If you pay attention to the news much (or fancy yourself an environmentalist), you’re probably aware of how important bees are to our environment.
Bees are responsible for pollinating about a third of all the plants we eat, and if they disappear it can have tremendous negative effects on the entire food chain. After scientists started studying Colony Collapse Disorder, the world started to realize just how important bees were to the ecosystem.
As a basic way to help create a safe environment for bees in your own backyard, it can be helpful to plant more herbs that attract them. As an added bonus, growing your own herbs has plenty of personal benefits as well when it comes to cooking in your home kitchen. Without further ado, here are 10 herbs you can grow in your garden that bees love.
1. Marjoram
Marjoram, also known as oregano, is an aromatic and delicious herb which has a mixture of pine and citrus flavors. You can use it in a wide range of dishes though it has particular application in Italian cooking. As it turns out, it also is very attractive to honeybees and bumblebees!
2. Mint
Everyone’s familiar with the uniquely light and refreshing flavor of mint—but it’s also incredibly easy to grow. Still, if you plan on growing it, it may be better to let it have its own pot rather than just putting it in the ground (to protect it from encroaching weeds). When it’s ready to pick, you can add mint to a chocolate-based recipe or to some of your summer cocktails.
3. Chives
Though we often don’t use them in the kitchen for whatever reason (as they’re a more specialized version of herbs we do use), chives can be a delicious topping on eggs and other dishes. They are closely related to garlic, shallots, leeks and scallions, and provide a deliciously light oniony flavor to top off all kinds of dishes. Because they produce so much nectar, they’re also a popular target for any roaming bees in the area.
4. Fennel
Like the others on this list, fennel is fairly irresistible to pollinators (and can grow quite tall if you let it). Anyone cooking with it would do well by pairing it with seafood, or perhaps by sprinkling it into some homemade coleslaw.
5. Borage
Although borage is a little bit more unusual to use in food, it can provide some delicious pops of flavor to some of your salads and cocktails in the summer. They have a taste that is somewhere between a cucumber and honey. Regardless, these “starflowers” are very attractive to bees looking to pollinate.
6. Rosemary
Another herb that is indispensable when it comes to Italian cooking, rosemary is a many-needled plant with a delicious, honey-flavored taste (mixed with pine and other earthy tones). In the wild, these plants grow blue flowers that attract bees—be sure to plant these in a place where they’ll get plenty of sunshine!
7. Sage
Sage is another flavor that can go a long way in the kitchen, with leaves that provide a fragrant and warm taste that goes very well with all kinds of meats. Just like rosemary, it also grows purple flowers that bees find irresistible.
8. Hyssop
Have you ever used hyssop before in your kitchen? Though this is one of the less common herbs on this list, it’s one of the most attractive ones to bees and butterflies. If you’re going to cook with it, use just a little bit in your cooked dishes and try using it in tea as well.
9. Lemon Balm
As its name suggests, lemon balm has a delicious citrusy aroma and is very easy to grow. When it blooms, it looks quite a bit like mint does with plenty of little sprouting leaves. If you’re going to use it in the kitchen, try mixing it into a pesto sauce or serving it with some fish.
10. Thyme
Along with sage and rosemary, thyme is one of the most widely used herbs in the kitchen. As with some of the other spices listed, thyme goes with a wide variety of foods from many different cuisines (though Italian food is a big one). As with all the others, these little plants produce purple flowers that bees simply can’t get enough of.
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Sources: Buzz About Bees, Ideal Home, The Conversation, Country Living
