By Cheryl Jahn

Bees bouncing back after tough spring

Jul 17, 2020 | 6:05 PM

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – The wet, cool spring has been a challenge for local beekeepers.

“A lot of beekeepers lost bees this spring because it was cold and wet. And coming out of winter, the clusters were small. They just didn’t have the mass to keep the brood warm. So there was a fair amount of loss this year,” said bee inspector Barry Clark.

On the other hand, as the bee inspector for the Ministry of Agriculture, he sees a lot of hives and he is seeing a lot of swarms. He has had five swarms himself this week, and two during our visit.

“That’s actually a sign of healthy bees because they’re building up and they’re getting crowded in their quarters and that’s the way bees reproduce in nature. The old queen leaves with half the bees and finds a new home.”

And you can plan to have some things in the garden that attract bees.

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“You can grow certain things,” says Birthe Miller, Master Gardener. “We have borage and hyssop and lavender and oregano and thyme. Herbs really bring them in because they flower. And the flower throughout the summer. Another thing you can do is always have something in your garden that is flowering, right from the springtime. Like your haskaps are the first things that flower even before the leaves come out. And then through, your apples and cherries and your currants and things like that. And then the potatoes are blooming. Stuff like that.”

“Bees love herbs,” says Clark. “Chives, thyme. If you can let them flower. That will work great.”

And having bees in the garden is critical to the success of the garden. Without them, many of the fruits and vegetables we grow would not produce all the wonderful things we like to eat.