10/25/2025
To keep plants for bees during the winter, you can provide shelter by leaving fallen leaves and dead stems in your garden, and planting winter-blooming flowers like crocuses, snowdrops, and mahonia for food. Additionally, avoid disturbing bare soil and refrain from using pesticides to help overwintering bees survive until spring. 🐝
Provide shelter and nesting sites🪴
Leave leaf litter: A thick layer of fallen leaves provides insulation and shelter for overwintering bumblebees and other pollinators. 🍂🍁
Keep dead stems: Do not cut back the dead stalks of perennial plants. Their hollow or pithy stems provide nesting sites for solitary bees.
Don't disturb soil: Avoid digging in bare patches of soil, as many wild bees overwinter in small nests underground.
Save logs and rocks: Leave logs and rocks in place, as they can offer hibernation sites for insects. 🪨🪵
Offer food and water 💦
Plant winter-blooming flowers: Some bees are active during milder winter days and need food. Consider planting species that bloom in winter.
Bulbs: Crocus, snowdrops, and winter aconites are great options. 🌼🌸
Shrubs and perennials: Mahonia, winter-flowering heather, and rosemary are good choices that offer nectar and pollen. 🌿
Add water: Place a shallow dish with water and small stones in your garden so bees can drink without drowning.
Avoid harmful practices
Skip pesticides: Avoid using pesticides, especially neonicotinoids, as they are toxic to bees and other pollinators.
Mulch with care: If you use mulch, leave some gaps for soil-nesting bees.
Minimize tilling: Avoid tilling garden soil in the fall, which can disrupt overwintering bee nests.
