SAVE OUR BEES, HOVERFLIES: POLLINATING INSECTS
Let's Save our Honeybees and Bumblebees. Those who know keep telling us that the populations of honeybee and bumblee are dwindling and that it is a serious matter. I believe them. Watching an edition of the Chelsea Garden show, someone said that 84% of Europe's crops are pollinated by bees. What can we do to save them? It has to be a joint effort and I try to attract as many bees as I can into my garden and I get bumblebees by the dozens. Apparently, they are much better at pollinating than even the modest little honeybee. This is the Bumblebee Conservation Trust website where you can get more information about what you can do to help.
Interestingly, and it had never occurred to me, but on one of the Chelsea Garden programmes, Liz Fowler, a BBC garden programme presenter who has quite interesting ideas and gardens in a very natural way, said, with regard to bees accessing pollen, to avoid 'double' flowers. Thinking about it, the proliferation of petals must making accessing the pollen difficult for bees. I have quite a few double roses but as I grow loganberries and raspberries, and many other flowers which expose their pollen and nectar quite openly, I don't feel too guilty. I grow the honeysuckle, Lonicera Scentsation, and they love it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/gardening/article-1191009/Heaven-scent-The-sweet-smell-honeysuckle-tempt-birds-bees-garden.html - an article by Monty Don of Gardener's World.
But we need to think about them in winter, apparently. I thought they all went and hibernated or something. I have to give this great consideration now, for my garden and the bees.
This is the Bumblebee Conservation Trust link to identifying various kinds of bumblebee that we see in the U.K.
Common Bumblebees
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus Terrestris);
White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus Lucorum);
Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum);
Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum);
Common Carder Bee (Bombus Pascuorum);
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius);
Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum);
Heath Bumblebee (Bombus jonellus);
Less Common Bumblebees
Field Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus campestris);
Forest Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus sylvestris);
Gypsy Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus bohemicus);
Southern Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus vestalis);
Barbut's Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus barbutellus); and
Red-tailed Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus rupestris).
I have inspected the bums of my garden bumble bees and they have white bums and yellow bums.
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| White-tailed Bumblebee in a Fascination dahlia |
Interestingly, and it had never occurred to me, but on one of the Chelsea Garden programmes, Liz Fowler, a BBC garden programme presenter who has quite interesting ideas and gardens in a very natural way, said, with regard to bees accessing pollen, to avoid 'double' flowers. Thinking about it, the proliferation of petals must making accessing the pollen difficult for bees. I have quite a few double roses but as I grow loganberries and raspberries, and many other flowers which expose their pollen and nectar quite openly, I don't feel too guilty. I grow the honeysuckle, Lonicera Scentsation, and they love it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/gardening/article-1191009/Heaven-scent-The-sweet-smell-honeysuckle-tempt-birds-bees-garden.html - an article by Monty Don of Gardener's World.
But we need to think about them in winter, apparently. I thought they all went and hibernated or something. I have to give this great consideration now, for my garden and the bees.
This is the Bumblebee Conservation Trust link to identifying various kinds of bumblebee that we see in the U.K.
Common Bumblebees
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus Terrestris);
White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus Lucorum);
Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum);
Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum);
Common Carder Bee (Bombus Pascuorum);
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius);
Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum);
Heath Bumblebee (Bombus jonellus);
Less Common Bumblebees
Field Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus campestris);
Forest Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus sylvestris);
Gypsy Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus bohemicus);
Southern Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus vestalis);
Barbut's Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus barbutellus); and
Red-tailed Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus rupestris).
I have inspected the bums of my garden bumble bees and they have white bums and yellow bums.