Creating a buzz

[ladybird]

Hi all, I really enjoy gardening with wildlife in mind. So I thought that I would share with you all what I have been doing to help our garden friends.
As it is very important to help our bees at the moment, what with all the talk of the declining bee populations.
I have planted lots of wildlife friendly plants in my borders, like buddleia, lots of honeysuckles, Alliums, lavenders which smell just divine, Scabious(pin cushion flower).also sown seeds like poppy,and cornflowers
I also set about planting lots of pots and a wildlife hanging basket, which I added a small lavender, trailing verbenas, Bacopa, and sweet alysumm, all which attract bees and insects.
Other plants you could try are calendula officinalis, these orange flowers attract bees and hoverflies, pelargoniums and lobelia, and lots more.
Does anyone else enjoy gardening with wildlife in mind?

[wafflycat]

I have placed a bumble bee nest box in the garden. I have a cherry tree in full blossom, scabious, chives, lavender, sage, rosemary, honeysuckle, buddleias, strawberries, sweetpeas, then there's the veggies.. and I'm growing marigolds and sunflowers from seed. I've got lots of miner bees in the garden and am seeing bumble bees. Hardly any honey bees about though.

[ladybird]

It sounds like you have a good aray of plants that are ideal for attracting wildlife.
Yes I have seem alot of bumble bees around my garden, but not many honey bees.
It just shows how important it is to make sure we attract them, because without our honey bees we could not pollinate the crops of vegetables and fruits which are a large part of our diet.
I for one is going to make sure that I keep my garden stocked up with all there favourite plants, just to help our buzzy friends.

[paulsherwin]

The best thing you can do to encourage bees is to have something flowering in the garden all the time, even if it's a weed

I've had penty of bumble bees this year, but not too many honey bees yet. I'm reserving judgment until the pyrocanthus flowers in a week or two. The bees normally go nuts over that if the weather is sunny - you can hear the buzzing from the other end of the garden

Paul

[ladybird]

Hi there Paul , Thanks for the tips, I have got lots of weeds so that should make the bees happy.
I hope that when your pyrocanthus flowers you will get alot of buzzing this year. I would be interested to know so please keep me informed.( i'm a little nosy you see).

[wafflycat]

Tip for reviving an exhausted bumble bee..

Take a sheet of paper kitchen towel, fold it into 1/8 size. Daub a bit of honey on one side then dampen with water to dilute honey & spread the sweetness across the paper towel, and to leave it *damp* Place next to exhausted bee. The bee will feed on the sweetness & regain strength. I've used this many times and it works. Particularly good if you get a queen emerge early and she ends up in your house/greenhouse exhausted at the end of the day. Put a disposable plastic 'glass' over her & the sweet/damp paper (with air hole(s) made in the 'glass' and it will keep her safe overnight with food to give her energy for the next day.

Works a treat. Managed to retrieve a bumble bee that had fallen into a full watering can yesterday and revive it this way too.

[ladybird]

What a great tip, And very interesting.

[wafflycat]

Speaking of bees...

Lots of flowers out now. Wisteria, honeysuckle, lilac, violas, strawberry flowers, zillions on the broad beans, runner beans starting to come into flower, also thyme.. amongst others. Absolutely loads of bumble bees about, which is wonderful. But - still... honey bees? Where are they? None to be seen! Literally none to be seen. This is not at all good.

[paulsherwin]

I've seen lots of bees around, but most of them have been bumble bees.

The pyrocanthus looks as if it will flower in the next few days, and the bees are sniffing around it already.

Paul