Do Bumblebees Like Petunia or Vegetables Flowers?

Here is what our Bee expert said: 'Yes, two of our four species of bumble bees, Bombus terrestris and B. hortorum, have been recorded visiting Petunias.'

'But whether a flower will be visited by a particular species of bee depends on a number of factors. Obviously reasonably good numbers of the desired species of bee must be present in the area, and there must also be a lack of the types of flowers most favoured by the bee – assuming the flower in question is not a favourite of the bee.

For example Bombus hortorum has been recorded visiting kowhai flowers, but around my property I have 23 kowhai trees that are flowering now, and although there are plenty of B. hortorum visiting nearby tree lucerne flowers and broad beans, I haven’t seen any on the kowhais. Also B. terrestris very readily visits kowhai, but one kowhai tree has more B. terrestris visiting its flowers than all the other 22 kowhais together. It seems that this attractive kowhai must have more nectar and/or nectar with a higher concentration of sugar, but why this should be the case is unknown to me.

Regarding your other plants, in general the flowers of brassicas (for example Rocket) are attractive to bumble bees, and also the flowers of herbs such as Basil, Celery, Dill and Fennel, and the flowers of onion-related plants, e.g. Chives and Leek. However the flowers of plants in the Solanaceae such as Capsicum, Chilli and Eggplant are not. But having said that, in a glasshouse B. terrestris very readily collects pollen from the solanaceous tomato flowers when there are no other flowers available. 

So if bees have been recorded visiting a particular flower one cannot be dogmatic as to whether that flower will attract bees, but one could say something like “can attract bees”.'