# planting for bees, and the deer



## Fl_Beak (May 9, 2010)

We are starting a new bee yard, and it's got some open fields, I was considering planting some wildflowers. There are a number of deer, and thinning the population out isn't an option...

If I plant do the deer tend to eat wildflowers? Any types they leave alone?


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## Mbeck (Apr 27, 2011)

http://www.messinawildlife.com/plotsaver-perimeter-protection-system

The product in the above link works.

Of course I'm available to try and reason with them in a natural, low impact and traditional way!


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## brooksbeefarm (Apr 13, 2008)

I plant buckwheat for food plots, the bees and deer love it. I can usually get 3 blooms with one planting. Jack


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

How about, Sainfoin?


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## BTKS (Feb 18, 2013)

I have recently planted both Durana and Patriot white clover on the pastures around my hives. Both are considered excellent forage for livestock and wildlife / deer. I have also incorporated yellow sweet clover to the lower pressure / hard to mow areas of the road banks and ditch banks. The white clover was started last year but the drought cut the season short. Started out real well but nothing was common about last year so it's hard to judge how well it will comback this year. The white varieties are supposed to be long term perinneals but the yellow is a biennial with good volunteer regrowth if it is allowed to go to seed. That is why I limited it to low pressure areas. I'm not sure I will see any blooms from it this year but next year I should get blooms about two weeks before the white clover starts producing.
Mine is an on-going experiment and no real results have been observed yet. Take this with a grain of salt. My references, university extension papers and seed personnel, and initial observations are good.
Hope this made sense and is of some help.
BTKS


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## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

There are very few wildflowers that deer won't eat, I know because we have a large deer population around our house and its a constant battle to find flowers that they won't devour. I plant lots of stuff for our bees and for our viewing pleasure, and the deer won't touch them. Try butterfly weed, milkweed, russian sage(a small bush), blanket flower, borage, catmint. If I can think of anymore I will add to the list. All these plants I mentioned are good nectar producing plants. John


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## eukofios (Apr 14, 2013)

In my yard, deer did not eat borage, Caryopteris, Ceanothus, anise hyssop. oregano, catnip, or sedums. Those had a lot of bee activity. Deer also did not eat peppermint, spearmint, lemon balm but those did not have much honeybee activity. Maybe they are an acquired taste.


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## wyatt (Jan 23, 2005)

I'd like to plant to get rid of deer, they do a LOT of damage to my fruit trees. Just has 5 pear saplings completely destroyed by the miserable varmits. Caging does no good they just trample the cage and cause even more damage.


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

t:
Are deer usually able to circumvent electrified fences?


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## KevinR (Apr 30, 2010)

I have deer on my property that will easily jump a 6 foot fence.... But it's not really an issue for me because they taste good. *grins*


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## clgs (Aug 6, 2008)

wyatt said:


> I'd like to plant to get rid of deer, they do a LOT of damage to my fruit trees. Just has 5 pear saplings completely destroyed by the miserable varmits. Caging does no good they just trample the cage and cause even more damage.


We learned of a trick to keep deer away from young fruit trees. Tie a bar of Irish Spring soap (thread string through a drilled hole in full bar of soap ) from first big fork off of trunk. Soap on a rope on each tree lasted through the all spring, summer and fall rains, we just now replaced some. Before using the soap, we had terrible problems with deer eating leaves and scraping the bark.


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## SS1 (Jun 1, 2013)

KevinR said:


> I have deer on my property that will easily jump a 6 foot fence.... But it's not really an issue for me because they taste good. *grins*


 Thats the ticket right there.. Lots of clover and flowers planted, one or MAYBE two deer taken from those plots and you wont see another one for a while.. Many states issue permits to take nuisance animals so check with your local game department.
The other issue is planting in abundance..


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## Bee Bliss (Jun 9, 2010)

We also hang 1/2 a bar of Irish Spring soap in our pear trees to keep the city deer off of them. 

We put a "roof" with sides over the soap to help it last longer. Cut a plastic soda bottle in half and secure the soap inside with wire or plastic, (or even a mesh bag), screw cap on and pinch the wire or plastic and have it make a loop on top. Hang with an "S" hook for hanging bird feeders. The soap is pretty much weather proof with the bottom of the soap at the same level as the side of the bottomless soda bottle.


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## Moonflower (Feb 18, 2014)

Hi Mbeck,
I use Deer Stoppper from Messina Wildlife..it works great...expensive but pleasant smelling & effective. My gardens are too extensive to use the "tape". I called Messina & Deer Stopper is not harmful to the bees. My question is...if the flowers are sprayed with deerstopper will it prevent the bees from visiting the flowers &/or will it impact the honey (taste, etc)? The ingredients are rosemary oil & mint oil & egg solids. Thanks for the help & info


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## Dominic (Jul 12, 2013)

Where I worked last summer, we set up deer fences for experimental plots and young plants. The deer fences consisted in two rows with a total of three strings at different heights, which is supposed to screw with the deer's depth perception and thus dissuade them from jumping it.


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