination takes place. Without bees there are no fruits and vegetables. Pollination is the basis of the diversity of plants and crops.
Every year the call to help the bee grows stronger. It is therefore not surprising that a World Bee Day has even been created. This day was created by the UN to draw attention to the importance of bees and pollinators in general. It is not just any day, because the date is derived from the birthday of Anton Jansã, the pioneer among beekeepers and beekeepers.
It is precisely because bees and other pollinators are so important that we must help them. You don't even need a garden for that. Because you can also save the bees with bees and flowers on your balcony. You can already take this into account when you are going to furnish a small balcony.
If you want to make a positive contribution to the bee population, it is very important to design your balcony bee-friendly. You can do that through several things.
Whether it concerns chemical fertilizers or means to combat ants or flies, for example, it is all disastrous for bees. So don't use this. Also make sure that you do not use peat soil for balcony plants, because that too is harmful to pollinators.
Do you want to use your balcony to grow vegetables? No problem! Vegetables are also very good to help the bee population. Preferably choose vegetables that are organic and blooming. For example, you can plant zucchini, pumpkin or beans on your balcony. But cucumber and tomatoes also bloom and are therefore useful for pollinators.
A little color on the balcony can't hurt. And if you do opt for flowers anyway, choose long-bloomers and a diversity of flowers. The greater the choice of flowering plants, the more attractive your balcony will be to bees. Do you have a garden? Make sure there are many different flowering plants.
If you have a little more space on your balcony or have access to a spacious roof terrace, you can even plant a real bee tree there. The bee tree, also known as tetradium, is a beautiful eye-catcher thanks to its colorful flowers. But the tree didn't get its name just like that. The flowers attract bees from far and wide.
The flowers optimally saturate bees. Three flowers of the bee tree provide enough food for a bee to fill its stomach completely with honey.
Bees need not only flowers, but also water. So put a water fountain on your balcony. By the way, the bees don't just need the water to drink. The water is also used by the bees to cool the hive in the summer.
The sound of calmly lapping water is also soothing. Ideal if you enjoy a staycation on your own balcony this year.
Do you also have a garden in combination with your balcony? Or just a garden? Then you can simply make your garden a lot more bee-friendly by adding a few accessories. Think of:
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