Attracting Bees to Your Garden with Neville Longbottom

6/21/2022

Forget Fizzing Whizbees! After following this Muggle-worthy guide to magical insects and flora, your garden will be a fuzzy, buzzy bee’s greatest desire. (Now try saying that five times fast!)

Bees are one of the planet’s most hard-working and loyal creatures. They even have the Hufflepuff colors to prove it. Like “interdepartmental memos” for the natural world, bees carry pollen from one flower to another, allowing them to bloom and grow forevermore.

Without bees, there would be no flutterby bushes, honking daffodils, or the 250,000 other species of flowering plants, trees, and crops that rely on pollination. Thankfully, we know a Herbology master with expertise in this subject, Professor Neville Longbottom! Even passionate gardeners such as Molly Weasley and former Hogwarts Herbology professor, Pomona Sprout, have been known to take advice from Professor Longbottom.

Without further ado, we’ll hand it over to Neville…

Hello witches, wizards, Muggles, and magical fungi! I am Riddikulusly excited to talk to you all about one of my personal passions: the importance of insects to Herbology! Without extraordinary creatures such as bees, many of the equally exceptional plants we know and love would cease to be. In a knutshell… plants need BEES! What’s more, attracting these fantastically fuzzy creatures into your garden requires only a few simple steps.

1. Fill your garden with bee-friendly plants and wildflowers

Plant native species to best attract bees. This is the horticultural equivalent of a love potion - and it’s free from questionable ethics. You could say it’s the bee's knees!

Below is a list of some bee-friendly flora, with native countries noted.

Bluebells (UK and Western Europe) - The flowers, not the flames!

Foxglove (UK) - Take caution. Like Monkswood, this plant can be toxic to human touch. However, if a Queen Bee looked into the Mirror of Erised, we solemnly swear it is the first plant she’d see!
Honeysuckle (US, Europe and Asia) - This is the favorite flower of Ambrosius Flume, founder of a rather famous sweet shop, Honeydukes! Long-tongued species of bumblebee like the Bombus hortorum are also a big fan of the nectar in these sweet flowers.
Basil (Central Africa) - We mean the herb, not the poncho-wearing Ministry employee! Though based on the yellow-and-black color scheme of his Muggle clothing, maybe he had some buzzing ideas of his own regarding bee conservation?
Lavender (UK and France) - Again, we’re talking about the herb, not the famously fiery Hogwarts student. Yet if bumble bees were to choose a Won-Won, this purple plant would be a strong contender! Honeybees aren’t quite as beesotted, but that leaves space for…
Stinking Hellebores (UK and Southern Europe) - In the whimsical world of Pomona Sprout, these flowers come second only to honking daffodils.

Bee Balm (US) - If you have a bee in your bonnet, there’s a strong chance that bee balm can resolve it! Yet beyond remedying human ailments, bee balm is beeloved by its namesake. How else did its moniker come to be?
Sunflowers (US) - If they’re good enough for Luna Lovegood, they’re good enough for anyone!
Red Valerian (UK) - As one of the rare vegan ingredients used in Hogwarts potions classes, it should come as no surprise that this magical plant has the full support of our fantastic bee friends! It is a superior nectar flower and also has a very long bloom season - from late spring through to the end of summer - which ensures that bees and other pollinators have lots of time to enjoy it.
Catnip (US) - Mosquitos run away from this plant faster than Severus Snape confronted with shampoo, but bees are on it like Gilderoy Lockhart when faced with a photo op! Catnip’s tiny flowers mean that there is plenty of nectar and pollen for the bees to collect, so they will be fuelled for any impromptu book signings or Witch Weekly interviews.

*Note: All the flowers mentioned above will attract bees to your garden, especially if the species is established, such as sunflowers in the UK. Do some research on native species in your local area to ensure that you don’t introduce an invasive plant.

2. Timing is everything

Forget what Dumbledore said about time being a mysterious thing. When it comes to bees and flowers, timing is everything! The active phase of a bee’s life cycle falls between the spring and summer months from March to October. Ensuring a continual abundance of flowers within this time is crucial. On that note, plant flowers with different flowering cycles, so that no matter the season, your garden will always have a pop of color - and a party of bees with it!

3. Say no to pesticides

Spare us your Peskipiksi Pestercidi charms. Pomona Sprout is a huge proponent of “nature knows best,” and she famously disapproved of Rubeus Hagrid’s decision to use Flesh-eating Slug Repellent on the school Cabbages. She even gave up her favorite Chinese Chomping Cabbage soup for a whole year in protest!

Common insecticides contain neonicotinoids, which kill bees. Yet, sadly, most garden centers still sell them. But that doesn’t mean that you should buy them! The Ministry didn’t bat an eyelid at Borgin and Burkes peddling a cursed necklace… yet it was hardly an open invitation to plot an assassination. Choose right over easy. ALWAYS.

4. Give bees a home with a bespoke bee house

Placing a bespoke bee house in your garden can provide a nesting site for solitary bees and possibly other insects too! You can make your own simple bee house or you can buy one from a specialist maker.

For maximum accessibility, place your bee house in a south-facing spot and within close proximity to bee-friendly flowers. Ensure that the entrance doesn't face upwards because, if there’s a storm, you want your bees to be protected.

5. Rethink landscaping

When it comes to your grass, choose Weasley over Dursley. When it comes to yards, bees recoil in horror at the sight of No.4 Privet Drive’s preposterously overly-manicured lawns!

Conversely, they adore the overgrown meadows, fields, and paddocks around the Burrow, where lawn weeds such as dandelions are free to grow. These grasses flower as early as February and are a vital source of pollen at the start of the year.

A final note on the magic of bees

For centuries, scientists and engineers were baffled by how bees could possibly fly. They defied all known laws of aviation, so one could only presume that magic was involved… Perhaps they deserve their own entry in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them!

Written by Sophie Harrison