My garden plants this year needed BEES

[GOPAPA]

I have one watermellon plant so far no watermelons on it ,, I have one cantilope with one soft ball size melon on it,, my crooked neck squash has lots of big leaves but no crooky's on it ,,

Where did the Bees go? Maybe the farmers who sold their land for homes to be built on them do not have hives no more ,, any way that's my thoughts about it..

[Dead Parrot]

I planted some gourds, cantaloupes and pumpkins. I mostly see bumblebees visiting those deep flowers. Plus a couple of hummingbirds. Have several gourds but they are easy to see as those plants climbed up the dead cedars I used as a cheap trellis. Grass is too tall to easily spot cantaloupes or pumpkins. This year was an experiment to see if they would grow. One spot, they are growing like crazy. A different spot, the ones that survived are barely 2' tall. Next year, the crazy grow spot will get some pre-season clearing.

The land clearing for development probably got any natural hives.

[Getter-Done]

I don't have a garden anymore.
I used to years ago.
The people I work with, that have gardens, they're having the same issue.

[69cam]

Probably too late for you now but, we planted a few (6-8) medium sized sunflowers in and around the garden. Now we always have bees. I have also seen people place a small glass of store bought honey near the garden. seems to attract them, and ants.

[Getter-Done]

Originally Posted by 69cam

Probably too late for you now but, we planted a few (6-8) medium sized sunflowers in and around the garden. Now we always have bees. I have also seen people place a small glass of store bought honey near the garden. seems to attract them, and ants.

The sunflowers really work.
I used those tricks I learned from my Grandpa.
Marigolds are a Huge bee attracter also.

[kwmech]

Outside of our garden we have planted a couple different varieties of lavender which helps bring them in. This year I am not mowing as much as I usually do and letting the dandelions grow. My wife also plants marigolds right in with the plants ( they are supposed to repel ants, seems to help) But even with that we are seeing the same thing with a loss of crops. We do however see bees in some of the flowers in the morning when we water. But our yield is way down also

[GOPAPA]

I remember a lady back when I was a boy telling my mother that when she gets home she was going to take the corn broom and beat her plant vines and stir up the pollen ..

[joedoh]

my fruit trees only fruit 3 of 5 years, usually 2 years in a row, then nothing, then fruit, then nothing etc. we had pears and apples 4 years running and just no pears this year (although its an apple rust year this year :/ ) so around here it seems bees are still around. no local hives i know of.

[68bowtie]

Our garden went crazy this year.

Melons

Eggplant

4 pepper varieties

3 tomato varieties

***Sunflowers*** (the big 12-foot kind with a 16-inch head)

Pluots

The cherry tomatoes were the wildest, one picking we got nearly a gallon full from one plant.

[NJ68stepside]

Good tip about the sunflowers. I’ll be planting a bunch next year. I don’t have much of a garden. But lots of other flowering plants/trees and a half dozen hummingbird bushes.

[68bowtie]

Is this kind of like not having to outrun the bear, you just need to outrun your buddy.

You don’t need there to be a lot of bees, you just need a big ass sunflower to steal your neighbors bees. Lol

[72supr]

Do you know you can rent bees? I do not know much about it only what the beekeeper that has hives on my land has told me. They are not aggressive and do not require much work. I think he called them Mason Bees.

[GOPAPA]

I do have big ol sunflowers and if I had planted earlier the bees that come and work over my crab apple tree might of been enough to take care of my garden ,, but even at that , my neighbors all have said that they have plants that are all vine and no fruit this year. too.. Just one of them off years I guess... . I am babying my one and only cantaloupe all the same by golly!