Does lavender attract bees

Bumblebees and lavender | OSU Extension Service

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While both bumblebees (Bombus spp.) and honey bees (Apis mellifera) are attracted to lavender (Lavandula spp.), the plant is more popular among bumblebees. Bumblebees’ long tongues allow them to efficiently forage from lavender’s tubular flowers and more quickly extract nectar than the shorter-tongued honey bees, which must jam their head inside the flower to reach for the nectar. University of Sussex researchers found that bumblebees spent on average 1.1 to 1.4 seconds per flower versus 3.5 seconds for honey bees – a significant difference when multiplied over thousands of flowers. Learn more about the study.

This piece is part of the collection Native bee interactions with plants

Photo by Candy Solovjovs

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Bee Friendly Plants to Have in Your Yard

Even if you aren't a beekeeper, there are still plenty of reasons to encourage bees to inhabit your garden or yard. Bees are great for flower pollination, most aren't dangerous (unless their hive is threatened) and, hey, some people even like the sound of murmuring bees on a summer day. Regardless of your reasons for attracting these helpful insects to your yard, here are 10 bee friendly plants that will also beautify your landscape.

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Plants for Bees: Lavender

If you ever wondered, does lavender attract bees, then you’ll be pleased to know it’s a great addition. Lavender is one of the most versatile plants on our list, ideal for gardens, pots, flowerbeds and anywhere else you want to include it. If you’ve grown lavender outdoors before, you know that it is popular among bees. If you want bigger, bushier lavender plants, then grow it in raised flower beds with good drainage—lavender hates heavy soils that stay wet for long periods of time. Here’s how you can also improve yard drainage.

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Plants for Bees: Oregano

As a general rule, common herbs like oregano, sage and basil are very attractive to bees when they flower. Oregano is best grown in a pot, where it is easy to control and harvest. Otherwise it can take over a flowerbed and grow into more of a problem than a useful herb. Keep it in well-drained soil and do not overwater. Here are some other incredible plants for container gardening.

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Plants for Bees: Lilacs

Beautiful, fragrant lilacs are always a good idea if you have the space—and it’s not hard to see why bees love them. Lilacs love well-drained soils and the sun, and they grow into large bushes over time, so leave plenty of space for these bee friendly plants to grow when starting your garden.

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Plants for Bees: Clover

We’re not talking about the clover that’s taking over your lawn, we’re talking about a larger flowering variety that is far more at home in your garden. While you may have to protect it from hungry creatures, bees will love it. Just remember to plant it more like grass and treat it like a groundcover (please don’t step on bees though) as an alternative to a lawn. These are really simple things you can do at home to help save the bees.

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Plants for Bees: Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle needs no introduction: Famed for its scent and orchid-like flowers, honeysuckle is an amazing addition to any garden among garden flower plants. They come in bush or climber form based on the variety, which gives you a lot of options for placement (growing them around patios or decks is common for the fragrance). Like lilacs, honeysuckles can grow surprisingly large after a couple of years, so take note of space.

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Plants for Bees: Sedum

For a swath of rich color in a flowerbed, nothing works quite like sedum—and it’s a common target for bees looking for a rich source of pollen. Plant seeds well apart and give them space to grow together over time.

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Plants for Bees: Hyacinth

Looking for something a little more bold and beautiful? Hyacinth is popular among bee species and is a great way to build up a flower bed worthy of showing off. Additionally, hyacinth plants are quite adaptable in terms of where they can grow, as long as the soil is well-drained. Plant these bulbs in autumn for best results.

Check out our mulch guide here.

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Plants for Bees: Bee Balm, Monarda

As the name implies, bees love the bee balm plant, and this spiky flower can provide some important exotic flavor to your yard. Unlike many of the plants on our list, the bee balm doesn’t mind wet soil and more marshy ground, making it more flexible when it comes to planting in clay or tougher soils.

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Plants for Bees: Aster

Aster can be planted in spring, doesn’t mind cool air and quickly grows into a bright and beautiful flower. These plants work best in a pot or similar confined space, which also helps when these bee friendly plants start to droop a little. Learn 10 crazy interesting things about bees you didn’t know.

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Plants for Bees: Berries

Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries…if you like growing berries in your yard, keep in mind that as long as they flower, the bees will like them, too. Note that not all varieties of berries will produce edible berries, especially in the first year of growth, so plan appropriately if you have your eye on the food aspect.

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Originally Published: March 13, 2021

Lavender honey plant, honey yield, cultivation features

Lavender is a honey plant that belongs to the labiate family (Labiatae Juss). According to various estimates, the genus Lavender includes up to 39 species, and taking into account interspecific hybrids and subspecies, the total number of the lavender genus reaches 90. In the territory of the former USSR, narrow-leaved lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill) is mostly grown. Lavender is a honey plant that is cultivated as an essential oil crop to produce lavender oil, which is used in medicine and the perfumery and cosmetics industry. Lavender is also widely used for decorative gardening in all countries of the Mediterranean and Black Sea basins. In addition to narrow-leaved lavender, broad-leaved lavender and Stahad lavender are cultivated to a lesser extent in different countries. Lavandin is also often grown. nine0003

Contents

Description of lavender honey plant

Lavender angustifolia melliferous plant is a perennial, evergreen subshrub, reaching a height of 60 cm, growing in the historical range on dry southern slopes in the regions of Southern France, Eastern Spain and North Africa.
Lavender root woody, densely fibrous, deeply penetrating into the soil, rather thick in the upper part.
Lavender leaves are opposite, sessile, the color of the leaves varies from dark to light green, sometimes the leaves are gray-green, linear or lanceolate, pubescent, at both ends the leaves are narrowed, with slightly curved down edges. nine0009 Lavender leaves on shoots persist throughout the year.
Lavender bush, as a rule, has a spherical shape, but there is also a shield-shaped and cone-shaped or dome-shaped bush, has about 400-500 lignified branching shoots, while the number of lavender shoots can vary widely from 300 to 1000 pieces per 1 lavender bush . Depending on the conditions in which the lavender bush grows, after 5-6 years, according to other sources, after 8-12 years, the old shoots dry out, and new replacement shoots form from the buds on the lower parts of the branch or from the root collar. nine0009 On average, one lavender bush lives 20-25 years.
Each main shoot of lavender ends with an inflorescence that has a spike-shaped or cylindrical shape, the inflorescence consists of separate multi-flowered false whorls, which are two semi-whorls oppositely located on the flower axis in which there are several flowers.
Lavender flower calyx cylindrical, ribbed, slightly widened in the middle part, five-toothed. On the entire surface of the flower calyx, as a rule, between its ribs there are eight-celled glands, which contain essential oils. These glands are clearly visible after flowering, these glands are a good indicator of the essential oil content of the plant. nine0009 The corolla of the lavender flower is falling, two-lipped, with fused petals, has four stamens, one pistil. The nectaries of a lavender flower are located at the base of the flower tube and are therefore protected from rain by a ring of hairs. Ovary upper four nested.
Dry lavender fruit, consisting of four dark, smooth and shiny nuts.
In general, narrow-leaved lavender has an extremely wide variety of morphological features - both in the shape of the bush and its height, and in the size of the leaves, in the color and degree of pubescence of the leaves, in the structure of the inflorescence, in the color of the flowers, and so on. nine0009 Lavender angustifolia can have two types of inflorescence - spike-shaped, while the number of flowers in whorls decreases towards the top, and also cylindrical, while the number of flowers in whorls along the entire length of the inflorescence is the same.
Lavender angustifolia has a wide variety of colors of flower cups and corollas. The color of the calyx and corolla usually coincides and can be dark purple, pink or white, and between these groups there can be a large range of transitional colors, when one color changes into another, but as a rule, dark purple color prevails. nine0003

The flowering period of honey lavender depends on the variety, because varieties that bloom early have been created, as well as late-ripening varieties have been created. Lavender is a typical entomophilous plant that is pollinated by bees, both honey bees and bees of other genera. Bees are strongly attracted to the fragrant nectar found in lavender flowers. In seed propagation of lavender, the characters of the original form of lavender are strongly split over a wide range of characters.
Lavender pollen ripening and anther opening occurs when the buds are still closed. The stigma of the pistil is already ready for fertilization during this period. Lavender pollen is sticky, small, 37-42 microns in size, not loose. When the phase of full flowering comes, the stigma of the pistil comes out of the pistil tube and during this period self-pollination of lavender is possible. Experiments carried out on lavender have shown that self-pollination under the insulator can reach 3-13%. nine0009 Lavender is propagated not only by seeds, but also by vegetative means. Lavender is easily propagated by stems and roots. Even in production, they try to propagate lavender by stem cuttings, which most fully preserve the biological and economic characteristics of the original variety during reproduction. Although even in this case there are rare cases of kidney mutations, which leads to the production of new forms that are different from the parent.
In production, they try to develop new self-pollinating lines, in order to obtain hybrids in the future. nine0009 Modern lavender breeding is aimed at obtaining varieties that would be distinguished by a large number of flowers, an extended flowering period, and drought resistance.

Lavender as a honey plant

Many beekeepers have a question - is lavender a honey plant or not, is lavender a honey plant? To which one can unequivocally say lavender is a honey plant, but lavender is a honey plant, and a very good one at that. It’s even strange why the question arises of lavender honey plant or not?

When does lavender bloom? nine0038

As a rule, lavender blooms in June-July, its flowering period is up to 40 days, but it is mowed earlier. The timing of flowering of lavender depends on the variety, as well as on the area of \u200b\u200bgrowth, the height above sea level also plays a significant role.
Lavender for bees provides pollen and nectar. Lavender flowers as a honey plant produce a large amount of nectar, so lavender flowers are willingly visited by bees.

Lavender honey productivity - lavender honey yield

Lavender honey productivity is very high, bees collect up to 150 kg of honey from 1 hectare. Some sources indicate that lavender honey yield ranges from 100 to 200 kg. The honey production of lavender will also be strongly influenced by the weather and the mowing period. nine0009 It is recommended to put 4-6 hives per 1 hectare for honey collection from lavender. But if there is a field of lavender, there will be bees on it much more than the norm. Lavender as a honey plant is a very good plant, in the Crimea, in one day a bee colony can collect 4-6 kg of lavender honey. In France, for honey collection from lavender, one bee colony can collect 40 kg of lavender honey.

What else can lavender give for bees

Lavender gives pollen for bees, bees collect a lot of yellow-orange lavender bees. Lavender pollen is also considered very valuable due to its medicinal qualities. So the lavender honey plant is also a pollen plant. nine0009 Lavender for bees is not only pollen and honey. Recently, one of the main enemies of bees is the varroa mite. Mites can also be controlled with lavender, as lavender flowers have a strong scent. Cut branches with lavender flowers can be laid out on top of the canvas so that the tick crumbles. In this case, either a mesh bottom is necessary to remove the tick from the hive, or paper lubricated with vegetable oil is spread on the bottom of the hive.
The smell of lavender cannot be tolerated by wax moths, so cut lavender sprigs can be used to store sushi. nine0009 Moreover, as some experienced beekeepers say, the smell of lavender is so strong that even wasps do not like to climb into hives with the smell of lavender in autumn. Therefore, sprigs of lavender placed on top of the canvas will not only help in the fight against ticks, but will also prevent wasps and hornets from attacking bees in hives. So lavender is a honey plant that will help keep the bees healthy.
But lavender as a honey plant has its own characteristics.
Features of lavender as a honey plant is that the main raw material in industrial plantings of lavender is an inflorescence with pedicels about 10 cm long. The best time to harvest lavender is the full flowering phase, when 75% of lavender flowers bloom. For this reason, industrial plantings are only partially suitable for beekeeping, because harvesters kill many bees when harvesting flowering plants. At the same time, not every farmer will put a bee repeller on his harvester, although the bee repeller itself is a simple thing, it is a metal arc that is installed in front of the disks or knives of the combine, when moving, this arc shakes the bees from the inflorescences and they fly away without falling under the knives harvester. nine0009 Due to the value of flowers, wild lavender plants are often cut off by tourists and locals to the roots, leaving no flowers for the bees.
In fact, with lavender as a honey plant, the same trouble as with sweet clover, sainfoin and other honey plants that are mowed during the flowering period. The recipe for lavender as a honey plant is the same - you need to negotiate with farmers and before mowing lavender, take the bees out of the field or use a bee repeller.

Lavender honey

Lavender honey in Russia is a very rare variety of honey, in Russia, in the early 1990s, the area under lavender was 600 hectares and then greatly reduced. Lavender honey in the Crimea was collected in small quantities. Traditionally, lavender honey is obtained in several regions of Spain and France, where lavender honey plants are grown on large areas. Therefore, in Europe, under the guise of lavender honey, a fake is widely sold - a syrup infused with lavender flowers.
Natural lavender honey has a pleasant taste and aroma and has healing properties, it belongs to the first-class honeys. nine0009 As of 2015, the price of 1 kg of lavender honey fluctuated between 70-80 US dollars, depending on the country of origin, and since then prices have not decreased. Lavender honey from Provence was sold at 72 US dollars per 1 kg and was completely redeemed by local restaurants. According to the beekeepers, the demand for lavender honey was 100 times greater than the supply.
More about lavender honey.

Video lavender in the apiary

Lavender as a honey plant agricultural technology

Lavender can be grown in the backyard, as well as small plots in vegetable gardens for personal consumption.
Lavender honey plant, as well as lavandin (a sterile hybrid from crossing two types of lavender) are very decorative plants, they are readily used to form a border, because they are durable and very beautiful. Planting lavender in the garden has a number of advantages - firstly, it will scare away various garden pests, while lavender is a honey plant, and therefore attracts bees to the garden. In Europe, plant lavender honey plants on balconies, together with other good honey plants (thyme and others) to create a honey base for bees in cities. nine0009 It should be taken into account that many varieties of lavender with increased frost resistance have recently been created. Therefore, there are varieties of lavender that do not withstand -5, and there are varieties of lavender that calmly hold -20.
Therefore, it is quite possible to grow lavender somewhere at the latitude of Summa - Kursk, there are reports of growing lavender in the gardens of central Russia. It is not necessary to lay a large field of lavender for essential oil purposes, but it is quite realistic and useful to create lavender thickets in the yard, arrange a beautiful border or flower bed, sow lavender on several square meters in the garden in order to always use dried lavender flowers. When the shoots freeze, the yield of lavender decreases and the plant may die completely. nine0009 Therefore, you will have to work hard to find varieties of lavender that would not only be frost-resistant for this region, but also have sufficient disease resistance and be decorative in order to have many beautiful lavender flowers and bees on it.
Considering that lavender honey plant grows in one place for a very long time up to 20 years or more, it is necessary to immediately determine the place for planting lavender.
Lavender is suitable for weed-free, loamy, chernozem, sandy and gravel soils with sufficient humus that have good breathability. Clay heavy soil with a close standing groundwater for growing lavender is unsuitable, as well as acidified soil. Lavender tolerates drought well, but it needs a lot of moisture to form a large number of flower stalks. For lavender, watering during the laying of growth buds is critical, this is in June-September, during the growing season, when peduncles are formed, this is March-April, and also with intensive growth and the formation of peduncles and flowers on them, this is May-June. But you can not strongly moisturize the lavender, its roots may disappear. nine0009 You can not overdo it with organic matter and nitrogen fertilizers, otherwise the lavender will have a large green mass, but few flowers, which is undesirable for lavender as a honey plant, it is better to feed it with potassium-nitrogen fertilizers.
Lavender is responsive to spraying in the autumn with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid and foliar feeding in the fall with a 0.1% solution of potassium permanganate + 0.1% solution of boric acid. At a flow rate of the working fluid of 500 l/ha.
Lavender responds positively to the rejuvenation of the bush. For decorative purposes, lavender is sheared twice a year, the first time after flowering, when the faded shoots are cut, and the second time in the fall to adjust the bushes. If lavender is planted in the northern regions for ornamental purposes, then pruning lavender is best done in the spring, because in winter the lavender can freeze a little and a spring haircut will adjust the strength of the bush. Once every 5-7 years, rejuvenating pruning is carried out, when almost the entire above-ground part of the bush is cut off, leaving only 5 centimeters above the ground. nine0009 It is rather troublesome to propagate the lavender honey plant with seeds, it begins to bloom only in the second or third year, plus it has all the disadvantages that are described above. Therefore, it is better to propagate lavender by vegetative methods, especially since it is then easily propagated from one bush by cuttings.
For this, in the spring-summer period, the best bush is selected from which green cuttings are cut. Until the end of the season, the cuttings are rooted, and then in the spring the lavender cuttings are planted in a permanent place. If the cuttings sit in a permanent place in the fall, then they must be covered for the winter. nine0009 Also, lavender honey plant is well propagated by layering.

How lavender honey plant is used in folk medicine

In folk medicine, lavender flowers and oil were used to treat cuts, burns, and purulent wounds.
The main component of lavender oil is linalyl acetate and its various compounds with acids, coumarins, linalool, ursolic acid tannins. Due to its composition, lavender oil has many properties and is used in medicine, perfumery, shampoos, creams, soaps, etc. nine0009 Lavender oil is used as a sedative, it is an excellent antiseptic with antispasmodic properties.
Lavender is used for nervous conditions, insomnia, general depression and depression. In addition, lavender increases the efficiency of the secretions of the stomach and intestines, improves appetite. It is used as an anthelmintic and choleretic agent, antirheumatic agent - lavender oil is used for rubbing.

Recently, more attention has been paid to aromatherapy and the role of lavender in it. Dry lavender flowers can be widely used for the manufacture of herbal pillows, aromatic baths, for aromatization of living quarters, linen. The smell of lavender helps to get rid of tearfulness, depression, hysteria, helps to cheer up, helps relaxation. nine0009 In case of asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, laryngitis and pharyngitis, doctors recommend inhaling with lavender.

Other uses of lavender

Thus, lavender is a honey plant that has found wide use in perfumery and medicine.
Lavender is also widely used in cooking, where it is used in a host of dishes, including teas, herbal drinks and others, as well as spices in some dishes.
Lavender is used to store woolen and fur products, carpets. nine0009 So plant lavender honey plant and just a beautiful and useful plant.

Lavender, fragrance of harmony - Flower delivery and balloons

Easy to grow, lavender is the star of our garden. Very popular in perfumery, it represents the key to harmony and sincerity in the language of flowers. A portrait of a flower that only has qualities!

Lavender characteristics

There are three main varieties of lavender. The real lavender that is most common in our gardens is Dutch lavender and lavender butterfly. All of them have good resistance to low temperatures, from -15 to -20 ° C. Lavender is valued for its abundant and fragrant blooms. It is a honey plant that attracts bees as well as insects and butterflies. Drought tolerant, they are also characterized by aromatic and resistant foliage. Lavender, finally, perfectly arranged in a bouquet .

Some care tips

With its delicate and fragrant flowers standing proudly at the end of its stems, lavender could claim to be difficult in terms of maintenance and other beauty tips. This is not the case as the plant is content with dry, poor or rocky soil to fully shine. For better retention, you can prune after flowering. In the garden, lavender can be placed in a rock, massif, along the edge or on the embankment. It is also possible to grow in pots with carbonated soil with sand or gravel. nine0003

History of lavender

Originally from the Mediterranean basin, lavender was already highly valued by the Romans for its fragrant and healing properties. It is said that the women of the good society of that time, to whom wine was forbidden, chewed lavender after secretly drinking the precious nectar so that their breath would not betray them before their husbands. Cultivation of the plant began to develop in the Middle Ages, but it was not until the nineteenth century that lavender entered the industrial age. After the opening of perfume shops in the Grasse region, lavender production enjoyed a moment of glory in the middle of the 20th century, but also experienced several crises. nine0003

Lavender in the language of flowers

The symbolic flower of the couple's harmony, lavender is associated with tenderness, respect and fidelity. In the home, its fragrance inspires peace and joy. Spreading his essence would be a great way to avoid family scenes and calm the little ones' mood swings. His bluish ears really invite contemplation and travel. However, offering lavender in a nascent or indefinite relationship is delicate, because the honesty expressed by the flower can express a certain awkwardness: “Do you love me? Answer my advances frankly! " nine0003

Many romantic legends hover over lavender. It used to be that it was enough to attract a sachet of lavender powder mixed with rose, mint and cinnamon to attract love.
In the past, vows of love were sealed before a bouquet of lavender. The flower is none other than the beloved famous Casanova, who claimed to be able to bring her many partners into a trance.
If lavender is considered a seasonal plant in the garden - it usually blooms from June to August - it can be found at florists throughout the year. nine0153

Possible use

● In perfumery
If lavender has always been used in perfumery, it is not only because the word is very close to the verb "wash", but especially because its flowers, even dried, retain their fragrance for a very long time. The artisanal production of lavender oil has now disappeared in favor of industrial production ranging from colognes to perfumes for men and body care. nine0003

● Medicinal properties
Unofficially, lavender is believed to have many therapeutic, antiseptic, soothing and even disinfectant properties.

Does lavender attract bees

Bumblebees and lavender | OSU Extension Service

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