How to get more bees in my garden? - Ask Extension
Hello! I have a backyard turned into a dense and full and plush flower garden. Last year the beers and butterflies were plentiful. This year, while th...
Knowledgebase
How to get more bees in my garden? #879679
Asked August 01, 2024, 7:14 AM EDT
Hello! I have a backyard turned into a dense and full and plush flower garden. Last year the beers and butterflies were plentiful. This year, while there are more honey bees than ever before, there are fewer butterflies and bumbles. I wonder if a pollinator expert at MSU makes house calls to look at the garden and give advice. Or what possible changes from year to year can I make to increase the pollinators? I have all the pollinator flowers to attract (bee balm, milkweed, Joe pye, autumn sun, lack eyed Susan, butterfly bushes, catmint, daisies, hostas, cone flowers, lilies, sweet peas, and too many more plants to name). Any help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!!
Ingham County Michigan
Expert Response
Hello,
It sounds like you have a nice variety of plants that attract pollinators!
MSU Extension is not able to provide house call services for home gardens. Each year I hear from people who seem to notice fewer bees in their garden than the year before, and it's hard to know how much bee visitation in a given location varies from year to year.
Here are some resources that offer lists of plants to attract and feed pollinators throughout the season:
- Attracting Beneficial Insects with Native Flowering Plants has a chart of native plants that attract beneficial insects.
- Upper Midwest Pollinator Meadow by Xerces Society has several seed/plant lists in the appendix (scroll down).
You may also be interested in MSU Extension's Foundations of Gardening program.
Happy gardening!
