Page 38 - Waterfall City Issue 4 April 2024

Waterfall City Nature

Tetradenia riparia Scabiosa columbaria

Bees are attracted to purple flowers Scadoxus puniceus Arum Lily

the making of your own skincare
products and delicious baked goods. Below are some planting suggestions:
Acacia species, particularly Sweet Stalked Bulbine (succulent
Have you ever tried raw honeycomb? Thorn (tree) perennial)
This natural product is made by honey Buchu River Bushwillow (tree)
bees to store honey and pollen, or Aloe species, especially Bitter Aloe Forest Bushwillow (tree)
house their young. It consists of a series (large succulent) Campfire Crassula (succulent
of hexagonal cells constructed from Pink Mallow perennial)
beeswax, which generally contains White Pear (tree) Blue Honeybell Bush (shrub)
raw honey. It is loaded with incredible False Olive (tree/ large shrub) Trailing Gazania (groundcover)
nutrients and is delicious to eat. Sagewood (tree/ large shrub) Tree Fuschia
Broad-leaved Bulbine (succulent Blue Water Lily (water plant)
Did you know? You can purchase a perennial) September Bells (tree)
queen bee and colony to easily begin
your beekeeping journey.
surroundings, are planted in blocks of backyard, you are legally permitted
Blooms for bees colour, or are available in a large group. to have a bee hotel, which you can
If you’re looking to start a hive, contribute This means that they can harvest more purchase from your local garden centre
to one, support South Africa’s food chain pollen and nectar without using up too or build yourself. These structures
or add to your garden’s wildlife, planting much energy searching for flowers. home the solitary bee – one of 1,300
blooms for bees is an essential service species found in South Africa. They do
and part of the beehive process. After all, The hardworking honey bees must not produce honey or have a queen,
one in every three mouthfuls of food is reserve enough energy to return to the making them unlikely to be aggressive
due to bee crop pollination. hive. Always have a freshwater source or sting. These bees like their own
nearby and plant bee-friendly plants, home amongst neighbours and are
Research suggests that bees prefer blue, according to your region and growing still extremely important and efficient
purple and yellow flowers. However, season. (Ask your local garden centre pollinators in our agricultural, natural
there are exceptions such as orange for advice on which plants to grow and urban landscapes.
Aloe flowers and the white flowers where and when).
of the White Pear. Bees also tend to *Text and photos supplied by
favour flowers that stand out from their If you would like to home bees in your Life is a Garden

36 Waterfall City Issue 4 2024