I agree about supporting wild bees. There are around 270 species of bees in the UK, 250 of which are solitary bees (that don't live in a social, hierarchical colony). Mason bees and leafcutters seem most easy to provide homes for. You can make boxes or buy some very good and bee-popular designs now. Bumblebee nesting boxes can also work well.
She writes for the RHS, the Guardian and Gardeners' World and has four good books on gardening for wildlife.
- George Pilkington helped form the BBCT and he has many videos on Youtube about his research and highly respected nesting box designs. He builds and sells mason bee nesting boxes and also bumble bee nesting boxes, having spent decades investigating the specifics of successful models. He works with Kew.
-Dave Goulson as helped formed the Trust. He is a profesor at Sussex Uni and has spent a lifetime in insect research. He has written many books on using land to support the biosphere. The book 'Garden Jungle' might be of great interest to you. He also has a You tube channel (like George P) with lots of discussion on support insects in the garden. He was some acres himself, which he was rewilded.
If you are interested in finding out more about British wild bees, those three are a good place to start. It's also very much worth noting that bees are just one subsection of important pollinators, though the others seem to get less attention. Wasps, hoverflies, flies, gnats and all the others are vital too. Plus the invertebrates and birds etc.
I agree about supporting wild bees. There are around 270 species of bees in the UK, 250 of which are solitary bees (that don't live in a social, hierarchical colony). Mason bees and leafcutters seem most easy to provide homes for. You can make boxes or buy some very good and bee-popular designs now. Bumblebee nesting boxes can also work well.
She writes for the RHS, the Guardian and Gardeners' World and has four good books on gardening for wildlife.
- George Pilkington helped form the BBCT and he has many videos on Youtube about his research and highly respected nesting box designs. He builds and sells mason bee nesting boxes and also bumble bee nesting boxes, having spent decades investigating the specifics of successful models. He works with Kew.
-Dave Goulson as helped formed the Trust. He is a profesor at Sussex Uni and has spent a lifetime in insect research. He has written many books on using land to support the biosphere. The book 'Garden Jungle' might be of great interest to you. He also has a You tube channel (like George P) with lots of discussion on support insects in the garden. He was some acres himself, which he was rewilded.
If you are interested in finding out more about British wild bees, those three are a good place to start. It's also very much worth noting that bees are just one subsection of important pollinators, though the others seem to get less attention. Wasps, hoverflies, flies, gnats and all the others are vital too. Plus the invertebrates and birds etc.
I agree about supporting wild bees. There are around 270 species of bees in the UK, 250 of which are solitary bees (that don't live in a social, hierarchical colony). Mason bees and leafcutters seem most easy to provide homes for. You can make boxes or buy some very good and bee-popular designs now. Bumblebee nesting boxes can also work well.
She writes for the RHS, the Guardian and Gardeners' World and has four good books on gardening for wildlife.
- George Pilkington helped form the BBCT and he has many videos on Youtube about his research and highly respected nesting box designs. He builds and sells mason bee nesting boxes and also bumble bee nesting boxes, having spent decades investigating the specifics of successful models. He works with Kew.
-Dave Goulson as helped formed the Trust. He is a profesor at Sussex Uni and has spent a lifetime in insect research. He has written many books on using land to support the biosphere. The book 'Garden Jungle' might be of great interest to you. He also has a You tube channel (like George P) with lots of discussion on support insects in the garden. He was some acres himself, which he was rewilded.
If you are interested in finding out more about British wild bees, those three are a good place to start. It's also very much worth noting that bees are just one subsection of important pollinators, though the others seem to get less attention. Wasps, hoverflies, flies, gnats and all the others are vital too. Plus the invertebrates and birds etc.
Thank you so much for all the info, I'm going to follow up on all you've given. I've been encouraging the wildlife into our gardens for many years, as we have moved home, each garden was created with wildlife in mind, from all the sparrow boxes on the side of our bungalow, the wildlife pond, Hedgehog boxes, the list goes on. Sadly, many of our neighbours have moved here from London and don't share our love of wildlife, although many appreciated our front garden this year which was created for bees, birds and butterflies, their front gardens are now concrete drives, many have extra large concrete patios and are not interested in a hole in the fence to let our hedgehogs through. I don't think they are going to be keen in having a hive in the area, I've just asked our immediate neighbours and they have said they would not be at all happy, they have heard horror stories.
@gr.letley - I read something in The Garden magazine the other day about cuckoo bees which look very similar to the bees whose nests they lay their eggs in. There were about 5 different varieties from what I remember. I'd never heard of them before - have you come across them?
I was reading about them online, don't think we have any, but we do have a great variety and my favourite are the Brown-banded carder bee, they look like little teddy bears and they love our Centaurea Montana. We had one several weeks ago that was jet black all over, that could have been cuckoo bee.
Our biggest problem is the Wax Moth, nightmare for all colonies.
I've just had someone phone me from the beekeeping community in our area and they are coming to inspect the garden to see if it's suitable. But he did suggest I talk to the neighbours first, which could be a problem, the majority of them are from London and are anti wildlife, they won't even have a little hole in the fence to let our Hedgehogs through, so I don't think they will like a hive in the vicinity.
I'd love to see any pictures of the carder bee you can snap any please. I have a couple of Centaurea Montana, too.
> Our biggest problem is the Wax Moth, nightmare for all colonies.
I have a problem with lots of certain moths in the region. They forage at night and I do the usual thing to protect from moths that a friend in the area advised: lay a net over certain patches at sundown. Take out those plants that breed their caterpillars. It's a problem in the area. She gave me a list of plants that breed their young. Fortunately nettles are not among them as my butterflies rely on them.
If your neighbours are that unhappy about it I would forget the hive idea - for now. You don't need the aggro. People who don't understand (or are allergic) get very fearful around stinging insects. The bees are also very likely to swarm - and that can be perceived as a big problem in residential areas.
The very last thing you'd want is for neighbours to start getting handy with insecticides around your bees - especially if they then cary the insecticide back into the hive itself.
Perhaps better to wait and see what turn up naturally and hope the neighbours don't notice. In the meantime you might be able to work on them and increase their knowledge of wildlife and how the natural world works.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
Didy, did you see the video I posted about what hornets do to steal bee honey? Too much of a good thing also turns bad. I think it is all about keeping a balance, and it is regions specific.
If your neighbours are that unhappy about it I would forget the hive idea - for now. You don't need the aggro. People who don't understand (or are allergic) get very fearful around stinging insects. The bees are also very likely to swarm - and that can be perceived as a big problem in residential areas.
The very last thing you'd want is for neighbours to start getting handy with insecticides around your bees - especially if they then cary the insecticide back into the hive itself.
Perhaps better to wait and see what turn up naturally and hope the neighbours don't notice. In the meantime you might be able to work on them and increase their knowledge of wildlife and how the natural world works.
I have tried talking to the neighbours, but you should have heard the fiasco because a young fox was seen in one of their back gardens, honestly, you'd think an alien had landed. When I asked about a little hole in the fence to help the hedgehogs too and from the fields so they didn't have to go near our road, the reply was, they didn't want any nasty hog droppings in their garden, but they don't mind their cats coming and digging up mine and leaving their mess, which we have to clear up. Our next door neighbour gave us all her bird feeders, because she was worried about getting infections from them, her loss our gain. They all use slug pellets and you have a point about insecticides, most of them are constantly spraying their plants, which I didn't think of until you mentioned it, so with that in mind and the other points people have made, I think I might have to accept it's a no go with the hive, but at least we can continue to help the bumbles out.
@gr.letley - I read something in The Garden magazine the other day about cuckoo bees which look very similar to the bees whose nests they lay their eggs in. There were about 5 different varieties from what I remember. I'd never heard of them before - have you come across them?
I was reading about them online, don't think we have any, but we do have a great variety and my favourite are the Brown-banded carder bee, they look like little teddy bears and they love our Centaurea Montana. We had one several weeks ago that was jet black all over, that could have been cuckoo bee.
Our biggest problem is the Wax Moth, nightmare for all colonies.
I've just had someone phone me from the beekeeping community in our area and they are coming to inspect the garden to see if it's suitable. But he did suggest I talk to the neighbours first, which could be a problem, the majority of them are from London and are anti wildlife, they won't even have a little hole in the fence to let our Hedgehogs through, so I don't think they will like a hive in the vicinity.
I'd love to see any pictures of the carder bee you can snap any please. I have a couple of Centaurea Montana, too.
> Our biggest problem is the Wax Moth, nightmare for all colonies.
I have a problem with lots of certain moths in the region. They forage at night and I do the usual thing to protect from moths that a friend in the area advised: lay a net over certain patches at sundown. Take out those plants that breed their caterpillars. It's a problem in the area. She gave me a list of plants that breed their young. Fortunately nettles are not among them as my butterflies rely on them.
If I can get a good picture of the carder bee I will post it on here, hubby did try a few weeks back, but it did not turn out well. We bought a brilliant wipe clean guide to bees of Britain from one of the National Trust places, very useful, excellent details of bees, pictures, their names and locations, produced by the FSC.
> The fiasco because a young fox was seen in one of their back gardens, honestly, > you'd think an alien had landed. When I asked about a little hole in the fence to > help the hedgehogs too and from the fields so they didn't have to go near our > road, the reply was, they didn't want any nasty hog droppings in their garden.
Oh, how awful! Foxes live everywhere, all over the UK. Every patch of land is a territory of a fox or a fox family. They come at night and can climb over garages and scale the walls. So, don't worry. Foxie will OUTFOX them all.
Your hedgehogs are better off not being able to get into their gardens full of poisonous pellets and pesticides.
you should have heard the fiasco because a young fox was seen in one of
their back gardens, honestly, you'd think an alien had landed. When I
asked about a little hole in the fence to help the hedgehogs too ...
they didn't want any nasty hog droppings in their garden... most of them are constantly spraying their plants.
I'm so sorry about that - and all the new arrivals who demand a garden and then concrete it. It's all so disheartening. We have lots of that where I am. It's hard to imagine people not wanting hedgehogs in their gardens.
You are the trailblazer and the flag waver! Keep on keeping on. Hopefully you will inspire others to give up trying to control everything and find delight in something other than themselves. Don't let it get your down!
you should have heard the fiasco because a young fox was seen in one of
their back gardens, honestly, you'd think an alien had landed. When I
asked about a little hole in the fence to help the hedgehogs too ...
they didn't want any nasty hog droppings in their garden... most of them are constantly spraying their plants.
I'm so sorry about that - and all the new arrivals who demand a garden and then concrete it. It's all so disheartening. We have lots of that where I am. It's hard to imagine people not wanting hedgehogs in their gardens.
You are the trailblazer and the flag waver! Keep on keeping on. Hopefully you will inspire others to give up trying to control everything and find delight in something other than themselves. Don't let it get your down!
The cats cause more problems than the foxes, we've had so many of our lovely birds taken by them and so many of our neighbours have two or three cats, I think they are the cause of the bird depletion more than anything else because the owners let them out of a night when the birds are roosting and nesting, breaks my heart to see a cat with fledglings in its mouth. Just can't help myself, just got back from the nursery and more plants for the birds, bees and butterflies. Picked up a yellow and cream salvia, a bee followed me while I was carrying it.
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I'd love to see any pictures of the carder bee you can snap any please. I have a couple of Centaurea Montana, too.
> Our biggest problem is the Wax Moth, nightmare for all colonies.
I have a problem with lots of certain moths in the region. They forage at night and I do the usual thing to protect from moths that a friend in the area advised: lay a net over certain patches at sundown. Take out those plants that breed their caterpillars.
It's a problem in the area.
She gave me a list of plants that breed their young. Fortunately nettles are not among them as my butterflies rely on them.
The very last thing you'd want is for neighbours to start getting handy with insecticides around your bees - especially if they then cary the insecticide back into the hive itself.
Perhaps better to wait and see what turn up naturally and hope the neighbours don't notice. In the meantime you might be able to work on them and increase their knowledge of wildlife and how the natural world works.
https://theconversation.com/moths-do-the-pollinator-night-shift-and-they-work-harder-than-daytime-insects-138472
The Wax Moth sounds horrible though!
We bought a brilliant wipe clean guide to bees of Britain from one of the National Trust places, very useful, excellent details of bees, pictures, their names and locations, produced by the FSC.
> you'd think an alien had landed. When I asked about a little hole in the fence to
> help the hedgehogs too and from the fields so they didn't have to go near our
> road, the reply was, they didn't want any nasty hog droppings in their garden.
Oh, how awful! Foxes live everywhere, all over the UK. Every patch of land is a territory of a fox or a fox family. They come at night and can climb over garages and scale the walls. So, don't worry. Foxie will OUTFOX them all.
Your hedgehogs are better off not being able to get into their gardens full of poisonous pellets and pesticides.
Just can't help myself, just got back from the nursery and more plants for the birds, bees and butterflies. Picked up a yellow and cream salvia, a bee followed me while I was carrying it.