Garden bee balm's beauty and benefits: Repel ticks and attract pollinators
The garden bee balm, also known as Monarda or bergamot, is a colourful addition to the garden. Its appearance captivates with its beauty and repels ticks. Thanks to its various colours—from burgundy to cream, pink, purple, and yellow—it is a beautiful decoration for any garden.
The garden bee balm stands out not only for its appearance but also for its fragrance. Thanks to essential oils, it can smell lemony, strawberry-like, or even lavender-like. These scents attract beneficial insects such as butterflies and bees while simultaneously repelling ticks.
Growing conditions
The garden bee balm grows best in sunny or partially shaded locations. Its blooming period lasts from July to September, allowing a long time to enjoy its appearance. The soil should be fertile and slightly moist but not too wet.
Care and frost resistance
Caring for the garden bee balm mainly involves regular watering and pruning. The plant requires more frequent watering on hot days, but you should avoid excess water. Pruning should be done after blooming, stimulating the plant to bloom again. The garden bee balm is frost-resistant, so it does not need covering for the winter.
Dangerous ticks
Ticks are mainly dangerous because they can transmit various diseases that pose a risk to the health of humans and animals. Here are some reasons why ticks are considered hazardous:
- Lyme disease - symptoms may include erythema migrans, fever, headaches, fatigue, and muscle and joint pains.
- Tick-borne encephalitis can cause flu-like symptoms and, in more severe cases, brain and spinal cord inflammation.
- Babesiosis can lead to symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches, fatigue, and liver and spleen enlargement.
- Anaplasmosis - can lead to symptoms such as fever, headaches, muscle aches, chills, and fatigue.
- Tularemia - can cause symptoms such as fever, skin ulcers, lymph node enlargement, and pneumonia.
- Other diseases—Ticks can transmit other diseases, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), ehrlichiosis, and rickettsioses.
To avoid tick bites and associated risks, it is worth using appropriate protective measures, such as wearing proper clothing, using repellents, regularly checking the body and clothing after being in wooded areas, and promptly and adequately removing ticks if found on the skin.
It's worth planting bee balm in the garden
The garden bee balm is beautiful and practical for any garden. Thanks to its ability to repel ticks and attract beneficial insects, it is an ideal addition for gardening enthusiasts. If you want to enjoy its charms, it is worth planting now.
