Broom heather does not always provide bees with as much food as other heather varieties. That's why the highly cultivated versions of this heather are not very friendly to bees and so choose a variety that does more for the beneficial insects.
How useful is heather for bees?
Variants of the common heather (Calluna vulgaris) are usually sold commercially as bud heather. These cultivated varieties arenot bee-friendlyCommon heather with open flowers, on the other hand, offers bees plenty of nectar and pollen. Wild bees in particular feed on this heather.
Why isn't bud heather useful for bees?
When heather buds remain closed, they provideno food for bees. The insects literally have no access to the flower. Since the buds are visually appealing and make a fresh impression for a long time, the common heather is often specifically bred into a budding heather with its summer flowering period. This development is extremely bad for the supply of bees. If you want to provide the insects with a bee pasture, it is better to switch to a different type of heather.
Which heather is better for bees than common heather?
Use heather withopen flowersand auseful flowering period Some heather varieties bloom in late summer. With this flowering period you provide bees with a large food supply at a time when no large fields are otherwise in bloom. This is an important benefit that heather offers to bees. There are also varieties of snow heather (Erica carnea) that bloom at the beginning of the year. Even in the period from January to April, the food supply is extremely useful for the insects
Which heather provides food for bees?
With thewild form of the common heather you can provide food for honey bees and wild bees. The flowers of this hardy heather have not yet been bred into common heather. The plant has open flowers that are accessible to insects and also promise good nectar value. The wild form of the common heather also produces a beautiful pink to purple flower color in your garden during the flowering period.
Tip
Plant in sand and leave the location alone
The common heather is quite easy to care for. If you have chosen a suitable location, the heather plant usually grows quite well even without your intervention. A permeable substrate with sand offers sand bees a natural habitat. This type of bee likes to create brood chambers for nesting underground next to the heather. The bee also feeds exclusively on pollen and nectar from the heather.
