Everyone has probably seen them at one time or another, the cornflowers. With their blue flower color, they are hard to miss and prefer to shine out of grain fields. Are they valuable to bees?
Why are cornflowers important for bees?
Cornflowers are particularly valuable for bees because they have a high nectar and sugar content and are therefore an attractive source of food. In addition, bees help pollinate these plants, and the bright blue color effectively attracts bees.
Do cornflowers attract bees?
Bees are almost magnetically attracted to cornflowersIf they have the choice between several flowers, they would usually choose the cornflowers. Therefore, you are absolutely right if you want to do something good for the bees and plant cornflowers in your garden.
What value do cornflowers have for bees?
The reason why bees like to fly to cornflowers is the high content ofnectar in the flowers. In addition, the nectar of cornflowers is extremely rich in sugar. This high sugar content makes the flowers particularly attractive and tasty for the bee world. They are therefore considered bee-friendly. The bees find a source of food here that supplies them with energy for a long time and in the process prefer to leave the flowers of other plants unattended.
How do bees help cornflowers?
While the cornflowers provide nectar to the bees, the bees in return help the cornflowers withPollinationThe pollen supply of cornflowers is considered to be moderate. The bees are the perfect pollinators and ensure that the pollen is carried from flower to flower and that the plant can later produce plenty of seeds. This means it is able to reproduce on its own every year. In addition to honey and wild bees, bumblebees and butterflies also make a contribution.
Why can't bees miss the cornflowers?
The cornflower, which used to be considered a weed, simply cannot be overlooked by bees due to its blue color. It literally shines at them from a distance like a signal fire and beckons them over. Because of their intense blue color, these composite plants are also known as cyanides.
Which cornflower varieties are ideal for bees?
There are now a lot of breeding varieties thatall of them are suitable for bees. The following varieties are known:
- ‘Blue Boy’
- ‘Blue Ball’
- ‘Red Lola’
- ‘Pink Ball’
Don't be surprised if you come across the name Cyanus segetum in stores. That's what cornflowers are sometimes called.
How to create a bee pasture with cornflowers?
The best way to get a bee pasture is toSowingthe cornflowers. The cornflower seeds are sown directly into the bed in March. A sunny to semi-shady location is important to them. Good neighbors are poppies and daisies, as they create an exciting contrast to the blue flowers and are also often visited by insects.
Since the cornflowers are extremely easy to care for and can even handle poor soils and drought, this bee pasture is absolutely uncomplicated and not labor-intensive.
Tip
Make the bees happy until autumn
So that the bees can collect the nectar and pollen from the cornflower flowers until autumn, you should regularly cut off the wilted inflorescences. New flower buds then form and the flowering period can last until October.
