I'm delighted to find this afternoon, that bumblebees are nesting under my shed. A nice, quiet, out of the way spot where they won't be disturbed. (Not yet sure which kind of bee). 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽
I'm delighted to find this afternoon, that bumblebees are nesting under my shed. A nice, quiet, out of the way spot where they won't be disturbed. (Not yet sure which kind of bee). 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽
Thats brilliant, lucky you.
I remember years ago I used to store my caravan in a farmers barn. The floor was mostly straw and hay. One day I went to visit and the guy with the caravan next to me had pulled his caravan out and as sweeping all the straw away. I asked what he was doing and he said he was getting rid of the wasps. When I looked it was a mass of beautiful bumble bees that were nesting in the straw.I did my best to stop him, and told him in no certain terms not to touch the straw anywhere near my caravan or I'd rage up!!!
I'm fairly sure all my things were going on before, I'm just paying more attention this year. It's a big garden year for me, for sure. Much less mad than last year and I'm not going anywhere.
Half the masons in my bee brick hatched this morning (mud caps gone), plus half the micro bees. One cocoon in the Pilkington release chamber has hatched* too.
*('Hatch' isn't quite the right word, as they emerge as adults).
Today bees have started nesting for this season in the Pilkington Box. I don't why I was so astonished, but I was.
It was hard to get a good shot, because I balancing badly on an ancient garden chair (praying it wouldn't break), shooting right into the sun. But you can see the lady has started building up pollen stores and sectioning off the cavities. There looks like there are maybe two other channels just started at the very top and very bottom of the box.
The season seems to have started in earnest. It was a warm afternoon - strong sun shining directly on the boxes and bee bricks - and the wind had dropped. Clouds of bees were buzzing happily, around my head, seemingly not bothered by me at all. (Although they would have learn some blue exclamations today).
It was hard to see (or know) the species but they seemed to be leaf cutters (not very furry) and mason bees (pretty furry). I was interested to note that when investigating the boxes, every bee started exploration (I imagine by smell) from the box holes up, never top down. I imagine they map in a very particular way.
The forgetmenots seem to be the favourite plant of choice at the moment. The neighbours apple trees too, which is a good source of food.
You can hear the bees all around, in this little video. Here she is building a cell. She finishes, turns around and has a little clean.
What a source of delight the bees are. I'm following @Wild Edges * lead
and trying to keep a log of what I encounter in the garden. So far I
have noted six species of bee. Four nesting in the garden. But my bee ID
skills need a lot of work. There seems to be lots of all black bumbles
that I can't yet ID, small and restless.
* Thank you to @Wild Edges for his inspiration, photos and help in all this, our local entomologist.
It's great isn't it. I could be wrong but I'm not sure the leafcutters are out yet? I know last year they were around in my garden in July. None of the leafcutters I have, have hatched out yet like the masons have. Yesterday morning I found a mason sitting on a viola, completely still - I think it had spent the whole night there, fortunately it was the one "warm" night we've had recently. I think it was shocked or something as it didn't move all morning, and yesterday here was windy and a bit cold, no sun. I was worrying about it all morning! In the end I had to interfere (as usual!), so I cut off the flower it was sitting on and I put it into the bee release box I have - it still didn't move a muscle. It then stayed in there all day and I gave it some sugar water in the evening, which I think it drank as it moved slightly to the leaf I had put it on. This morning it was still there, then when it warmed up and the sun came out it flew off. So I was glad I intervened as it would have stayed outside on that viola last night when it was around minus 2 and probably would have died.
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I remember years ago I used to store my caravan in a farmers barn. The floor was mostly straw and hay. One day I went to visit and the guy with the caravan next to me had pulled his caravan out and as sweeping all the straw away. I asked what he was doing and he said he was getting rid of the wasps. When I looked it was a mass of beautiful bumble bees that were nesting in the straw.I did my best to stop him, and told him in no certain terms not to touch the straw anywhere near my caravan or I'd rage up!!!
* Thank you to @Wild Edges for his inspiration, photos and help in all this, our local entomologist.
Yesterday morning I found a mason sitting on a viola, completely still - I think it had spent the whole night there, fortunately it was the one "warm" night we've had recently. I think it was shocked or something as it didn't move all morning, and yesterday here was windy and a bit cold, no sun. I was worrying about it all morning! In the end I had to interfere (as usual!), so I cut off the flower it was sitting on and I put it into the bee release box I have - it still didn't move a muscle. It then stayed in there all day and I gave it some sugar water in the evening, which I think it drank as it moved slightly to the leaf I had put it on. This morning it was still there, then when it warmed up and the sun came out it flew off. So I was glad I intervened as it would have stayed outside on that viola last night when it was around minus 2 and probably would have died.