Best Way to Nourish Bees in Urban Areas?

[Flowersaftermidnight]

Hello BBKA members,

I am an artist that paints flowers and would love for my next art project to have a wider purpose - to help nourish and 'feed' or 'energise' the bees in urban areas.

I recently read an article on 'Bee Saving Paper' but wondered how I could make this myself understanding from the experts what is the best way to nourish the bees.

Key Questions:

• What substances nourish bees and help them continue to find pollen in urban areas?

• Would I be able to add this substance to the paper I print/ paint my flowers on?

• Is this something that I can add to the wheat glue I use to stick my flowers?

• Is it possible to incorporate it into the paint I use?

• Are there any specific flowers or colours that bees are particularly attracted to that could help the impact of this project?

Please let me know your thoughts and how you think I can inject either the paper or the wheat paste I use to post these flowers around the city with nourishment for bees. Essentially becoming a 'feeding garden' for the currently starving population of bees in urban areas.

Here is a link to some of my art: (http://instagram.com/flowersaftermidnight)

Thank you!
Ashley

[AdamD]

Ashley,
An interesting idea however it won't work I'm afraid!
Bees require nectar and pollen from plants as their source of carbohydrate and protein. Putting some nectar in a painting is not going to be effective. Sorry!

[Flowersaftermidnight]

Thank you for the dose of reality Adam!

Guessing: https://www.dezeen.com/2018/06/01/bee-s ... i-saatchi/ was all a PR stunt then?

A

[Patrick]

Hi Ashley

Liking your paintings!

Can’t say what the background work behind the project was but not clear how bees would access glucose locked within that medium.

A series of paintings of particularly bee friendly plants and tree flowers might raise awareness as well?

[WalnutTreeBees]

Perhaps you could do a series of educational paintings on the most important bee plants. One for each month of the season maybe? Some plants are very important to bees but are regularly removed by people e.g. Dandelions, Clover, Ivy, Brambles/Blackberries, Poppies, Rosebay Willowherb etc.

[Flowersaftermidnight]

Thank you! Really like the idea of creating a series of educational paintings - is this a credible source on information around plants that help bees?

https://www.worldbeeday.org/en/did-you- ... -bees.html

Will explore doing paintings on that and what outlets I can use to help raise awareness here.