During the first few weeks of the season we are asked about the lack of bees on the lavender. The plants can be a bit misleading, as the inital colour starts to show while the lavender is still in 
bud, this means that the bees don't have anything to feed on. As soon as the flowers begin to open, the bees appear as if by magic.
bud, this means that the bees don't have anything to feed on. As soon as the flowers begin to open, the bees appear as if by magic. All bees love lavender, but if you look closely you will see that there are many more bumble bees than honey bees. Bumble bees have longer tongues than honey bees, this means the honey bees struggle to reach the nectar through the narrow lavender flowers. You will see approximately 10 times as many bumble bees as honey bees on the lavender. A bumble bee will spend about 1 second on each flower, honeybees will take about 3 second to get the same amount of nectar. Try watching some bees and see how quickly they feed before moving to the next flower!
All bees are struggling to survive, planting lavender in your garden is one way you can help them.
1 comment
I thought the bees may not show as our lavender seemed weak but it just took a bit longer for it to bloom. Now the bees are here in droves and it’s a beautiful sight to watch.