Amateur Gardening Magazine 19th November 2016 Back Issue

BEE FRIENDLY WINTER FLOWERS TO PLANT FOR POLLINATORS
Between now and spring, Bees and other pollinating insects will have a tough time. Most native wildflowers don’t flower during winter (apart from the odd daisy or dandelion) so there is not much in the way of natural nectar or pollen on offer. To avoid starving (and therefore succumbing to the cold), insects have evolved different strategies to survive the coldest period of the year. Most live over winter as eggs, larvae or pupae, so you won’t see much in the way of flying insects collecting nectar and pollen, especially in the north of Britain. However it can be quite different in the towns and cities of the south. Milder winters, and the surprising range of winter-flowering ornamental plants in gardens and parks, have boosted flying pollinator numbers. One such insect is the buff-tailed bumblebee, colonies of which carry on over winter.