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Bees in my pond (to be)

TheGreenManTheGreenMan Posts: 1,957
in Problem solving
Hi,

I've recently marked out where my pond is going to go; moved the gravel and ripped up the membrane which has left a pond shaped area of soil.

I did this about a month ago.

I was about to dig out the pond when I noticed quite a lot of bees going in and out of the soil.

What are my options here?

Do I need to wait until Autumn to dig it?  Do I dig now and ruin their lives?  Have I lost my pond to them forever :D

Help!
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Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Typical - thoughtless little b*ggers!
    I don't think there's much you can do except wait. Disturbing them might be a death knell.  I still feel guilty when I was doing work for my Dad and disturbed a little nest under some conifers. It must be 20 years ago or more.

    Serves you right for not getting stuck into that pond  sooner.... :D
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I would look closely at what they are doing, over how large an area, what kind of bee, what kind of soil...
  • TheGreenManTheGreenMan Posts: 1,957
    I know, I know @Fairygirl

    Too much been going on.  In happier news, my fenced-off, secluded area is almost finished.

    @fire they look to be nesting.

    They're all going into different parts of it across the whole surface.  I'm guessing they are solitary bees. 

    The soil is a mixture of lighter soil on top and heavy clay a few feet down.



  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    It's a good reminder that bare sandy-ish soil is a godsend to mining/burrowing bees. Is that another area that you could purposely leave bare for the bees?
  • TheGreenManTheGreenMan Posts: 1,957
    edited May 2022
    I can't leave that area indefinitely no.  It has to be the pond.  I'm just wondering when it's safe to destroy their city.....when will they move on?
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I meant another area of light soil in the garden
  • TheGreenManTheGreenMan Posts: 1,957
    Oh.  Haha.  Sorry.  I'm definitely open to giving them their own spot @Fire


  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    There are about 65 species of mining bee in the UK.


    I suspect that, like mason bees, mining bees will emerge, create a nest, mate, lay eggs and the adults die. The eggs then hatch and adults emerge the following spring. It might be wise to disturb the bees now in their nesting cycle and encourage them to choose another site for their eggs, as this site will be covered up. In a few months you will see no more bees, but the eggs will be in soil tunnels. If you want that site for the pond, then there may be no good time to start the project. Just a thought.

  • TheGreenManTheGreenMan Posts: 1,957
    I see.  Thank you.

    I may pop on some thick clothing and dig it today.

    The fencer has just finished so I can get cracking with it.  I'll start on my lunch break.

    If I don't come back on for a while you know what's happened.......
  • AstraeusAstraeus Posts: 336
    I had the same situation.

    We dug to expose around a 5' high section of clay soil. There were dozens of the bees. I did as @Fire suggested and created an equally or more suitable habitat close by. That, coupled with the constant disruption at their old site whilst we carried on the pond dig, led to them decamping so that when we lay the liner, there were only a couple still there (which we did our best to usher away). We then left the liner laid loosely for a few days so that things could crawl out before weighing it down with water.
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