# deer resistant bee plants?



## TWall (May 19, 2010)

Sweet clover.

Tom


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## spieker (Jun 26, 2009)

Most herbs. I have lots of catnip and various kinds of mints. Bees are all over them and the deer leave them alone.


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## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

TWall said:


> Sweet clover.
> 
> Tom


 Are you sure about that? John


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## TWall (May 19, 2010)

Most varieties of sweet clover have low palatability to livestock. That is assumed to be true for wildlife too. 

Sweet clover is not used in food plot seed mixes.

It does very well at a local park that has had a high deer population in the past. It does get very tall and can be very inviting as deer/wildlife bedding area.

Tom


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Many sages.


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## mnflemish (Jun 7, 2010)

Milkweed and pretty soon would be the time to save seed. I am looking at planting Borage as I read bee's love it and the nectar returns to the plant 2 mins after a bee takes the nectar out. 
Spieker do you know if deer eat Borage herb? And if it reseeds it's self as it is a annual.
Carol


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## spieker (Jun 26, 2009)

Deer eat my borage, except what is right next to my house or in my electric fence protected garden. Yes, it does reseed itself.


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## caribou0_0 (Aug 21, 2010)

Yellow Sweet Clover, also called bee clover. Crimson Clover and Texas Blue-Bonnet. Outsidepride.com depending on space they sell from 1/4 lb to unlimited.


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## Countryboy (Feb 15, 2009)

Why does it matter if deer will eat the plants? Is your area so overpopulated with deer that they will eat every last plant?

If you have so small of a patch of plants that you have to worry about a deer eating all of them in one night, your patch is likely too small to be of any real benefit to the bees. If your patch is large enough to be a nice benefit to the bees, it likely is large enough that it won't make a difference if a deer eats a meal there.

Thistles, black raspberries, ironweed, and goldenrod are all good bee plants that animals don't seem to bother.


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## caribou0_0 (Aug 21, 2010)

Yes, I plant 15 acres of sweet clover and others for my bees. But I don't plant it thick enough to be used as a bedding plot. I have mixed in Crimson Clover, and New Zealand White. A little of about every kind of wild flower I can get my hands on. That 15 acres is strictly set up for bees. Once you get it started, it takes care of itself.


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## caribou0_0 (Aug 21, 2010)

I have fireweed that is 9 foot tall from seeds I got from Alaska Mill and Feed in Anchorage , Alaska


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## dwood (Jun 9, 2009)

Russian sage (not really a sage...and it is from Pakistan. Go figure...). Deer are a huge problem for me as well.


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## Aram (May 9, 2006)

Ash trees. I don't know if bees have any use for it but ash wood will give you both a bow and arrows (I believe your area is bowhunting only.) Honey-glazed venison, anyone? 

Not much to add to the posts above. How much land and what setting are you talking about? For suburban planting I'd focus more on ornamental, early pollen plantings and let them forage for nectar. Willows for wet areas and boxwood for well drained areas are both good early pollen plants and the neighbors will think you are just landscaping.
My bees are working knotweed even more than goldenrod right now. Knotweed is really invasive though and it might even be illegal (or at least highly undesirable) to plant in your area.


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