Help our Bees

**jackarmy** · 26-03-2019, 09:05 PM

I think theres a lot more to it than simply a lack of flowers though, in a hundread years, therell be no earth to speak of to worry about i fear, earths days are numbered and no one seems to care.at least no one in a position to do something about it.

**burnie** · 26-03-2019, 09:09 PM

You may be right but if we wait for politicians to do anything it'll be like the current embarrassment going on in the big smoke, I will do what I can, I will be growing a lot more wild flowers again. Our local farmers are getting involved with wild flower planting in the set aside margins, already seeing a benefit, we have most of the country's Corn Buntings round here and they are thriving seemingly.

**jackarmy** · 26-03-2019, 09:13 PM

Yes sorry burnie, i didnt intend to come accross as negative and agree we should and most of us probably do, do our part, with you on this all the way.

**veggiechicken** · 26-03-2019, 09:16 PM

Its not enough to grow more flowers - they have to be the right sort of flowers with pollen that is accessible to bees.. Single petalled, not the fancy multipetalled varieties that have been specially bred by Plant suppliers to generate more profits.

**Scarlet** · 26-03-2019, 09:26 PM

I'm doing all single flowers except one!! As that one is for me

**toomanytommytoes** · 26-03-2019, 09:29 PM

Some links I've found useful for finding the best plants for bees:

https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/conse...or-pollinators
Best plants for bees: 5yr study — rosybee - plants for bees
https://www.bbka.org.uk/gardening-for-bees
The best garden flowers for bees : Resources : Goulson Lab : School of Life Sciences : University of Sussex
https://www.urbanbees.co.uk/plants/plants.htm
https://beehappyplants.co.uk/bee-forage-facts/

**mrsbusy** · 27-03-2019, 11:38 AM

Grow dandelions; they are great for bees and the leaves are nice in salad.

**Mudsweatandtea** · 28-03-2019, 12:28 PM

Totally on board with this. I do tend to grow nasturtiums, borage, herbs and the like so they help the bees but are multifunctional for us too. Nasturtium leaves are great for stir fry greens and insanely prolific. I noticed the pollinators were all over the sage and thyme the past few years so bought in extra varieties of these since.

My mum keeps bees... Or more specifically kept as one of her colonies suicided this year and two the year previous. She found them all huddled in the back of the cells like they were starving, yet they had masses of honey and fondant. Worse yet they were native honeybees which are struggling already with commercial beekeepers buying in more aggressive European strains. Hopefully she will get to the bottom of it, but I suspect rural spraying played a part at least

**mothhawk** · 28-03-2019, 08:07 PM

Originally posted by Mudsweatandtea View Post

My mum keeps bees... Or more specifically kept as one of her colonies suicided this year and two the year previous. She found them all huddled in the back of the cells like they were starving, yet they had masses of honey and fondant. Worse yet they were native honeybees which are struggling already with commercial beekeepers buying in more aggressive European strains. Hopefully she will get to the bottom of it, but I suspect rural spraying played a part at least

If they died over winter, most likely the weather got too cold for them to be able to break their cluster and move onto fresh stores, if they were not in insulated hives. Isolation starvation.

**Mudsweatandtea** · 29-03-2019, 09:12 AM

I'll pass that on, it's actually been milder her way the last couple of years but still sounds probable. Thanks

**Lumpy** · 29-03-2019, 03:33 PM

I try and grow as many bee friendly plants as possible. There are a lot about at the moment.
I have various sizes of drilled holes in the shed (brick) wall for the over wintertime solitary bees, a large bug hotel and always have a mug of very sugary slip with a teaspoon for the exhausted ones in the summer.
My bird bath has bricks in the middle so the little buzzers can get water without drowning.
I can’t put the world to rights but I try and do my best.

**Lumpy** · 29-03-2019, 03:39 PM

P.S last year when it was so hot I found that spraying my Wilfue Willow/ Umbrella Tree (whatever it is) with a sugary water mix attracted not just the bees but butterflies and hovers to.
I used a spay bottle to cover the leaves.

**Kirk** · 29-03-2019, 07:33 PM

Will grow wild flowers whereever I can throw seed.
Need to make up a few potential bee boxes and see if I get any occupancy this year. Half the reason for the boxes is that otherwise they nest in odd places.

**FB.** · 03-04-2019, 07:06 AM

Several years ago I posted the following pictures of bumble bees flying around an aphid-infested apple tree, feeding on aphid excrement (the same reason ants 'farm' aphids).
So even aphid control can hurt our best pollinators (one bumblebee is reckoned to be as effective as ten honey bees for pollinating flowers).
And spraying fruit trees with insecticide at petal fall also hurts bees because bees still touch them while looking for the last flowers to harvest.

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