Although I've seen 5 or 6 species of bumblebees in my garden, they are in much smaller numbers than in the past. I wonder if the heavy rain of the winter washed out some of their nests? I've plenty of honey bees as there is a hive nearby & I have plants such as heathers in flower right from January through to the very end of autumn, as well as ivy & wild hedgerow bottoms. As I live in the New Forest the general decline in bees & especially butterflies over the past 40 or 50 years can't be blamed on farmers! Also - we used to get hundreds of House Martins & Swallows but now only a handful. I wonder if this decline is happening right across Europe?
I would venture to suggest that unless this government disallows the use of insect killing toxins in once Great Britain, the bee population will decline more and more each year. So far I've only seen two bees and a half dozen butterflies in my gardens so far. Last year, we had a colony of plasterer bees under my back garden; they also seem to have deserted us this year. Most countries in Europe (Most, that is, except the UK) have banned the use of a particularly strong toxin which is destroying bees. Expect less and less bees from now on unless someone in government wakes up and smells the wild-flowers.
As for this government allowing the use of toxins to continue, I would suggest that one follows the money
I love the bees and butterflies so I have been trying to have at least one plant flowering at the time during the whole year. Two bumblebee species, nearly no honeybees, different type of bees, ground burrowing bees (unfortunately most likely drown during the flood) lots of hoverflies, some butterflies, robins, golden finches, song thrushes, black birds, collared doves, wood pigeons, some frogs, unfortunatelly some cats too, keep visiting our garden. Our garden and surrounding area was flooded this year so I lost loads of bee loved plants ( the most popular spring flowering ornamental garlic, daffodils, tulips, poppies). Plus I wonder if anything nasty during flood got in plants. When my only flood surviving chives were in flowers it was visited by many bumblebees. Far too many. I also noticed during 2 weeks every day I kept stumbling across at least one dying or dead bumblebee in my garden or in streets. WHY??? The amount rate was terrifyingly high. I wish I knew how to help them. Or collecting the dead bumblebees and send them for autopsy to find out what caused their death. Now my honeysuckles, jasmines, tracheospermums and late planted (due to waterlogged soil) plants ( sneezeweeds, lavenders, linaria and others) are finally in flowers, but already too little bees are around. Too alarming sharp decline in numbers to my liking.
We are in NW and have had an abundance of various types of bees during June mainly on my big french lavender bush we often counted around 50 at a time and the chives they dont seem as keen on the flowers when they age though. We back on to an area of rough field so maybe that encourages them to the area..Still plenty on other plants but scattered around. Next concentration will be when Sedum Spectable flowers.
We are in NW and have had an abundance of various types of bees during June mainly on my big french lavender bush we often counted around 50 at a time and on the chives they dont seem as keen on the flowers when they age though. We back on to an area of rough field so maybe that encourages them to the area..Still plenty on other plants but scattered around. Next concentration will be when Sedum Spectable flowers.
We have often put dying bees on the edge of a saucer of sugar and water thin paste facinating watching their tongue go in out as they drink it ,then they rest for a while and fly off.
I would love to agree, but I think you may find that as far as this government is concerned, money power will be a lot more effective than people power. They show little enough interest in the electorate, so the bee population will have little chance.
I've already described the lack of bees and butterflies in my gardens, and I also live in the NW, right on the edge of a green belt, There is farm-land across from my cottage and the view so far, is about eight miles. Before the powers that be began cutting a new by-pass straight across the farm, our gardens had daily visits of rabbit, hawks, a lovely big tawny owl, bats, field and dormice.
But now? Magpies and crows are the norm. Butterflies are so rare that even the solar powered butterfly in my back garden was attacked and its wing broken by a magpie that couldn't tell the difference.
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Although I've seen 5 or 6 species of bumblebees in my garden, they are in much smaller numbers than in the past. I wonder if the heavy rain of the winter washed out some of their nests? I've plenty of honey bees as there is a hive nearby & I have plants such as heathers in flower right from January through to the very end of autumn, as well as ivy & wild hedgerow bottoms. As I live in the New Forest the general decline in bees & especially butterflies over the past 40 or 50 years can't be blamed on farmers! Also - we used to get hundreds of House Martins & Swallows but now only a handful. I wonder if this decline is happening right across Europe?
This year I have seen very few bees on my lavender, yesterday I counted four.
I live in Weymouth.
I would venture to suggest that unless this government disallows the use of insect killing toxins in once Great Britain, the bee population will decline more and more each year. So far I've only seen two bees and a half dozen butterflies in my gardens so far. Last year, we had a colony of plasterer bees under my back garden; they also seem to have deserted us this year. Most countries in Europe (Most, that is, except the UK) have banned the use of a particularly strong toxin which is destroying bees. Expect less and less bees from now on unless someone in government wakes up and smells the wild-flowers.
As for this government allowing the use of toxins to continue, I would suggest that one follows the money
I love the bees and butterflies so I have been trying to have at least one plant flowering at the time during the whole year. Two bumblebee species, nearly no honeybees, different type of bees, ground burrowing bees (unfortunately most likely drown during the flood) lots of hoverflies, some butterflies, robins, golden finches, song thrushes, black birds, collared doves, wood pigeons, some frogs, unfortunatelly some cats too, keep visiting our garden. Our garden and surrounding area was flooded this year so I lost loads of bee loved plants ( the most popular spring flowering ornamental garlic, daffodils, tulips, poppies). Plus I wonder if anything nasty during flood got in plants. When my only flood surviving chives were in flowers it was visited by many bumblebees. Far too many. I also noticed during 2 weeks every day I kept stumbling across at least one dying or dead bumblebee in my garden or in streets. WHY??? The amount rate was terrifyingly high. I wish I knew how to help them. Or collecting the dead bumblebees and send them for autopsy to find out what caused their death. Now my honeysuckles, jasmines, tracheospermums and late planted (due to waterlogged soil) plants ( sneezeweeds, lavenders, linaria and others) are finally in flowers, but already too little bees are around. Too alarming sharp decline in numbers to my liking.
We are in NW and have had an abundance of various types of bees during June mainly on my big french lavender bush we often counted around 50 at a time and the chives they dont seem as keen on the flowers when they age though. We back on to an area of rough field so maybe that encourages them to the area..Still plenty on other plants but scattered around. Next concentration will be when Sedum Spectable flowers.
We are in NW and have had an abundance of various types of bees during June mainly on my big french lavender bush we often counted around 50 at a time and on the chives they dont seem as keen on the flowers when they age though. We back on to an area of rough field so maybe that encourages them to the area..Still plenty on other plants but scattered around. Next concentration will be when Sedum Spectable flowers.
We have often put dying bees on the edge of a saucer of sugar and water thin paste facinating watching their tongue go in out as they drink it ,then they rest for a while and fly off.
David Cameron is doing nothing for bees. Most of Europe is banning highly toxic insect killers, but Cameron's government are actively aiding a company which is producing chemicals which, given time, will wipe out totally the bee population in Great Britain.
However, I've just read the following, which I must admit gives me an enormous relief
Syngenta withdraws application to use banned pesticide linked to bee harm
Company had asked for emergency exemption to treat up to a third of all oilseed rape in the UK with neonicotinoid.
This is probably the best news that could possibly be published as far as the continuation of bees is concerned. IF IT'S TRUE!
ef:
But then again...who in his or her right mind would believe a word spoken by Cameron?
Hi - I've just this evening received two emails -one from Friends of the Earth
and the other from 38 Degrees to say that they too have heard that Syngenta
have withdrawn their application to use pesticides linked to bee harm. I've signed
more petitions on this subject than I can shake a stick at and so have all my
friends and lets hope we can keep them at bay permanently......but there is a
rumour that they are going to try again next year to persuade the government
to let them in. Like lots of you have already said, despite all the wildflowers
I've grown this year I've hardly seen any bees and even fewer butterflies, but I
believe people power will prevail if we all keep signing the petitions.
I would love to agree, but I think you may find that as far as this government is concerned, money power will be a lot more effective than people power. They show little enough interest in the electorate, so the bee population will have little chance.
I've already described the lack of bees and butterflies in my gardens, and I also live in the NW, right on the edge of a green belt, There is farm-land across from my cottage and the view so far, is about eight miles. Before the powers that be began cutting a new by-pass straight across the farm, our gardens had daily visits of rabbit, hawks, a lovely big tawny owl, bats, field and dormice.
But now? Magpies and crows are the norm. Butterflies are so rare that even the solar powered butterfly in my back garden was attacked and its wing broken by a magpie that couldn't tell the difference.