Bees An Important Part Of Your Garden

    “The men of experiment are like the ant; they only collect and use. But the bee...gathers its materials from the flowers of the garden and of the field, but transforms and digests it by a power of its own.”- Leonardo da Vinci
   There are so many gardening proverbs and maxims about bees. For centuries they have been revered by gardeners and for good reason. Did you know there are over 320 different types of bees that live in Florida and over 4,000 in the whole United States? We didn’t.
   There are so many resources on pollinators these days we hope you will enjoy reading about the “Bees of Florida” in a two-page guide to some common bee groups and species you may encounter in Florida that can be found easily on the IFAS website.
   A few of the bees we learned about are the cuckoo, sweat, leaf cutter, bumble, carpenter, long-horned, plasterer, and mining bees. The article said most honey bees in Florida are just feral European bees that have migrated away from their agriculture hives.
   Although not all bees are famous for making a bounty of honey, they all work for the cause of pollination and keeping our gardens in natural balance. Think twice before spraying your yard with pesticides as over 320 different types of bees can call your yard home if allowed to.
   We enjoyed getting some pollinator pictures from Anne Rosecrans of Paisley this week. Her pictures included a happy bumble bee on purple salvia, a bee on a mimosa flower, a bee on coreopsis, and a green bee on a portulaca flower. Anne even tells us that water lilies attract their own special type of bees. Who knew there was so much to learn about bees? William Shakespeare wrote a poem about bees, we have all heard the saying about being as busy as bees, and Abraham Lincoln was quoted as saying "If you want to gather honey, don't kick over the beehive." It seems that there is always more to learn about bees in the garden. Thanks, Anne for inspiring us to learn more.
   Grow what you can, and share with friends who are getting started. Once again, my thanks for the beautiful garden pictures you all share; keep them coming. Please send us pictures of your garden, critters, blooming plants, vegetables, fruits, and garden projects to hollynewby1@aol.com or mail them to P.O. Box 1099, Umatilla, FL 32784. We love to share the fun in the garden with others. Keep growing…