# Dearth near Pittsburgh? What plants to help?



## nlk3233 (May 19, 2014)

As the title states, in my area we are hitting what I believe would be a dearth in my immediate area. 
I see very little pollen coming in.
Here's what i know is blooming in my area; milkweed, butterfly milkweed( or butterfly weed some call it), asters are just starting.
I have Borage, Comfrey, Sunflowers which are coming on strong, and a host of garden vegetables to help mitigate as best i can. All planted in patches to help entice them. 

Is there anything else anyone recommends? 
Any help is appreciated!


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## bubbalowe (Oct 3, 2013)

buckwheat


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

In all honesty, unless you've lots of acreage, you really can't plant enough to help your bees. Make sure your bees have enough stores (honey, nectar) to carry them until the fall flow (of goldenrod) and possible beyond......


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Right now is kinda late but you can plant some goldenrod for next year's harvest. I
planted some baby rootlets that are doing well in my area for the drought.
I am trying some Nyger seeds right now. Hopefully they will provide some Fall nectar source.
Whatever helps a little or a lot. The Borage certainly helps during the dearth here. To me it is either
survival or death for my bees. But I won't let that happen if the honey syrup and patty will help them along.
Remember that they not only forage from your plot but many outside if they can
find a garden source as well. We are fortunate enough to have 2 big gardens from our nearby neighbors to provide
some pumpkins and cukes pollen source too. So plant some more if you can. The Fall veggies plant list is endless if you think about it.
Veggies such as collards, mustard, canola, kohlrabi, broccoli, etc. These are all for next Spring's blooms though.


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## nlk3233 (May 19, 2014)

Thanks for the responses. As well as for my honey bees, I've planted for the native bees in mind. Every single plant we can put in will help in a dearth. 
I know I wouldn't have anything to help this year, but just being proactive for next year. 
I'll have to collect some goldenrod this year to plant, good idea.


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## The Valley (Jan 21, 2014)

For this year, I would second the Buckwheat, if planning for next year, buy as much sweet clover as you have room for, the seed is cheap and the bees love it. Next spring plant Sainfoin, I did this year and the bees are hammering it right now.


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## Paulemar (Aug 28, 2013)

I probably wouldn't waste my time planting goldenrod. That's what will end the dearth in our area, that plus Japanese Knotweed. I'm betting that there will be tons of goldenrod blooming all around you this Fall. The hard part is finding something that the bees like during the dearth. I'm still not sure what that could be. It's a dearth because not a lot of bee friendly plants bloom at this time of year. I presently have 21 swamp milkweed, 50 common milkweed, 84 perennial butterfly weed, (started from seeds of a purchased plant) and 84 tropical butterfly weed, all started from seed and are in cell trays waiting to be planted. I already have an area cleared and waiting.
The surprise plant was the tropical butterfly weed. I planted 5 last year in a difficult, very dry area and collected seed. There are now hundreds that came up from last years fallen seed, because the plants themselves are not hardy this far North. Monarch butterflies like them, but I've not yet seen bees working the plants. They are just coming into good bloom. We'll see if the bees go for them as Summer dearth progresses. I planted those in particular because they weren't hardy and would die over winter. I thought that the seeds wouldn't survive either, especially at -10F last Winter. Looks like I was wrong. I hope I didn't create a monster. The Pictures are of the volunteer tropical milkweed and a monarch butterfly caterpillar.


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

I live on a one acre property. I plant a few flowering plants, so I can watch the bees and butterflies, but have no delusions that I am contributing more than a minuscule amount of forage for either. 

The thousands of acres around me, especially those comprising the Saguaro National Park, are the source for the overwhelming majority of my bees forage. And, here in the Sonoran desert, forage availability is entirely dependent on the plants naturally growing there, plus the timing and amount of rain that falls each season.

I began life, near your present location, I was in Shadyside, Ohio. At this time of year, in that area, goldenrod was one of the few plants I could reliably expect for autumn forage availability.


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## nlk3233 (May 19, 2014)

I hadn't thought of the clover, we have perennial Dutch Clover that the bees are always on. They bloom in the 2-3 acres we cut as our lawn. I wish they would honestly find another source, as I'm sure when we cut, I lose a lot of foragers. 

I did plant about 4lbs of this mix, which I'm finally seeing the bees on;
www.applewoodseed.com/product/honey-bee-flower-mixture/

I'll have to get some pictures uploaded.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Chicory starts blooming in June and blooms even in a drought all the way to a really hard freeze. It will survive light frosts. It's pretty reliable, although it is not as big of a producer as clover. My yellow sweet clover gave out a week or two ago but the white is still going. The birdsfoot trefoil is still blooming here as well. The white Dutch and purple prairie clover are also still going but we haven't really had a dearth this year. When we do they all tend to dry up while the chicory continues to bloom.


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## MR2Bs (Jun 1, 2013)

nlk3233: I am about 250 miles west of you in Ohio. For the past couple of seasons I have spent a lot of time at my local garden centers watching the bees work the plants. A few of the plants I have bought by doing this, right now are covered in bees. They are speedwell, cat mint, anis hysop, summer sweet and lopine. So just speen a little time at your local garden center and watch the bees they will tell you to buy. Good luck.


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## nlk3233 (May 19, 2014)

Thanks MR2Bs. I appreciate the feedback. Ill have to look up those.


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## Paulemar (Aug 28, 2013)

MR2Bs mentions Hyssop which I forgot about. I started about 200 Anise Hyssop plants from seed which I transplanted later than I should have. They are blooming now but are not very big, about 12-15 inches. I got the seeds from American Meadows and they are listed under Lavender Hyssop. (apparently sold out for the year) (Agastache foeniculum) The bees like them, but I won't know the actual bloom time until next year when they are on their natural growth cycle. They are supposed to be summer/fall bloomers, we'll see. I have an area about 25' X 15' with nothing else but the hyssop.


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