Jump to content
The Corroboree
migraineur

Ethnobotanicals for Bees

Recommended Posts

Which ethnobotanicals do you guys think are a good source of food for bees? 

 

I have some acacia floribunda and acuminata trees but I'm looking for others. 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Brugmansia. Always Brugmansia. Plant a few different cultivars.

 

Not only do they attract heeeeeaps of bees, but when it's a drizzly day and the foraging's hard work your bees will still work the flowers, hanging out underneath them like umbrellas, waiting for it to be dry enough to fly back to the hive

 

The resultant honey is not hallucinogenic, at least IME

Edited by Darklight
I shouldn't post before my second coffee
  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have one brusmansia in a pot in my back yard. 

 

I'm currently in Perth which has a Mediterranean climate and hot dry Summers. The front yard is a bit of a blank canvas at the moment and my front verge as well as my neighbours' verges could do with some more trees. In addition to finding plants that are a good source of food for bees I would also like plants that can handle Perth's hot and dry Summers. I think propagating a bunch of trees and offering them to neighbours for free to plant on their verges could be a good idea so that the street looks nicer and the heat island effect can be reduced. Given this situation I think acacias would probably be the way to go. I just need to figure out which ones would the best. 

 

Which acacias would you guys recommend? 

 

I came across a bottlebrush tree on council land recently so I took some cuttings from it and I have them under a fluorescent grow light inside. My plan is to plant at least one myself and give the rest to neighbours. However, given my interest in ethnobotany I'd also like to propagate and plant ethnobotanicals. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Might be borderline as far as being considered "ethnobotanical", but bees seem to love tulsi species, which produce flowers for many months. Places with large Greek communities often have them planted as hedges on streets & in public areas. Plants are perennial, heat & drought tolerant, respond well to heavy pruning; the leaves dry well & make great pesto. Even thought I only have a few plants, they apparently attract enough bees (mostly those nifty blue-banded native ones around here) to support populations of predators as well - a couple of solitary wasps, and plenty of praying mantises. I like them because they're a useful plant, but even if they weren't edible I would grow them just for the mantis population - they are such fascinating little beasties.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Rivea Corymbosa goes nuts and turns into a bee machine. Lovely little white/purple flowers. Keep an eye on it though :wink:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Bees love passionflower.

i am fairly sure they get sedated by the flower too.

have seen several bumblebees groggy, sitting on the flower.

more than once, they even fell off the flower when attempting to move....

landing right on the ground, too sedated to fly....

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Bees go crazy for the cacti pollen. There is so much pollen in a San Pedro or Dragon fruit, and heaps of flowers on large established plants. They must produce copious amounts of honey in flower season.

 

 

Bees have been found to get a "BUZZ" from the caffeine in coffee flowers, and return enthusiastically to get their daily/ hourly hit.

 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/even-bees-get-a-buzz-when-they-drink-caffeine-984974/

 

https://asunow.asu.edu/content/bees-get-buzz-caffeine-found-naturally-flower-nectar

 

 

 

 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

One ethno bees love and get a strong effect from

is passiflora incarnata .

many times I looked at the flower,

and there was a bumblebee so sedated it could not fly!

crawling very slowly and sitting a very long time.

sometines, even falling onto the ground!

the bees seem to like it a lot 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Lol that's cool, The native bees seem to like tricho flowers but they appear to really love tabacco plants, they swarm on them, i don't know if they get effects from it, i haven't observed any unusual behaviour.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×