I've been surprised to have higher numbers of insects this year considering the weather last year. I am in the North West and, although we did have droughts, we didn't have droughts or hot weather to the same extent as the South. My garden so far this year has been swimming in bees, shield bugs, damselflies, and aphids/greenfly but very few ladybirds. Plenty of snails, not seen many slugs but we have a resident Hedgehog who keeps them at bay. Not sure if it is just fluke but the bug population has been noticeably higher for me this year.
@B3 I was wondering if starlings eat bees. We had in the recent two weeks a huge group of at least 30 starlings in neighbour’s cherry tree and they flew always through my garden.
@Simone_in_Wiltshire they're probably stripping the barely formed cherries, they do it to mine. I saw a sparrow after a bumble bee yesterday, but it looked more like sport than hunting - bees are slow and easy to catch, but I don't think they do it much, if at all.
It's interesting that you say that @Slow-worm because that cherry tree never had cherries. I was told by the neighbour it's because there is no second cherry tree that could pollenise it. I found in our veggie trog underneath yesterday something like a thin small cherry with stalk. When I came into the garden at 6, all the starlings 20 at least if not more, flew out of my bed!, 3 pigeons hastily left the water bath, and between all them at least 4 tits.
The Bees Are Back In Town. In spite of a couple of days of weather that felt more like March, since the weekend the bees have returned to the garden and to the nepeta Six Hills Giant in particular. For some reason they favour one of these over the other two even though they are not far apart. It's a joy to watch the insects and to hear them buzzing.
Fairly conclusive results from the poll. Caution as always when reviewing raw data without full scope of variables, but interesting nonetheless.
Seems borderline to me. from 42 votes 47% say worse and 51% same or better (2% MIA). One vote could swing the balance though. I would also have a guess that if repolled in a week or so the results might be different.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
@B3 Political decisions made by all humans including politicians are always based on personal opinions. It’s how politics works. A decision if we see more or less bees in our gardens is based on mathematical facts
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I ♥ my garden.
I saw a sparrow after a bumble bee yesterday, but it looked more like sport than hunting - bees are slow and easy to catch, but I don't think they do it much, if at all.
I ♥ my garden.
I ♥ my garden.
I ♥ my garden.