So far I am seeing far fewer bees of any type and this despite the warm sunny weather and lack of rain for about 2 weeks. 2020 and 2022 were particularly good for bees in my garden. I have probably seen a maximum of 5 bumblebees at any one time on my ceanothus and in previous years there would be closer to 50 plus. Did the bad winter and spring weather reduce their numbers? Is pollution and pesticides use part of this? Seen a fair few moths, damselflies & hoverflies. The hoverflies may be a little more numerous this year.
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I've seen less honey bees (a good thing) and about the same number of bumble bees, it's still early in the year for them so only the queens and a few small workers around.
I've certainly seen more types of butterflies/moths, (Brimstone, small tortoiseshell, small white, small copper, magpie moth and beautiful golden Y) though there have been less of the overwintered ones such as small tortoiseshells, but that's to be expected we had some very cold winter weather,
Plenty of dragon and damselflies even though the nearest water is several hundred meters away.
But the biggest indicator to me that we have more insects this year is how dirty the car gets, it sounds like driving in rain as I go to work.
We've also had the driest May in 15 years with temperatures of about 15C in the day and 8C at night, so that may have had an effect.
Plenty of bees in the cotoneaster. Ants by the trillion everywhere,spiders ( ugh) irritating flying bugs , what’s everyone going on about , it’s very cold 12 deg ,but doesn’t seem to be bothering the wild flying stuff here in north bucks .
I don't know how to answer. Cold at night and hot during the day and dry. Plenty of solitary bees (mainly mason and leafcutters) and some honeybees. The blackberries are full of bumble bees. Already seen wasps, hornets and beeflies. Ladybirds too are around judging from the total absence of greenfly on the roses. Viburnum beetle doing exceedingly well 😏 this year. The situation for butterflies is not good here, from the beginning of spring I must have seen no more than 2 brimstones and nothing else. Birds are down too. I have a sparrow nest and the poor parents come back with very little on their beaks: no rain no food for them. This is my 9th year without pesticides or herbicides.
My bee hotel has been brimming with mason bees this year and their population has exploded. Ive got well over 60 of the bamboo tubes filled on the one and there's some smaller later in the season solitary bees going about their business at the moment. They were about a week later this year due to the cool wet start to may but they came out in force around the end of 2nd week of may. There's also been lots of quirky looking wasp or wasp looking solitary bees around too impossible to identify.
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Seen a fair few moths, damselflies & hoverflies. The hoverflies may be a little more numerous this year.
I ♥ my garden.
But, hardly any on the Clover in the garden and I have a lot of Clover.
Cold at night and hot during the day and dry. Plenty of solitary bees (mainly mason and leafcutters) and some honeybees. The blackberries are full of bumble bees. Already seen wasps, hornets and beeflies. Ladybirds too are around judging from the total absence of greenfly on the roses. Viburnum beetle doing exceedingly well 😏 this year.
The situation for butterflies is not good here, from the beginning of spring I must have seen no more than 2 brimstones and nothing else. Birds are down too. I have a sparrow nest and the poor parents come back with very little on their beaks: no rain no food for them.
This is my 9th year without pesticides or herbicides.
Luxembourg
I have seen no bees on the Geums this year, most unusual.