Bee a Hero: Tips for Helping Bees

Eight things you can do to help build a healthy bee population in our region.

Bo Sterk tends to his bees in St. Augustine, Florida. Photo by Kristen Penoyer.

If managing honey bee hives isn't your thing, there are still plenty of ways you can encourage the health and well-being of the bee populations in our region. Here are eight simple tips:

1. Plant native plants! Try herbs, trees, shrubs, and flowers. Basil, lemon balm, mint, rosemary, gallberry, silverthorn, cosmos, salvia and blue daze are all great choices.

2. Provide a fresh water source for bees.

3. Buy local honey.

4. Support a local food system; buy from small-scale farms that are not as likely to engage in monoculture.

5. Cut down or eliminate pesticide use.

6. If you must use pesticides, try not to use powders, as they can stick to bees’ legs. Apply later in the evening when bees are less active.

7. If you see a swarm, call a beekeeper for advice and/or assistance.

8. Learn more by contacting a local beekeeper association.

To learn more about honey bees and beekeeping in our region, visit the UF Honey Bee Research website.