Sedum Plants – Bees

Q: We have sedum plants which are flowering like never before! The bumblebees are working it all day long. What are they doing with whatever it is they are taking?

A: Large sedums like ‘Autumn Joy’ and ‘Matrona’ are some of the latest fall-flowering plants. Their flowers must have plenty of nectar or pollen in them because I, too, have noticed bees and other pollinators crawling over the flowers. Sometimes I see them sitting on the flowers overnight, not returning to their nest. Sad to say, the bees we see working won’t be here next year. Only a couple of fertile queens in the colony survive. These bees are simply feeding the colony and strengthening the mother bees for their winter hibernation.