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Bumble bees have disappeared

Maggie83Maggie83 Posts: 2
in Wildlife gardening

I considered myself very lucky to find a bumble bee nest under my shed and have had many of them happily buzzing around the garden for the past couple of months. However, in the last couple of days I haven't seen any at all and I am concerned about them. I do not use any pesticides etc but I did wonder if they could be affected by them in neighbouring gardens.

Posts

  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618

    I had a bit of  a lull. Last week there was hardly a bee. This week they are all on the lavender and eryngium.   Pesticides in neighbours gardens are bound to affect them. Also the weather. I have noticed quite a lot of insects taking water from around where the outside tap drips.  The other thing is that you get different types of bumble bees at different points in the season. The tree bees seem to have finished and we have moved on to white tailed bumbles.

  • Maggie83Maggie83 Posts: 2

    Thank you. I will keep a look out and hope to see them (or others) back. I live in the South-East so it has been very warm and dry but I do have a full bird bath in the garden. I have made a big effort in the last few years to grow insect friendly plants so fingers crossed.

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    the early bees nests are mostly over, My Tree Bumbles and Bombus terrestris nests are both finished. 



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • DesthemoanerDesthemoaner Posts: 191

    Interesting to hear the comment about insects taking water.

    I've relocated my pond over the last couple of days, and almost as soon as the new pond was filled,  a wasp (or a hoverfly doing a grand impression of a wasp) began regularly visiting the pond, skimming the surface, then landing to take on water. Not something I ever noticed when the pond was in a shady area. 

    Our Mason bees vanished a good few weeks back, though their burrows are still visible in our clay bank. However, we still have plenty of bumble bees visiting our inherited plethora of geraniums. 

  • ClaringtonClarington Posts: 4,949

    I think they're all in my garden!!

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    I've got loads on Hebes, Ligularia, Cornflowers, and in Nasturtiums and Foxgloves, as well as other plants. Even on the cooler days they've been out and about image

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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