Dear Gardeners World, Your bee identifier pictures in the magazine do not match the bee identifier pictures on the conservation website. This is very confusing as I do not know which bee I have now seen.
The differences are in the pictures for the Early bee, Bombus pratorum and the Red tailed-bee Bombus lapidarus. i.e. the magazine has the pratorum with one yellow band and you have on your website the same bee with two yellow bands.
Nice overview, but a few important details were left out. Site the nest somewhere that doesn't get much direct sunlight. Bumblebees don’t manage high temperatures well. Also, you should have at least two ventilation holes in the flowerpot, secured against ants with mosquito netting.
I'm a little concerned with this design, as the pipe will fill up with water when it rains and trap the bees inside. Like the U bend on a toilet, which prevents the sewerage smells entering your home.
I'm concerned at the photo showing dangerous practice in the use of an electric drill - one slip and he's drilling a hole through his sock into his ankle
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I'm not sure if anyone else has commented on the size of the hose/piping used, but on the bumblebee conservation website they say the internal diameter has to be at least 18mm. Otherwise, great instructions!
Urszula ..... B. pratorum queens have two yellow bands and an orangey tail. Workers may have two, or just the yellow collar (plus the orange tail).
B.Lapidarus queens have velvety black thorax and abdomen with a lovely deep red tail. They can have a dirty yellow collar. Workers look like smaller queens but males can have yellow haired heads, a yellow collar and may or may not have a mid riff band with an orangey red tail.
Nature can be quite variable
Edited : Just realised how old this post is so info may not be relevant to Urszula now but can't delete.
Posts
The differences are in the pictures for the Early bee, Bombus pratorum and the Red tailed-bee Bombus lapidarus. i.e. the magazine has the pratorum with one yellow band and you have on your website the same bee with two yellow bands.
Best Wishes
Urszula
I built my own flower pot bumblebee nest a while ago. More tips about increasing the chances of having a thriving bumblebee family move in, see http://www.renewablesathome.com/ecology/how-to-build-a-bumblebee-nest
Barry
I'm concerned at the photo showing dangerous practice in the use of an electric drill - one slip and he's drilling a hole through his sock into his ankle
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
lol Dove wonder if his feet got drilled
Urszula ..... B. pratorum queens have two yellow bands and an orangey tail. Workers may have two, or just the yellow collar (plus the orange tail).
B.Lapidarus queens have velvety black thorax and abdomen with a lovely deep red tail. They can have a dirty yellow collar. Workers look like smaller queens but males can have yellow haired heads, a yellow collar and may or may not have a mid riff band with an orangey red tail.
Nature can be quite variable
Edited : Just realised how old this post is so info may not be relevant to Urszula now
but can't delete.