It is important for both the health of the natural ecosystem and the production of fruits and vegetables that gardeners provide habitats and food for pollinators.
Even if you do not grow food on your property, you should still offer plants that attract pollinators. This is to help you sustain their populations, which are falling in some areas.
Table of Contents
Make sure you grow the appropriate plants, but it is equally important to steer clear of species that are either dangerous to bees and butterflies or simply unpleasant.
Here are some plants to avoid as pollinators
Yellow Jasmine
The gorgeous Yellow Jasmine is a climbing vine that often exists in southern regions. Bees and butterflies are likely to perish if they come into contact with these bright yellow flowers, despite their strong fragrance.
The majority of the time, a bee will pass away within the first twenty-four hours after devouring its pollen and nectar. The bee will have the look of being drunk, will lose control of its muscles, and will eventually die.
Swallow-Wort
In the pollinator garden, it is important to keep an eye out for more than just plants that are harmful to bees. The invasive plants known as pale and black swallowwort are harmful to monarch butterflies because they contain toxins.
It has a connection to milkweed, which is a plant that monarch butterflies need in order to breed.
This particular plant is known to butterflies as milkweed, and they will lay their eggs on it. Sadly, the larvae do not make it through their development on this poisonous plant.
These twining vines originated in Europe and Asia but have become a problem in the United States. If you discover it growing in your garden, you should eliminate it as quickly as possible.
Cucurbits
The cucurbit family of plants is an example of a plant genus that does not appeal to bees or butterflies. Melons, squashes and cucumbers are all included in this category.
Bumblebees can do more harm to themselves and their ability to reproduce if they consume the pollen of cucurbits.
Pollination is necessary for cucurbits to produce fruit; without it, the plants would not survive. In contrast, you should steer clear of these in your vegetable garden if you are serious about luring and sustaining populations of butterflies or bees.
Swamp Titi
Similar to yellow jessamine, swamp titi is a native plant of the southeastern United States. However, it poses a threat to non-native species such as honeybees. This small tree looks like a shrub and has clusters of beautiful white flowers.
Honeybees are drawn to the aromatic blossoms. However, the nectar they bring back to the hives harms the colony. Beekeepers have reported a phenomenon known as purple brood, which causes bee larvae to die after turning purple.
Some Tilia Species
Toxic plants are one category of vegetation that can have a direct negative impact on bee and butterfly populations. If you care about the well-being of the pollinators in your garden, you should steer clear of them at all costs.
Bees can die by consuming lime trees and linden, which belong to the Tilia genus. They become susceptible to narcotic effects and possibly death as a result of their consumption of these species.
Linden and lime, which belong to the genus Tilia, are risk-free plants. The Chinese lime, the Caucasian lime, the weeping silver lime and the silver linden are all examples of species that can be toxic.
California Buckeye
These lovely trees may provide shade for your backyard, but you should know they can be difficult to care for.
Native pollinators have access to a wonderful habitat as well as food, thanks to these trees. However, European honeybees constitute the vast majority of domesticated honeybees.
In addition, the nectar that’s collected from these types of flowers can be quite dangerous. If the worker bees bring this nectar back to the hive, it is possible for malformed larvae to develop or for the larvae to die soon after hatching.
Any Invasive
Any species of plants known to be invasive in your region should be avoided at all costs when it comes to bees and other pollinators.
Even if an invasive plant provides nectar and flowers that animals like, this does not change the fact that these species pose a threat in other ways.
The native plant species pollinators rely on are pushed out of their habitats by invasive plant species. Some species of pollinators are generalists. This means they can adapt to any plants that occur in their environment.
Others can only consume their food by eating a select few kinds of plants. In the event that invasive species outcompete these plants, particular pollinators will be harmed. If you already have invasive plants in your garden, do not introduce any more of them.
The damage that invasive plants cause extends well beyond your own property. Birds and other animals carry seeds from gardens into the surrounding wilderness.
Invasive plants have the potential to take control of natural areas and cause harm to pollinators as they spread.
Red Flowers
Because of a condition called colony collapse, there has been a significant decline in the number of bees and butterflies. This makes them one of the most essential pollinators to support.
If you wish to help bees by giving them flowers that produce nectar, you must select varieties of flowers that are attractive to bees and butterflies.
Bees are capable of seeing a wide range of colors, including ultraviolet light that’s invisible to humans. But they have trouble recognizing the color red. Bees are not harmed by plants that have red flowers; rather, these blossoms do not attract bees.
Yellow Jessamine
The vining yellow jessamine is another poisonous plant for butterflies and bees. In the states located in the southeastern part of the United States, this is a typical and well-liked ornamental.
The production of fragrant, bright yellow flowers characterizes it. Unfortunately, pollen and nectar are fatal to some bees. Honeybees that consume this plant are likely to perish within the same day.
Because it is a native species, it does not damage native pollinators. Nevertheless, it will kill introduced bees, usually found in gardens nowadays.
Conclusion
It is quite difficult to keep your bees from visiting a hazardous flower when one is nearby.
It is essential to be aware that the only way honey can make a person unwell is if the only source of that honey is the pollen and nectar from one of these poisonous plants.
Because your bees will be venturing out to a much wider variety of food sources, you will not have to be as concerned about the possibility of poisoning the colony.
But taking preventative precautions, such as ensuring that your yard contains only native plants and not any species known to be harmful to bees or humans, can significantly lower the likelihood that your bees or honey will become poisoned.
If you want to be a good beekeeper, you don’t have to know all there is to know about gardening. However, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have as much information as you can get your hands on.