If you are wondering if pansies are good for bees then you should be reading this article to the end.
So, yes pansies are quite good for bees. Pansies are beautiful flowers that bloom in the early seasons and they provide nectar and pollen to the drained bees who are just done hibernating.
You wouldn’t be wrong if you decided to call them the lifesavers of bees, and this is because of when they bloom.
Early spring usually leaves the bees drained after they are done with their hibernation process, and the next thing on the mind of these lovelies is to get pollen and nectar to regain strength.
Pansies happen to be one of those flowers that bees could rely on for food in this period.
What are the Benefits Pansies for Bees?
If we say pansies are good for bees, then surely there has to be a reason.
So, here are a couple of benefits that pansies give to these amazing creatures.
1. Lifesavers
Pansies are one of those flowers you could refer to as the lifesavers of bees and this is because they bloom out early in the season.
During winter, very few flowering plants are available so bees, amongst other pollinators, starve.
Just before spring or early spring, pansies bloom, providing bees with food as early as possible
2. Easy access
The pollen of pansies can easily be accessed by the bees. Even the tiniest bee can easily access nectar and pollen from pansies.
Related: Here is an article I wrote on are daffodils good for bees?
Are Pansy Flowers Good for Bees?
Yes, pansy flowers are good for bees. As a matter of fact, they are quite perfect.
They come in handy for bees at a point when bees are in dire need of food.
The ability of the flowers to bloom early in season is what saves bees from starving to death.
However, sometimes pansies are of no use to bees because they either have no pollen or nectar, or bees can’t access it.
Do Bees Like Pansies?
It can’t be stated categorically if bees like pansies, however, one thing can be noted, surely and that’s the fact that they feed on the flower.
They are amongst the first flowers to bloom during spring and bees need that early supply of food after having been starved during winter, due to the few plants that bloom in winter.
Recently, plant breeders have prioritized breeding pansies to look beautiful more than to be bees pollinators.
This truly has affected bees because these early blooming flowers are what their lives depend on, and if they can’t get nectar and pollen from them, the bees could die.
Do Pansies Attract Bees?
Yes, pansies attract bees.
Aside from the fact that they are pollinators, they have beautiful colors.
Pansies are flowers that love the cool weather, so planting them in the early spring and fall is a great idea and with proper care, can flower almost all year long, although bees could only visit in the warmer months.
This could be mainly because they are not certain if the beauty they have beheld has anything to offer them.
Also check out this article I wrote on can bees change color
Are Pansies Good for Pollinators?
Of course, pansies are good for pollinators, especially during the early spring when bees are in desperate need of food.
However, this cannot be said of all pansies because, the flowers are mainly bred to look beautiful and not to cater to the desires of bees—provide nectar and pollen.
The seeds of pansies are currently being manipulated by plant breeders and so the flowers are no longer attractive to bees for pollination.
Plant breeders manipulate the seeds for their gains. Mainly to make the flowers more beautiful which will earn them more money.
They are bred with various characteristics put into consideration, such as: the colour of their flower, the symmetry of their flower, the angle of the flower, the size of the flower, and some others.
Now, when the plant breeders do this, they end up producing an amazingly beautiful variety of pansies.
And when the flowers bloom, they look quite beautiful but the characteristics that were put in place while breeding them, didn’t consider them for pollination.
What Plants Benefit Bees?
Truly, bees pollinate plants for food, but that’s not the only reason.
The nectar and pollen they get from these plants are what enables them to produce our most prized honey.
Certain plants are beneficial to bees at any time because of the amount of nectar they get from them.
I will be talking about some of them below:
1. Lavender
Lavender plants are plants that honey bees do not joke with, as they are buzzed about possibly because of their long bloom time and the fact that they’re quite rich in nectar.
2. Mint
This might be a bit surprising because this is one plant that is loved by humans, mainly because of its nice flavour. Little wonder bees cannot seem to get enough of the plant.
3. Snapdragons
These are unique flowers, in scent, shape, and colour.
Bumblebees are typically active during the day, and this is the time when snapdragons release most of their scent.
The plants are bell-shaped and this gives the bees easy access to its sweetness.
4. Silicon Honey Garlic
These plants are also known as nectaroscordum and it is one plant that you can never go wrong with.
Asides from the fact that they are quite good pollinators for bees, they give you a long sight to behold.
Why Are Pansies not Bee-friendly?
I for one would not regard pansies as not bee-friendly.
Although, they provide little or no nectar and pollen for bees because of how the plant breeders bred them.
But whenever bees get nectar from them, it is gotten at the nick of time, when it is much needed by bees.
So, the only reason pansies would not be bee-friendly will be because while breeding them, the breeders prioritized their beauty over their pollination ability.
Conclusion
Pansies, when they have nectar and pollen to provide for bees, are quite good for bees.
They’re not harmful to them either, they just do not have anything to offer the bees.
