do bees like stinging nettles

Nevertheless, stinging nettle is a host plant for a number of butterfly and moth species. It also provides great perennial habitat for a wide range of other beneficial pollinators and predatory insects, from native bees to parasitoid wasps

. An overhead view of a stinging nettle patch starting to break dormancy.

Full Answer

Do Nettles hurt like bee stings?

The nettles were nothing compared to the pain of the multiple bee stings. The nettles were a total non-issue by the time I got home and put my gear away—about 15 minutes post being “nettlized.” If bees rated around a 5 or 6 (out of 10) for sting impact, the nettle stings warranted maybe a “1.” Perhaps even less.]

How common is stinging nettle?

Common. A very common plant, the stinging nettle can be found growing in gardens, hedgerows, fields, woodlands and many other habitats. Its preference for damp, fertile and disturbed ground makes it a good coloniser of places enriched by human activities, such as agriculture and development.

Why do stinging nettles have hollow leaves?

Chris - The answer is that stinging nettles have - all over their leaves - lots of tiny needles. If you look at the leaves and stems of a stinging nettle closely, or use a magnifying glass, you'll see these tiny little things sticking out of the leaf surface, and they are hollow.

What animals eat stinging nettles?

Stinging nettles are great wildlife attractors: caterpillars of the small tortoiseshell and peacock butterflies use them as foodplants; ladybirds feast on the aphids that shelter among them; and seed-eating birds enjoy their autumn spoils.

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Is stinging nettle good for bees?

Nevertheless, stinging nettle is a host plant for a number of butterfly and moth species. It also provides great perennial habitat for a wide range of other beneficial pollinators and predatory insects, from native bees to parasitoid wasps.

What do nettles attract?

Stinging nettles are great wildlife attractors: caterpillars of the small tortoiseshell and peacock butterflies use them as foodplants; ladybirds feast on the aphids that shelter among them; and seed-eating birds enjoy their autumn spoils.

Why is stinging nettle a problem?

Nettles are plants with sharp hairs on their leaves. If you touch them, these hairs inject irritants into the skin, making it itchy, red and swollen.

What insects eat nettle?

Female Aglais urticae (small tortoiseshell butterflies) often lay their eggs on the undersides of stinging nettle leaves. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the the leaves of the plant. Often many of these organisms will hatch at once and devour entire leaves.

Do nettles serve a purpose?

Because it's rich in nitrogen, this is particularly useful for leafy vegetables like kale, chard and spinach. You can also cut nettles to lay, as they are, around larger plants or shrubby fruits, where they will serve as a valuable mulch. Their high nitrogen content also makes them a natural compost activator.

Should you cut back nettles?

The best time to cut nettles for a liquid plant fertiliser is early spring, as this is when the nitrogen content is at its highest. To ensure that the butterfly larvae are not disturbed it is best to cut in March and again (if you want to) in October.

What's the difference between nettles and stinging nettles?

Stinging nettle is the name given to common nettle, garden nettle, and hybrids of these plants. Originally from the colder regions of northern Europe and Asia, this herbaceous shrub grows all over the world today.

How long do stinging nettles last?

Nettle stings can be itchy and you may feel a stinging or burning sensation. This will usually settle down within a few minutes or a few days and you can often treat them yourself.

Are nettles good for the garden?

In the garden, nettle is indispensable as a fertilizer, insecticide, and compost activator. On the farm, nettle's uses don't just end there. The farm animals also benefit from all the goodness of nettle as well.

Do butterflies like stinging nettles?

'Nettles are the food plant for the caterpillars of red admiral, small tortoiseshell, painted lady and comma butterflies. 'It's important to treat your nettles like any other garden plant if you are growing for the benefit of butterflies. Cut them regularly to get good fresh growth from the nettles.

Are nettles invasive?

Although Urtica dioica is distributed widely in many parts of the world, it is considered invasive because of its nuisance value even within its native range, particularly in waste places, especially since its stinging hairs can cause painful welts on human and possibly animal skin.

What lays eggs on nettles?

Butterflies and moths generally lay their eggs in the centre of a nettle patch so the outer plants will be fine for us to eat. Nettles are incredibly rich in iron, folates and other minerals as well as tasting great when made into a soup.

Do nettles make good fertilizer?

The nutrients nettle fertiliser contains include chlorophyll, Nitrogen, Iron and Potassium. Brewed nettle tea will last up to 6 months, enough to get you through the growing season (spring). It works best on leafy plants and heavy feeders.

What plants can you use nettle fertilizer on?

This fertilizer works best on plants that have a high demand for nourishment such as fruit trees and bushes, roses, annuals and perennial flowering plants. It works for tomatoes, leeks, brassicas, cucumbers and courgettes. However, it is not meant for beans, peas, onions, potatoes and root vegetables.

Are nettles good for butterflies?

Nettles are important foodplants for the caterpillars of several butterflies and moths.

Are nettles poisonous?

Stinging nettle If touched, these needle-like hairs inject the stinging acid into the skin, triggering a burning, tingling sensation and an itchy rash. Thankfully the symptoms usually do not persist longer than 24 hours. Interestingly, the cooked plant is safe to eat and is popular is some places as a vegetable.

How to identify stinging nettle?

To avoid the more painful way of identifying a stinging nettle, look for the hairs on its stem, its drooping, catkin flowers, and oval, toothed leaves.

What is the scientific name for stinging nettle?

Stinging nettle. Scientific name: Urtica dioica. The stinging nettle is a familiar and common plant, often firmly rooted in our memories after our first, hands-on experience - a prickling irritation that's not forgotten easily!

Why do we grow stinging nettles?

We grow and use stinging nettle because it’s a delicious seasonal food that we look forward to eating in the late winter and spring each year. The fact that it has medicinal applications is just an added bonus.

How to harvest stinging nettles?

The best parts of the stinging nettle are the tender 3-5″ growth tips. Hold the tip with a gloved hand, snip the base of the growth segment, toss it in your harvest basket, repeat.

What happens when you touch nettle trichomes?

A closer look at stinging nettle trichomes on the stem of the plant. These tiny hairs and the compounds inside them can cause a very unpleasant sting and rash. The fun doesn’t stop there though.

How to get stinging nettle out of a plant?

Instead, your best bet is to put on gloves and a long sleeved shirt, and pull the plants out completely, roots and all. Since stinging nettle plants spread by root runners, this can be hard to do.

What are the defenses of stinging nettles?

Bark, thorns, poison, and bad flavors are a few common plant defenses. Stinging nettles have none of these defenses, but they do have needle-like hairs (trichomes) made of silica running along their leaves and stems. When touched, these hairs break off in the skin of the “victim.”

How long does a stinging nettle last?

Left untreated, a stinging nettle sting usually lasts 2-3 hours. However, like the visible rash the stingers cause, the stinging sensation can last up to 24 hours in some cases.

What is the medicinal use of stinging nettle?

Traditional medicinal uses for stinging nettle include: rheumatism, kidney and urinary tract disorders, stomach aches, hair loss, allergies, muscle and joint pain, and treatment of a wide range of skin ailments.

What is the name of the stinging nettle?

Do an image and information search on the Internet for "Stinging Nettle" or Urtica dioica. The latter name will give you the best results of what stinging (or common) nettle looks like in order to better help you identify the species out in the field. Also, some extra information to know may be useful:

What is the difference between a false nettle and a stinging nettle?

Distinguish from False Nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica). False nettle has finer toothed margins of the leaves, and the leaves themselves tend to be a little more bigger at the base. The stems of each flower cluster are erect and angle upward from the stem, unlike stinging nettle (which are droopy). There are no stinging hairs on any part of this plant. This is despite the fine hairs found on the leaves and stems.

Why are nettles called nettles?

Hundreds of species of plants that are commonly called "nettles" exist in the world, many which are named because of the similarity to a common weed known as Stinging Nettle or Common Nettle ( Urtica dioica) by leaf shape, growth habit, or stinging ability thanks to the tiny needle-like hairs that exude a skin-irritant when touched.

How many species of nettles are there in the urtica family?

There are actually 35 to 40 different species in the Urtica genus in Family Urticaceae. All true nettles are a part of the Nettle Family Urticaceae. There are many other species of plants with the common name "nettle" attached to it, but may not be part of the aforementioned taxonomical family.

What is Marsh Hedge Nettle?

Distinguish from Marsh Hedge Nettle (Stachys palustris). This plant (a native to North America), a part of the mint family ( Lamiaceae) can be fairly easily confused with stinging nettle when in the pre-blooming stage. Like stinging nettle, there are opposite leaves and pubescent or hairy leaves and stems.

How tall is Deadnettle?

6. Distinguish from White Deadnettle (Lamium album). A member of the Mint family ( Lamiaceae) this perennial is native to Europe and introduced to North America. It is typically shorter than stinging nettle, growing only from around 1.5 feet (0.46 m) to 3.2 feet (0.98 m) tall.

Where are stinging nettles native to?

This species, along with its subspecies, is distributed all over the world, from Africa to Europe and in North and South America. Stinging nettle is native to western North America, Europe, Asia, northern Africa, and introduced elsewhere.

Why do stinging nettles do it?

The reason the stinging nettles do it, of course, is to warn you off of treading on them, or eating them, in the future because if you get a painful contact with a stinging nettle, you know to watch out for them in the future and avoid them. So they've evolved to do that as a means of defence!

What is inside a stinging nettle?

They're made of silica, the same stuff that sand is made from. Inside them is a liquid and that liquid is histamine and another liquid called serotonin, ...