Category: Planting For Pollinators

Categories
Planting For Pollinators

Saving Bees With Vitex

It’s summer and Honey Bees are all over the trash cans, it’s dearth time in Texas. Saving Bees With Vitex, if planted enough, could keep bees out of trash cans.

Donate

written by Bee For Life Foundation

Bee For Life Foundation gets hammered with calls about bees out of control . Honey Bees are swarming drink and shaved ice stands all across the State.

Dearth time (the time of the year when there are no blooms) is the middle of July to early September, a period when hardly any native plants are in bloom. Desperate for carbohydrates, the Honey Bees are attracted to any source, mostly dumpsters and trash cans.

Saving Bees With Vitex
Saving Bees With Vitex

But the Vitex Tree will fill that gap. I mean, just look at those alluring pollen and nectar rich Purple flowers. This tree is going to bee loaded. Lol

Vitex is not just for Honey Bees, this small tree provides nutrition for many other invertebrates. Bumblebees, Sweat Bees and a multitude of Butterflies, including Monarchs, also frequent this tree.

Saving Bees With Vitex
Saving Bees With Vitex

Vitex (Agnus-castus) is also known as Texas Lilac, Chaste Tree, Monk’s Berry, Monk’s pepper, Lilac Chaste Tree, Chaste Berry, Lavender Tree and Abraham’s Balm.

Family Lamiaceae and Order of Lamiales, Vitex is native to the Mediterranean region. It’s sub-tropical origin makes it a wonderful addition to Zones 6 through 9.

Saving Bees With Vitex
Saving Bees With Vitex

Vitex also has many health benefits, especially for Women’s health. Vitex Tree’s are definitely a great choice to consider planting.

Bee for Life Foundation is Dedicated to Saving our Pollinators through preserving and building Natural Habitats where they will thrive, and educating others about the Bees and other Pollinators needs.

Categories
Planting For Pollinators

Devil’s Claw Many Benefits

Considered a weed and despised by Farmers and Ranchers. Learn more about Devil’s Claw Many Benefits.

Written by

Bee For Life Foundation

Donate

Devil's Claw Many Benefits
Devil’s Claw Many Benefits

Devil’s Claw, otherwise known as Unicorn plant, Boot catcher, Devil’s horn, Hoof hooker and Ram’s horn has the scientific name Proboscidea parviflora.

This plant has large spade like leaves and thick stems that quickly suck up moisture and holds it to keep the plant hydrated during the long hot summer months.

Devil's Claw Many Benefits
Devil’s Claw Many Benefits

Being a Native plant to the south west it provides a source of protein and carbs for Honey bees and Native bees. Devil’s claw blooms just in time to help pollinators in the summer dearth (a time of no blooms or limited blooms).

Furthermore, Wild Turkey, Deer and sheep will graze the young flower heads when fresh grazing is not available. Devil’s claw is resilient and will produce more heads after grazing.

Devil's Claw Many Benefits
Devil’s Claw Many Benefits

It’s trumpet like flower has a runway for bees to follow to the flowers sexual organ, aiding pollination.

Young, tender seed pods are edible for humans akin to Okra, just a bit more bitter. Wash your pods with water and boil for 2 minutes. After boiling you can saute them in butter for a wild treat. Seed from the wooden seed pod can be ground and used as flour or flour additive.

Medicinal are as follows, PLEASE CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE USING DEVIL’S CLAW.

Tubers and roots are dried and ground for use in many over the counter dietary supplements. Some say that Devils Claw has helped with migraine headaches, back pain, gout, arthritis and chest pain to name a few.

Remember, when it comes to wild foods do your own research and always consult your Doctor.

This post is for educational purposes only.

 

Categories
Planting For Pollinators

Crepe Myrtles For Bees

One of our most liked summer flowering tree is the Crepe Myrtle. Looking  to incorporate Crepe Myrtles For Bees in your landscape?

Crepe Myrtles For Bees
Crepe Myrtles For Bees

Lagerstroemia, named after Magnus von Lagerström. Better known as the Crepe Myrtle, a beautiful summertime bloomer that attracts many pollinators. In the South this tree provides nectar and pollen at a time when nothing else is in bloom.

We call this the Summer Dearth (a scarcity). Many insect pollinators would starve this time of year without flowering plants or gas station trashcans.

Crepe Myrtles For Bees

One way a non beekeeper can recognize a dearth is when hundreds of honey bees converge on gas station and home trashcans. Pollinators are looking for simple carbs and there are no plants blooming.

Anyway, Crepe Myrtles bloom from early summer to the first frost which fills the nectar gap in our local plant species. A great choice for anyone wanting a pollinator landscape.

Crepe Myrtles For Bees
Crepe Myrtles For Bees

Not a native plant to America, Crepe Myrtle are native to parts of Oceania, northern Australia, southeast Asia and India. Found in Southern United State in municipalities landscapes.

Crepe Myrtles come in many different colors and are tolerant of most soil types. Crape Myrtles prefer full sunlight, but can handle some shade.

Crepe Myrtles For Bees

Although Crepe Myrtles are champions of the South’s brutal summers, The great Texas freeze killed quite a few exposed trees. Including Crepe Myrtles.

There is a lot of misinformation on the net about bees only working the White Crepe Myrtle. Simply not true, I have personally seen all sorts of bees sucking the flowers dry on all colors of Crepe Myrtles.

Any Questions you may have please use our contact page. Also, check out our purpose statement

Image by huey3800 from Pixabay

Quick tips for Crepe Myrtle care. They don’t need much, just some fish emulsion once a month. that’ll get em growing fast. Also, cut the suckers off. To continue the bloom just cut the seed heads off.