Bumble bee's

murphageegee

Hello. I spent almost two hours looking for bumble bee's near blessington lakes today. 23/05/12. And only seen about 6. Is there a shortage of bumble bee's this year or something?

redser7

There's been a global decline in recent years. One theory is the over-use of persticides but it remians very mysterious.

paddy147

murphageegee wrote: »

Hello. I spent almost two hours looking for bumble bee's near blessington lakes today. 23/05/12. And only seen about 6. Is there a shortage of bumble bee's this year or something?

Loads of them buzzing around my garden,becasue of the plants and flowers that are in the garden to attract them.

Lots of giant alliums and foxgloves.:)

paddy147

redser7 wrote: »

There's been a global decline in recent years. One theory is the over-use of persticides but it remians very mysterious.

Thats the problem right there,and a man made problem too.:(

unkel

Still a bit early, isn't it, given the very cold periods we have had? Very few flowers around yet really. That said, saw one of the biggest bumble bees I've ever seen today in my front garden.

jenny wren 1950

last year we had hardly any bumble bees our garden, this year we have lots but they are very very tiny i wonder why ?

murphageegee

Thanks for the feed back. Yeah looks like there is a world wide decline of bees. Pity really. No bees no pollination. We are our own worse enemies.

Born To Be Mild

I heard that bats are responsible for about 70% of fruit pollination - not bees. Which I like to believe because bees sting me!

redser7

It's more sinister than that. Large corporations (who produce pesticides) are getting into the bee business big time. Others also own the rights to a huge amount of crop seeds. If one were a conspiracy theorist it would make you wonder. In fact if you were just a rational reasonable minded person it would make you wonder!
A piece on it by Nicky Kyle here ...
http://www.nickykylegardening.com/blog/130-the-polytunnel-and-greenhouse-in-april-2012

paddy147

My girlfriend is into bee keeping,she recently opened up the hives and she watched baby bees being born and comming out of the wax/honeycomb structure.

Amazing sight to see it the flesh.She managed to get some videeo footage and pics of it happening.:)




Yesterday morning TV3 with Martin King had a very good bit on beekeeping,and the types of honey.About 350-400 euro for a newbie to get started (with a small nuc)

Very interesting to watch.:)

paddy147

We just bought and planted a heap more foxgloves in the garden this morning.They grow to about 5 feet in height and produce beautifull flowers in the shape of a church spire.The garden is absolutely covered in foxgloves and giant alliums now,not a patch of chip bark left now (I kid you not).

I cant wait to see all these new plants in full flower and the bees all over them.:)

redser7

Try Limnanthes (paoched egg plant). Bees are nuts for them. Mine have exploded, beautiful and they are self-seeded from last year.

Cardinal Richelieu

redser7 wrote: »

It's more sinister than that. Large corporations (who produce pesticides) are getting into the bee business big time. Others also own the rights to a huge amount of crop seeds. If one were a conspiracy theorist it would make you wonder. In fact if you were just a rational reasonable minded person it would make you wonder!
A piece on it by Nicky Kyle here ...
http://www.nickykylegardening.com/blog/130-the-polytunnel-and-greenhouse-in-april-2012

That's not recent news, you could buy commercial bumble bee hives for the last 20 years along with biological controls from the big chemical companies. After all if you use bees to get better crop pollination your not going to be keen to use a pesticide that will wipe out your bee hives are you? The shorter harvest intervals between spray application and also the limited amount of pesticides available to countries like Ireland also have forced companies to offer alternatives to growers . If a chemical company like BASF wishes to sell a pesticide in the Irish market they have to pay a substantial fee to get a licence and then they might have less than 10 growers for that product so doesn't make economic sense for them. Browse the crops on the Pesticide Control Service website and you will quickly realize that for some of the niche fruit and veg crops, the Irish grower can barely use any pesticides. I be more worried about damage to bee populations by pesticides that amenity plant nurseries spray because they are not tested for MRLs.

Philip McCabe from the Mooney Show and also President of the Federation of Irish Beekeepers said that bee decline was mainly in the States where they use massive amounts of hives to pollinate field crops. Limited genetic base and poor hygiene.

In my part of the world I seen plenty of bumble bees around the gooseberry bushes and sage which is coming into flower. Perhaps OP just was in the wrong spot were few plants were in flower.

paddy147

Cardinal Richelieu wrote: »

That's not recent news, you could buy commercial bumble bee hives for the last 20 years along with biological controls from the big chemical companies. After all if you use bees to get better crop pollination your not going to be keen to use a pesticide that will wipe out your bee hives are you? The shorter harvest intervals between spray application and also the limited amount of pesticides available to countries like Ireland also have forced companies to offer alternatives to growers . If a chemical company like BASF wishes to sell a pesticide in the Irish market they have to pay a substantial fee to get a licence and then they might have less than 10 growers for that product so doesn't make economic sense for them. Browse the crops on the Pesticide Control Service website and you will quickly realize that for some of the niche fruit and veg crops, the Irish grower can barely use any pesticides. I be more worried about damage to bee populations by pesticides that amenity plant nurseries spray because they are not tested for MRLs.

Philip McCabe from the Mooney Show and also President of the Federation of Irish Beekeepers said that bee decline was mainly in the States where they use massive amounts of hives to pollinate field crops. Limited genetic base and poor hygiene.

In my part of the world I seen plenty of bumble bees around the gooseberry bushes and sage which is coming into flower. Perhaps OP just was in the wrong spot were few plants were in flower.

I rekon he was just unlucky,and in the wrong place at the wrong time (just like a dubin bus,nothing for 30 minutes,and then 3 come along at the same time).

Loads of bumble bees on the allotment in in my garden.Some of them are big ones too.:D

Nonmonotonic

Just a note to point out that a Bumblebee is different to a Honey bee

http://www.dublinbeekeepingservices.com/bumble-bees.html

Also unlike the Honey bee their sting is not barbed so they can sting multiple times.

murphageegee

Thanks all. I'm going to get som bee friendly flowers for my garden and hope for the best.

muckyhands

jenny wren 1950 wrote: »

last year we had hardly any bumble bees our garden, this year we have lots but they are very very tiny i wonder why ?

Theres about twenty different species of bumblebee, all very different and distinct types.....

Your garden sounds like its a good spot for whatever species they are..... Post a pic if you can.

mike65

paddy147

Half considering putting a bumble bee nest box into my garden,so they have a place to go and rest/nest.

They really seem to love the giant alliums and foxgloves in the garden.:)

Merch

I wasnt aware there was a decline or a problem with bumble bees?
I thought it was just honey bees.

I dont didnt think bumble bees even have hives?

muckyhands

redser7 wrote: »

Try Limnanthes (paoched egg plant). Bees are nuts for them. Mine have exploded, beautiful and they are self-seeded from last year.

I have loads of poached egg plants too, self seeded on the plot from last year. Another real magnet for bumblebees is Phacelia, sold as a green manure but if left to flower the bees wont leave it, possibly at the expense of the flowers you want them to polinate! Pumpkin flowers are a definite favourite too.

Red clover for bumblebees, white clover for honeybees.

One thought I have had re bumblebees- they nest in the ground, usually in old mice nests, so I wonder what effect people have had with regard possible nesting sites that bumblebees have access to? (Fact being if people see mice they reach for the poison )

No mice = no nests= no place for the queen bumblebee to start her colony each spring?

Also, more times than not, in peoples gardens I have come across, they nearly always have a pile of grass clippings that they suddenly decide its time to get rid of- guess what has made its home there, 9 times out of ten?

Our humble bumblebee.

Worth noting for everybody out there- if you find you have a bumblebee nest in a place where you dont want it- chances are your local bee keeping association, if you give them a call and explain the situation, will come along and relocate it for you- no harm, no foul.

Our bumblebee will live to die 'another day'

muckyhands

Merch wrote: »

I wasnt aware there was a decline or a problem with bumble bees?
I thought it was just honey bees.

I dont didnt think bumble bees even have hives?

Its not the typical hive you associate with the honeybee- much smaller with fewer bees and below ground- usually in old mice nests.

muckyhands

Also, the queen bumblebee, after collecting and making her 'honey pot' in spring- (to get her through the early days) actualy incubates her eggs, much like a chicken!

Far more advanced than given credit for, IMO.

patwicklow

I don't think a bumble bee would sting unless its threatened, as i was out walking today i sat down for a rest and the next thing there was a bumble bee landed right on my arm i was amazed as i know there getting rear to see. in 3 secs it was gone again and no sting and the funny thing is if it was a wasp i would have jumped up lol.

muckyhands

patwicklow wrote: »

I don't think a bumble bee would sting unless its threatened, as i was out walking today i sat down for a rest and the next thing there was a bumble bee landed right on my arm i was amazed as i know there getting rear to see. in 3 secs it was gone again and no sting and the funny thing is if it was a wasp i would have jumped up lol.

The only reason a honey bee or bumblebee has to or will sting is if its threatened. Quite often they will land for a rest, on a person if you happen to be there, and then be off on their way again.

I have had this happen many times while working in a park where there are several honeybee hives. While cutting the grass I am in their 'flight path' to their hive. Sure what choice do they have!

muckyhands

unkel wrote: »

Still a bit early, isn't it, given the very cold periods we have had? Very few flowers around yet really. That said, saw one of the biggest bumble bees I've ever seen today in my front garden.

Not too early at all, they come out any fine day they can, especially for Mahonia and Ivy sp. early in the year on fine days.

muckyhands

Lots of bumblebees in my allotment today on the Foxgloves,Alliums, Cirsium and Nepeta.

Honeybees seemed to be going for Angelica archangelica.

Last pic is of a hive frame with baby honeybees.

healyon

I haven t seen many around this year , wasps aswell normally alot more about

paddy147

Bumblebees and honey bees everywhere today.:)

A Honey bee sounds so much different to a bumble bee,with regards the buzzing noise.

Honey bee is much more high pitched and its sound is more like an RC Aeroplane.Flys like one too.:D

lesserspottedchloe

we just found a large nest of them in our garden this evening..we didn't realize at the time but our method of disposing grass cuttings and dead branches provided the local bees with their equivalent of a nice semi detached! I love them and they really don't seem to be aggressive at all but I'm worried about the cat as he keeps investigating the area and might get stung badly(which could kill him)..should we leave them or is there a way to move/deter them without harming them?

also to ppl with foxglove be carefull it can be extremely dangerous to some and very poisonous-this usually happens when the dried out seeds burst and are inhaled.

kylith

Had one in my campanula today; it was lovely to see since we don't get many in the city.