FAR Research | Trees for bees — keeping bees healthy

Estimated Time 30 minutes
Location Indoors
Time of Year All Year Round
Curriculum L1/2 , L3 & L4
Subject Science

Bees are important to our survival, but they need our help. If we plant the right types of trees for them, we provide them with varied sources of nectar and pollen to keep them healthy.

Learning Intentions

Students will be able to:

describe why honey bees, bumble bees and native bees are important to humans and ecosystems
discuss the problems bees encounter today and how we can help them
name and recognise some trees and shrubs that bees benefit from
plan to grow some trees (or other plants) for bees.

Why are bees important?

Imagine not being able to eat raspberries, apples, pears, pumpkins or carrots!

Humans would struggle to survive without hard working bees and their pollination services because:

one mouthful in three that we eat depends on them
three quarters of the variety of foods we eat depend on them.

Even producing meat and milk would be a struggle, since the clover in pastures that sheep and cows eat needs to be pollinated by bees. So, eating would be truly boring without bees!

Thousands of other species of trees, shrubs and smaller plants rely on bees as their main pollinators too. No pollinators, no seed, no future generations of these plants!

Why are bees struggling?

If you were being poisoned or attacked by nasty bugs and didn't have enough to eat, you would probably be very unhealthy. Bees are the same. They can be harmed by some sprays, and by the increasing numbers of pests and diseases of bees that are arriving in the country. And, most important, in some New Zealand landscapes there are fewer good food sources available because there are fewer flowering plants.

Bees need a good range of flowers throughout the year, especially in spring when growing numbers of new offspring need pollen. Not enough food leads to bees becoming malnourished, weaker, stressed, and the queens laying fewer eggs. Then the bees don't do as well pollinating crops and other plants.

How can we help bees?

We can all help bees by supplying the best possible range of pollen and nectar all year round. We do this by planting trees, shrubs and smaller plants whose flowers attract bees. We can be anywhere in New Zealand and still make a difference, as honey bees will find your plants from 6 km away! Even big heavy bumble bees will travel 1.5 km in search of food!

Honey bee collecting pollen in pollen baskets on hind legs.

Bumble bee with proboscis out having just fed on nectar.

What plants are best for bees?

The best plants to grow are those that attract lots of bees. However, they should not be weed species. The following links show you what plants are best and how to plant them. Learn about them so you can create a planting plan that offers bees a continuous supply of pollen and nectar.