How to get started with bee hives?

[peggyanneau]

Would love to have bees in our garden...vthey seem to gave disappeared in the last couple of years. Just got inspired by "The Living Room" featuring the Aussie bees and would live some help getting started. Thank you

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @peggyanneau. It's fantastic to have you join us and many thanks for starting the discussion.

The best way to attract bees to your garden is to provide a food source and don't use pesticides. Try to use plants local to your area and Australian natives are perfect. Including a variety of species with a diversity of colours is great too. Planting in clumps that flower throughout the year makes it easier for the bees to known where to find food. Some natives that bees find particularly attractive are banksia, eucalypt, bottlebrush, grevillea, lilly pilly, hakea and tea-tree.

You might like to take a look at these previous discussions:

• Native bee and pollinator house by @mich1972

• Would you share your backyard with bees? by @Isobel

• Native bee hives by @kagey

• pest control when you have bees by @Tracie10

We carry a range of products which can be used to attract bees to your garden. You should also find this article helpful: How to attract bees and butterflies.

I'd encourage you to either follow @mich1972's project above or consider building a bee hotel. I've included some pictures below of a few I've built.

Please let us know if you have any particular questions or if you need further information.

Mitchell

[mich1972]

@peggyanneau 

I highly recommend making your own Native Bee Hotels. Very simple and easy. 

it is so important we look after our Bees , whether they are Native or Honey Bees. 

By planting flowering plants high in Nectar to attract these important Pollinators into our gardens. Also not using chemicals in the garden that can kill them.