This Article is taken from The Herbalist, newsletter of the Canadian
Society for Herbal Research. COPYRIGHT March 1989.
 
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botanic medicine throughout Canada.
 
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An Herb Garden for Bees.   Heather Apple

Did you know that bees are instinctive and highly skilled herbalists?
Juliette de Bairacli Levy, the Master Herbalist, has found that bees
are wonderful doctors in their own right and know how to dose
themselves with herbs to maintain health within the hive.

When I read this, I did not keep bees myself, but was very aware of
the many bees that visited my garden. There was a wonderful variety
ranging from tiny wild bees, to domestic honey bees, to great fat
bumble bees.

I realized that bees were facing incredible challenges with pollution,
acid rain and especially the pesticides sprayed on crops and roadside
weeds. I decided that I would combine my love of herbs with my love
for bees and plant a special medicinal garden to help the bees cope
with our present environment.

I did some research to discover which herbs were especially beneficial
to bees. These include aromatic herbs such as lavender, rosemary,
thyme, sage, bee balm (bergamot), hyssop, anise-hyssop, basil and
marjoram; wild herbs such as motherwort, catnip and purple
loosestrife; bitter herbs such as southernwood, wormwood and rue;
nectar rich herbs such as clover and alfalfa; all the mints; the
borage family; and the rose family.  I had already known that bees
loved borage and I had planted it among my squashes, cucumbers and
melons in order to attract bees for pollination. Now, I planted
patches all over the garden, making good use of the plants that had
self-seeded from the previous year.

I also carefully noted the blooming periods of all the herbs, flowers,
weeds, and flowering shrubs and trees on our property.  Over the next
couple of years I planted additional varieties to assure that there
was an uninterrupted and rich banquet of blossoms from the first
crocuses in spring, all through the summer, to the crisp days of
autumn when bees are immobilized by the cold and no longer able to
work.

I also increased the size of my herb garden. Generally, I harvest my
herbs just before they come into flower, or else I harvest the flowers
themselves as soon as they open. I planted extras of each variety so
that I could allow a number of plants to go to full flower and so
supply the bees.

The rewards of this bit of extra effort have been enormous. The
population of bees has continued to increase over the years. It is a
pleasure to go out to the garden and hear my comfrey patch buzzing as
the blossoms are visited by hoards of honey bees and bumble bees.

My Rosa rugosa patch is a special treat for the senses - the sight of
masses of pink blossoms, the scent of the warm, sunny air, heavy with
sweet rose fragrance and the sound of droves of buzzing bees. Often I
have watched bees actually rolling around among the stamens of the
rose blossoms. This may serve the utilitarian purpose of gathering
extra large amounts of pollen.  But to me, it almost seems something
more. Imagine being a bee and spending your day climbing inside giant,
fragrant flower blossoms to gather golden pollen and sweet
nectar. What an ecstatic life!

Juliette de Bairacli Levy praises the healing properties of honey. She
says that the test for pure, good and powerful honey is that it should
burn the throat of the consumer.
                                                 
Her own herbal honey was so strong that some people accused her of
adding hot pepper. However, she took honey comb straight from the hive
to show them that this was its natural flavour.

Flowers are the most vital part of the plant - a glorious expression
of its moment of perfection. This is something understood by those who
make and use Flower Essences. Imagine a rich honey, gathered on sunny
summer days from the blossoms of healing herbs - a rich nectar
transformed by golden bees in the heart of their hive. What healing
qualities, what a taste and fragrance of summer herbs it can bring to
dark winter days!

One can believe that the curative properties of such honey would be
great. This could be something that practising herbalists and
interested individuals might be interested in experimenting with.

If you don't have your own hive, you could invite a beekeeper to keep
a hive on your land in return for a share of the honey.

But even if you can't have a hive, you can still have the pleasure
that comes from watching the bees at work in your garden, and the
satisfaction of knowing that you are providing them with healthful
herbs that will help them survive in a difficult world.