Did you know that although bees are not colorblind they see color in a completely different way than humans? Bees use UV light to locate their food sources and will zero in on flowering plants that bloom in their favorite colors (meaning those most visible to them), which are yellow, purple, blue, white, violet and mauve. Flowers in these color ranges get the most attention from bees! Look at this amazing photo of a flower under normal view, and then under UV light. What a way to direct bee traffic right to the pollen source! (Photo Credit: Zachary Huang, MSU) To attract bees to your yard, it would make sense to plan your garden to accommodate flowering plants and bushes that will bloom in these beautiful colors. And, to keep the fun going all year long, planting a garden with a variety of seasonal blooms, from spring to fall, will keep bees and other pollinators returning to your garden for for their meals time and time again.   Planting for an early spring show! One of our favorite plants that blooms from spring to fall but which makes an especially pretty early spring showing, is Sedum. Sedum can be purchased in pots and easily transplanted into your garden. The best time to plant sedum is in the spring—after the threat of frost but before it gets too warm. This is a very hardy plant resistant to drought, deer resistant (a big issue for us, being out in the “woods”) and naturally the honeybees love it! With so many varieties of Sedum to choose from, you’ll have to do your homework, but just know that these leafy plants with their colorful blooms are a favorite of all species of pollinators, including bees and butterflies. And, best of all, they are a perennial, so you will enjoy these blooms year after year. Other early spring blooms to consider for your pollinator-friendly garden (but which differ slightly depending on your area) are: Gold Heart Bleeding Heart, Lilac, Clematis and Royal Star Magnolia…just to name a few. And, don’t forget to leave those dandelions and clover alone…they are a very important first source of food for bees in early spring. Thinking ahead, if you’re planning to participate in #NoMowMay this year, where you leave a portion of your yard (or the whole thing!) unmowed, you could designate an area in early spring that you will let go wild, including the dandelions. We know that some people prefer a perfectly-manicured lawn, and this is a happy compromise and one that will benefit the pollinators!   Late spring through summer… this is the prime-time show! As the weather warms up, so does the pollinator activity! Honey bees are collecting from the flowers in their own neighborhoods, and filling their hives with uniquely-flavored honey. Again, varieties of sedum will continue to bloom throughout the summer months adding colorful beauty and a plethora of visiting pollinators to your garden. In more northern areas, you can still plant sedum successfully at this time, as long as the weather is still on the cooler side, which aids in the sedum’s ability to quickly fill in an area of your garden. Have fun with your color selection! Planting with intention is great for the pollinators, but you also want something that is beautiful and balanced for your own pleasure. There are many online resources for planning guides in your area, and a little homework will go a long way in your planning process. Other colorful favorites you should consider planting to keep a variety of pollinators visiting your yard throughout the warmer months are Thistle, which is an annual but a big favorite of pollinators due to the abundant nectar and pollen, and Coneflowers, which are perennials that are also heat and drought resistant, and very easy to grow! Coneflowers are easily one of our favorite flowers because they bloom for months, are beautiful to look at and attract so many species of bird and pollinator. They make gorgeous cut flowers as well, when you want to bring some of that luscious color inside. Blue Globe Allium is another plant that beckons the bees from far and wide with its stunning blue color because it really stands out under UV light! And we can’t forget Bee balm, which is aptly named because it really does attract the bees! It blooms mid-summer to early fall and makes a beautiful transitional plant for pollinator gardens.   The late show! Autumn is what we call the late show, which includes flowers that bloom late summer through early fall. Fall flowers give bees their last big hurrah of nectar and pollen for the year and make our gardens pop with color until the cold winter creeps in. Autumn Joy Sedum takes the stage during this time of year. It kicks off with beautiful displays of pinks and rose colors, which slowly fade to lovely russet and mauve shades. By pruning Autumn Joy Sedum, you can cause the plant to bloom later, thereby lengthening the flower show in your garden. There really is no way to go wrong with these pretty plants as they grow well in almost all types of soil, except those that are very mucky, or clay-like. Other fall flowers that will feed the bees and which get a thumbs-up from us are New England Asters, which start blooming in August but continue to bloom right through October, and the stately sunflower which does the same.   Gorgeous and contrasting colors work well in a pollinator garden so have fun and start planting. We would love to see what you come up with! Share garden pics with us at info@littlebeeofct.com. We just might promote your photo on Instagram or Facebook. Follow us at @littlebeeofct where we post daily on our favorite honeybee-related topics including pollinator gardens! To shop our all-natural, made-from-beeswax selection of products, visit our website. Thank you again for supporting Little Bee of CT and the busy beekeepers around the world!

Two weeks are left in this glorious spring month and we want to talk a little more about how not mowing your lawn, for just one month, can really allow the wildflowers to bloom, which in turn will support the bee, and other pollinator, population. Here in CT, the buzz of lawnmowers is a weekly thing! Whether you mow it yourself or hire a service, the lawns in our state are generally well maintained and have the appearance of a freshly groomed golf course. But, what happens to the first spring flowers such as dandelion, red clover, violets, grape hyacinth, to name a few? Well, they get mowed over, that’s what! By holding off on mowing, even for these last two weeks in May, you’d save some time and some money, as well as the amazing natural resources that pollinators depend on. In the UK, The original Plantlife No Mow May campaign (Every Flower Counts) discovered that 80% of lawns left wild supported approximately 400 bees a day. 20% of the un-mown lawns were supporting 10 times that number of bees! We’re still blown away by those numbers.   Now on to the Big 4!   First great reason for postponing mowing until June: A pause from mowing will give the wildflowers a chance to bloom and in turn nourish the bee population with a wider selection of nectar. The more wild flowers you have blooming on your lawn, the more types of pollen and nectar they will produce. It’s a win-win situation.   Second reason to let the lawn grow wild: Reports show that the highest number of wildflowers, and production of nectar sugar, was found on lawns that were mowed just once a month, or every four weeks. That’s great news and a very easy way to diversify your lawns. Once you see what pops up in the unmoved areas of your lawn, you might want to permanently designate an area as a no mow zone and nurture it as a wildflower garden.   The third reason to put the biggest lawn chore on hold for just a little longer: Allowing your lawn to rest, and thrive naturally, even for a few scant weeks, actually drives up local bee populations and bee diversity! Makes sense right? More abundant pollen-rich sources means more bees coming to the party. (And they’ll bring some friends!)   And the fourth and last reason to give yourself and the bees a break this May: Okay, this is two reasons combined into one. You will either save the actual time of mowing (and we all know what a CHORE that is, OR you will save the cost of one or two weeks of hiring a lawn service. Spend that time and money on yourself and your family. A surprise treat for everyone involved right?   Bonus reason: A reduction in noise pollution! Many neighborhoods are buzzing so loudly with lawn mowers that you can hardly hear the birds chirping and the bees buzzing. A quiet weekend would be so welcomed!   Finding it very hard to end this blog post because… we have one more bonus BONUS reason for letting those wildflowers thrive: You can make some amazing recipes from dandelions. Check out this blog post and get creative with this very heart-healthy plant. We’ve also consistently sectioned off a portion of our yard and designated it as a No Mow Zone! We think our little bees are thanking us. :)    Check back here or visit us on Instagram or Facebook for updates.   As we mentioned in our prior #NoMowMay blog post from May 2020, bees are the livelihood of Little Bee of CT and so many other loyal beekeepers around the world. Without these busy, magnificent creatures, approximately one-third of our food supply would be jeopardized due to lack of cross-pollination. Don’t forget…not only do bees pollinate the food we eat directly, they also pollinate the wild plants, flowers, and clover used to feed the livestock our country depends on for meat. The pollination cycle is vast and has long-reaching implications if it’s interrupted.   Please share your results with us by mentioning us in your Instagram posts, or by sending us a message on Facebook. We’d love to see your photos and will choose our favorite to share on our social channels in June!  Thanks for supporting the bees and for supporting Little Bee of CT. Visit our site to learn more about our company and our products.

Regenerative Farming from ‘Organic’ to ‘Regenerative Organic’ – It Starts in the Soil What does ‘regenerative farming’ really mean? Well, It’s the process of replenishing nutrients in plots of land that have been exploited for decades and then ultimately repairing the damage. It can completely transform a landscape and return biodiversity to an otherwise starved landscape. It’s a new higher level of standard that must be met by farmers, and affects animal health, soil health and the wellbeing of humans. You can’t talk about regenerative organic agriculture without first giving a nod back to the organic foods boom in the late 1990’s. The Rodale Institute in Pennsylvania helped define the organic standards to which farms are held by the USDA. Rodale has also taken to rebranding the former organic philosophy as regenerative agriculture. The new certification is called “Regenerative Organic Certification”, which can only be given after a brand receives organic certification (under a USDA certifier). The term “regenerative organic” was coined by Robert Rodale, son of J. I. Rodale, former head of the Rodale Institute. “Rodale Institute maintains that regenerative farming holds the potential to heal nearly every dimension of our society. And it starts in the soil.”  — foodtank.com “Our Healing Begins in the Soil” Now, this particular topic is not specifically focused on pollinators and our ever-favorite topic of saving the bees, but when you get down to the root of it (pun intended), everything begins in our soil. The very things we need to survive come from the stuff. And, if our soil is suffering, so will the pollinators, our food sources and ultimately…us! This new agricultural standard is beginning to infiltrate all markets (even fashion and skincare) and is becoming more mainstream. It is not seen as a trend, but something that is here to stay. Thank goodness for that.   Regenerative Practices Will Heal and Repair the Land Large companies, such as PepsiCo, General Mills and Nestlé all have plans to put regenerative practices in place in the foreseeable future. These plans will affect millions of acres of land, and the farmers that work the land will receive the support they need to help them transition as well. The same article goes on to explain, “Regenerative practices biologically create more surface cover for plants, end erosion, and increase beneficial microbial populations near the soil’s surface, where plants grow. When the soil microbiome is healthy, it protects plants from droughts or pests and can even stave off pathogens by producing toxins that trigger the plants to defend themselves.” When the soil is healthy, the plants are healthy. And, when the plants we eat are healthy, they produce antioxidants which are the chemicals that have been shown to slow the growth of cancer cells and boost our immune systems. Regenerative Organic Certification is designed to hold brands accountable to this higher standard which will help the farmed soil yield healthier plants and allow the plots of land to regenerate faster and better than those treated chemically. Read about the 7 Principles of Regenerative Agriculture here. We can also call them the 7 P’s! Pluralism, Protection, Purity, Permanence, Peace, Potential, and Progress. Full details in the article above, and each one makes us smile. We find all of this very promising and exciting for the future of Planet Earth! We have to live in harmony with nature, not destroy it.   Other Surprising News Surrounding Regenerative Organic Agriculture There is so much to learn on this topic, and we are only scratching the very surface. This quote was also one that gives such promise for the future. The data is surfacing that shows such other benefits of regenerative agriculture practices. “Perhaps most significantly, the protection offered from healthy soils applies to the vitality of our economic systems too. The Organic Trade Association released a study identifying “organic hotspots” in the United States…counties that have high levels of organic agricultural activity… According to the study, the poverty rate for an organic hotspot drops significantly… median income increases by US $2,000…”. —foodtank.com “Our Healing Begins in the Soil”   We will end on this note…where it all began. The practices that now define regenerative agriculture began with indigenous people and their deep connections to the land they farm. This connection allows them to work with nature rather than against it. Their way of farming has always been an active learning process, without one set solution, which allowed practices and traditions to change and grow as the land around them changed. We see such similarity in regenerative farming processes building on this respect for the land and the sustenance it provides for us all. We are hopeful for the future it will provide for all living creatures.   Please visit us on Instagram or Facebook for daily posts and updates. Honeybees are the livelihood of Little Bee of CT and so many other loyal beekeepers around the world. Without these busy, magnificent creatures, approximately one-third of our food supply would be jeopardized due to lack of cross-pollination. Thank you again for supporting the bees and for supporting Little Bee of CT. Visit our site to learn more about our company and our products!