Herb Planting for Bees

Here is my list of ideal herbs for bees!

Borage
I have read that borage refills with nectar every 2 minutes! This is exceptionally fast. No wonder all kinds of bees love it!

Catmint (Nepeta)
Note, cats love it too!)

Chives
Allow them to flower. You can still clip a few of the stalks for cooking.

Comfrey
Another excellent flower for bees – refills with nectar approximately every 45 minutes.

Hyssop
Attracts bees and butterflies.

Lavender
Choose different varieties for a prolonged season.

Sage
The sage family of plants are wonderful for bees and other pollinators.

Thyme Marjoram/Origanum
Thyme can also be used to create a small patch of lawn. The fragrance and look are beautiful. Butterflies like thymes too.

Mints (Mentha)
Bees love the flowers, but I have read that some beekeepers apply mint oil diluted with water to their beehives to deter wax moth. I am aiming to place a pot of mint close to a bumblebee nest when I next find one, to see if it helps bumblebees too.

Lemon Balm
In the past, beekeepers would rub a handful of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) inside the hive after hiving a new swarm, in order to help the swarm settle and to encourage them not to leave the hive. Rubbing hands with the leaves is also claimed to help prevent bee stings!

Fennel
Also popular with seed-eating birds and hoverflies. Find out how to grow Fennel here.

Angelica
Pretty herb loved by a variety of bees and hoverflies.

Wild Bergamot
Long tongued bees especially, enjoy this pretty herb.

Woundworts
Pretty flowers loved by bees.

Betony
Another great bee and butterfly plant.

Myrtle
Gorgeous shrub loved by bees and other insects.

Rosemary
Excellent early food source for bees.

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