Bees. What can you do to help?

According to reports, bees and butterflies are not thriving.  There are a variety of reasons: Pesticides, poor weather, diseases, loss of habitat.

What can you, as a gardener, do to help? Be careful which pesticides you use, if any.

You can attract bees and butterflies by choosing to plant brightly coloured, large flowering bedding plants. Bees like to get to the centre of the flower so avoid 'double' flowers and plant bedding with 'daisy-like' flowers instead.

Bright orange and yellow flowers attract pests like aphids, so planting marigolds or nasturtiums will draw aphids away from vegetable plants.

If you want to help moths, night scented stock is a good option.