Bee-friendly In celebration of World Bee Day, which was held on 20 May, here are 5 bee facts and 5 bee-friendly flowers
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Honeybees are responsible for pollinating a third of the fruit and vegetables we consume.
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A strong colony of around 60,000 bees will travel the equivalent distance from Earth to the moon every day.
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In their lifetime, 12 honeybees will produce a teaspoon of yummy honey for us to enjoy.
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Bees can cover an impressive three miles in one trip foraging for nectar.
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Honeybees must gather nectar from two million flowers to make 454 grams (one pound) of honey.
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4DORSET June 2020
Leading honey brand Rowse has collated 5 flowers to plant for a bee-friendly garden – from lavender to sunflowers. These plants thrive in summer but are also beautiful additions to any garden. Planting certain seasonal flowers is kind to the bees and you’ll enjoy a ‘bee-autiful’ garden as a result. Rowse is passionately spearheading positive change for the bees through Hives for Lives, a program of vital initiatives that protects the bees and improves livelihoods through beekeeping. Borage Borage is an annual plant which grows very quickly from seed. This plant also re-seeds itself, so can easily be grown the next year simply by allowing the seedlings to grow, or they can be transplanted. Borage is a hotspot for honeybees because its flowers replenish nectar often. Therefore, our buzzing friends can frequently and reliably return to feed. For this reason, borage attracts other insects like butterflies too.The beautiful blue flowers that bloom on borage are the perfect addition to a summery cocktail or mocktail. Young borage leaves also add texture to fresh salads.
Fleabane Fleabane belongs to the daisy family. This delicate British wildflower can be planted in grass or flower beds. Fleabane produces a mass of lovely white flowers that may be tinged by lilac or yellow, with a sunny centre that entices honeybees, bumble bees, flies and butterflies. A perennial plant that flourishes from late spring to autumn, fleabane is an oasis for honeybees at cooler times of the year when flowers are sparser. This lowmaintenance plant is ideal for filling bare spots beneath shrubs and trees, or along path edges.
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