Bees, precious friends of the environment: 5 small gestures to take care of them

Intelligent, hardworking and environmentally friendly, bees are extraordinary creatures, able to guide us in a microworld full of incredible curiosities. For example: did you know that to produce 1kg of honey bees use up to 3 million flowers, traveling almost four times around the Earth?

They also possess a social intelligence rare in nature, infusing each hive with its own smell, which allows bees in the community to recognize each other and identify intruders. Furthermore, with their five eyes, they are able to see 360 degrees, as well as distinguish shapes, colors and even our faces.

But above all, bees are able to pollinate 90% of wild plants and 75% of the crops on which man feeds.

For these reasons, bees are fundamental creatures for biodiversity, but they are increasingly at risk of extinction due to pollution, the destruction of natural habitats and the indiscriminate use of pesticides. However, there is something more that each of us can do to help these small but essential insects: welcome them into our garden.

Below we will give you five simple tips on how to welcome these extraordinary creatures into our green corner. Small gestures can make a big difference in the health of the environment and our bee friends.

Bees are attracted to flowers and feed on their nectar and pollen. One idea could be to welcome them by planting flowers they particularly like, such as lavender, sage, ivy or marigold.

Any colorful and showy flower is an excellent solution for recreating a bee-friendly garden.

Locate a small area in your garden where you can plant bee-attracting flowers and leave the grass taller than the rest of the lawn. To recreate their ideal habitat, it is sufficient not to mow that area too often, so that they can find a safe haven and plants such as sage, chamomile, rosemary, dill, thyme or mallow, which are excellent natural aromas for your garden.

You can choose different flowers according to the season, here are some tips: 

• Spring: chives, rosemary, dandelion, sage and clover;

• Summer: borage, lavender, echinacea, marigold and mallow;

• Autumn: Jerusalem artichoke, chrysanthemum and ivy

Pesticides and chemicals can be harmful to bees, so limit their use in your garden, especially during the flowering season.

Bees don't like heat. For this, they need water to keep the humidity inside their hive and to cool it during the hot summer days. An excellent way of helping could be to offer bees a constant source of water, such as a small fountain or a bowl filled periodically.

Sharing your knowledge about bees as much as possible with friends and family can be a way to spread awareness of their importance and promote their conservation. Promoting the numerous initiatives and projects to protect bees through donations is another way to help all those who work on the front line every day for their defense.

Welcoming, protecting and taking care of bees in your garden is a small gesture that contributes to the health of the environment. We hope these tips have inspired you to do your part to protect these creatures that are so important to biodiversity.