E
elusive
Wasps are amazing! Be kind to them & they don’t bother you, they eat your aphids too.
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- Thread starter Maz
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E
elusive
The mason bees have had a really good year, the last two years have been really bad for them so it’s lovely to see, the leaf cutter bees start later but are getting going now too.
My bee house
Zoomed in on that photo & saw two leaf cutter bees in action.
Lots of full tubes
Here’s some of the bee cocoons after I’d harvested them, taken the mason bees out of the tubes & given them a good bath, they float! This gets rid of all the residual mud, pollen, pollen mites & any other pararsites then they go to bed for the winter.
And the delicate leaf cutter bee cocoons in their leaf tubes that I just keep intact.
Totally obsessed with
My bee house
Zoomed in on that photo & saw two leaf cutter bees in action.
Lots of full tubes
Here’s some of the bee cocoons after I’d harvested them, taken the mason bees out of the tubes & given them a good bath, they float! This gets rid of all the residual mud, pollen, pollen mites & any other pararsites then they go to bed for the winter.
And the delicate leaf cutter bee cocoons in their leaf tubes that I just keep intact.
Totally obsessed with
E
elusive
Only honey bees produce honey, there’s only one species of honey bee, about 225 species of solitary bee & 24 bumble bee species, honey bees are the only ones I’m not so fond of!
E
elusive
Probably the same as most people Maz 
Ok understood. It’s just that I prefer them outside and not in the kitchen!
E
elusive
Me too!
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Funnily enough I don't see many bees round here, apart from the rare one that gets in the house once or twice a year. Maybe it's too windy for them! I see them when the bluebells are out but that's about it.
E
elusive
Not surprising really, bees are in decline everywhre, it’s very windy here too but it doesn’t seem to stop them too much although there are far less bees here than there used to be, it depends on what food plants & nest sites are available & the weather.
E
elusive
I only started with one, many years ago though.
Wow! Elusive, that's amazing and they are very clever. I've not seen this kind of set up before.
We get some very large bees come into our home and I've no idea why. If they disappear into the glass lantern we have in our kitchen ceiling it's very hard for us to rescue them. We have brought a fine mesh for the back door this year to stop this happening and I've moved the lavender plants down the garden as I thought this was drawing them towards the house potentially.
If we find a bee struggling we offer them some sugar water. They drink this and when they are strong enough again, they fly away. My daughter loves doing this. Would have to agree that we don't see as many anymore either.
We get some very large bees come into our home and I've no idea why. If they disappear into the glass lantern we have in our kitchen ceiling it's very hard for us to rescue them. We have brought a fine mesh for the back door this year to stop this happening and I've moved the lavender plants down the garden as I thought this was drawing them towards the house potentially.
If we find a bee struggling we offer them some sugar water. They drink this and when they are strong enough again, they fly away. My daughter loves doing this. Would have to agree that we don't see as many anymore either.
E
elusive
Strange how they’re attracted into the house like that, they’re clearly getting the best help you can give them though, it’s really satisfying to see a tired bee fly away again after some sugar water.
M
Member ID2
Love the woodpecker and rarely see them so close up.
Your knowledge never ceases to amaze and impress me elusive.
I have no idea what kind of bees fly around here.
Your knowledge never ceases to amaze and impress me elusive.
I have no idea what kind of bees fly around here.
This morning the main poppy patch has perhaps 50 flowers open. In the middle of the day I usually see a single bee on the hunt for pollen. I hope this is more than the same bee daily.
The 2 tone yellow/orange poppy on the shadier side is still the only flower open but there are about 6 to follow soon.
Interestingly, on the main side, one of the new flowers to open today is the same 2 tone colouring. Just the one in a riot of orange ones.
The 2 tone yellow/orange poppy on the shadier side is still the only flower open but there are about 6 to follow soon.
Interestingly, on the main side, one of the new flowers to open today is the same 2 tone colouring. Just the one in a riot of orange ones.
E
elusive
The patch of 50 poppies sounds lovely Coco, the two tone ones sound really nice too, interesting how these have popped up.
There aren’t many bees in my garden today, it’s just so hot & dry there probably isn’t much nectar on offer.
There aren’t many bees in my garden today, it’s just so hot & dry there probably isn’t much nectar on offer.
E
elusive
Might be the year for colour changes! I found a patch of orange Welsh poppies I didn’t know I had, I planted the normal yeallow ones there a couple of years ago so it must be a seedling come up orange.
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