we have been visited by quite a few bees this spring. has anybody else any news on the bees

i have had a few on and of in the green house,just today was mowing the lawn,and a big strippy one was hovering around the grass,maybe looking for a home.

I saw a completely black small bumble bee last weekend? never seen one of those before.
Plenty of bumble'ies about here and solitary bees too! heaven to hear their sweet hum, the sound of summer and all things good!

I saw one too Headfry, it was about the size of a fingernail and all black, I took a second look at it at the time thinking it was a bit odd and was it really a bee, I'm certain it was after all it did buzz like one!

Hope it was a good Bee and not some new bad Bee

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Always aim for the best result possible not the best possible result

Peanut aka Joanna

There are some very rare black bumbles peanut, fingers crossed that maybe we were very lucky to see one of those! and yes it too was the size of a fingernail- not the huge starlifter size of a bumble bee -Bombus what a lovely latin name! Mrs Bombus!

Oh wow, how exciting!: Hope I see some more, next time i'll try and get a photo

I have to say Headfry, it's great being able to talk to you about Bees, you're so knowledgeable it's infectious!

__________________
Always aim for the best result possible not the best possible result

Peanut aka Joanna

Have had lots, but they are not helped by Doris (a very persistant & ancient Jack Russell) chasing and trying to munch every bee she sees - almost turned over the greenhouse staging after a poor bee that had hidden in the greenhouse. Anyone know how I can put her off - apart from getting her deliberately stung?

Hi Peanut, I have found my black bees home! It's a tiny hole in the mortar of an old privy that abuts my garden! I keep going down to watch it come and go....will take camera with me next time.
My goodness, I do have so much still to learn about bees, I am just at the start... All I know really is that I love them to bits! and can spend hours with them.
Gosh better be careful, and NO the privy is no longer in use! it's an office now!
Just re-read my first paragraph.... it sounds very dodgy

So the biggest bee I've ever seen the other day. It was a good inch long and quite round. Looked like a normal bummble, but so much bigger!

It could well have been a queen bumblebee ! what colour was it, can you recall?

We've got beautiful long nosed bees at the allotment. They are a gorgeous golden ochre colour and love the little blue wildflowers near our plot.

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust

Have a look here! :-)

It was mainly yellow with bits of black. Basically looked like a really big bumble bee.