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Helping Our Solitary Bees

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  • FruitcakeFruitcake Posts: 810

    I've got leaf cutter bees trying to live in pots in my greenhouse. I don't mind encouraging bees but I don't really want them in my greenhouse. 

    As soon as I've evicted them from one pot, they've burrowed into another image

  • Gillian53Gillian53 Posts: 112

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    These are some bamboo bee tubes I got at Harrogate Flower Show. They are just lengths of bamboo that have nice,smooth ends. I stuffed them in a clean dog meat tin but they were slightly longer. So I cut a 4 pint plastic milk bottle up to wrap around the end and form an overhang. They were tied to a down- pipe facing south-east on a very slight downward tilt. The bees do seem to prefer the smaller bore as I suppose they don't have to work as hard to seal the cells with mud. I think it's to late for the Red Masons now and always have tubes out as soon as weather starts warming up.

    I do believe that other species nest slightly later but there isn't much activity around my wall now. I've brought these tin can homes indoors now. They will sit in a shoe box in the garage until spring, when I'll pop them back out ready for hatching out.

    A neighbour bought one of those 'bug houses' sold in supermarkets and only one tube was used as the rest were too big. She was very disappointed.

    Google solitary bee tubes, chop some bamboo (make sure it's hollow all the way through) and in autumn collect some hollow stems ready for next years bees.

     

     

  • NewBoy2NewBoy2 Posts: 1,813

    Gillian53.............I have a goal to let as many of the people in the UK know about the plight of our bees and how easy and low cost to help tyhem

    Bees pollenate our food and the less we need to import then the better it is for the UK....sorry bit of politics there.

    Natter Jack....I have a BBC Wildlife leaflet called Pocket Guides   Number 11 Bumblebees  other bees and wasps...0870 444 7013

    Fruitcake......Think I have seen a Wood Potter wasp at the bee hotel at my allotment

    I have 3 children from neighbouring allotment  families watching out for visiting bees / wasps

    Everyone is just trying to be Happy.....So lets help Them.
  • Gillian53Gillian53 Posts: 112

    When new neighbours moved in next door a few years ago she couldn't understand the attraction. But after watching them from her window for a few days, she went and bought some bee plants.

    I work with a lot of supposedly 'clever' 20 year olds who can't for the life of them understand why we need any pollinators, let alone bees. One girl just didn't know that apples etc come from the flowers and spent all day trying to think what we would eat if there were no pollinators. I was go gobsmacked!! After a friendly talking to she also decided to stop killing any bumble that gets too close. I told her it's her fault for being in their flight path.

    So NewBoy2, I'm with you all the way on spreading the word.image

  • NewBoy2NewBoy2 Posts: 1,813

    Gillian53   and  Edd

    Do you think I should start a fresh thread and add the link again and this time explain what it is ??

    Im just trying to spread the word about our lack of bees

     

    Everyone is just trying to be Happy.....So lets help Them.
  • ClaringtonClarington Posts: 4,949

    You know I'm sure I read an article about robotic bees being designed...

  • Gillian53Gillian53 Posts: 112

    I can't remember how much I pay a year (but not a lot) to be a member of Bumble Bee Conservation. You get a sticker for your rear window (if you have a car), an identification chart newsletters etc. Lots of info on the site and a worthy group/charity.

     I've never seen anyone else with a sticker.

     

     

     

  • NewBoy2NewBoy2 Posts: 1,813

    I have ordered two copies of an identification chart from NHBS at £3.50 each so I can educate the "Allotment Children " as one little chap thought pease came from tins !!!

    Its going to be a long journey !!  image

    Bumble Bee Conservation is just £20.00 pa so I will be joining today

    Thanks for the guidance Gillian53

    Everyone is just trying to be Happy.....So lets help Them.
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