Bee Magnets

 The garden is just buzzing today. Some bees have latched onto the new Buddleja globosa as if they are trying to eat them like marshmallows

A surprise to me was the attraction of the Stachys byzantina for this bee.

But top attraction for weeks now has been Cotoneaster horizontalis.

Allium Purple Sensation has an undeniable appeal for the bees as well as the human eye.

Just as the foxglove which is a more conventional source of attraction.

Also in contention for novel source of nectar is another allium, Nectaroscordium. (The name is a giveaway)

Even more common or garden plants like sage put on an enticing display just now.

Also in the herb patch is humble allium chives 

And still to come into full flower Pyrocantha.  Those bees won't know which way to fly first!

Bee & Bee

It won't be long now until the bumblebees emerge and start prospecting for homes.  I have now set up a new motel made of bricks and slates concealing chambers lined with feathers from an old pillow.  The design is based on one promoted by bumblebee guru Dave Goulson Here.

And as for the solitary bees I have added a new wing of wood with holes drilled into them.

 

I do hope these prove attractive to the intended residents.  

Kilmarnock Pussy Willow

Introducing the latest addition to the back garden:

Kilmarnock Willow 

Why you ask?  With one aim: to provide a source of nectar for emerging queen bumblebees!  There's not much about in March.  That's why.  And what's more it seems to be working!

Bee Visitor

We bought the plant a couple of weeks ago when it was in bud and potted it up into a larger pot. Since then the buds have transformed into catkins and the few queen bees there are about are going wild for them.

How did I know to do this?  I read Dave Goulson's book "A Sting in The Tale" and he mentioned the role pussy willow plays in providing vital energy for newly emerging queens.  (I am currently just finishing his sequel "A Buzz in The Meadow" and would recommend both books to anybody with even the slightest ecological interest). I'm not pretending that the bees have taken up residence in the  bee nest hotels I recently posted about, but they are appreciating this new service station facility!


Kilmarnock

To Bee Or Not To Bee

Spot the entrance holes?

Last year I started noticing bumble bees in our garden.  Then I picked up an identification pamphlet issued by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.  Next thing you know I was researching how to build a bumble bee hostel.   By this stage it was too late on in the year to be of any benefit, so I shelved my plans for the winter. Now has my enthusiasm waned?  Not at all. Currently I am reading "A Sting In The Tale" by Dave Goulson a hilarious and informative read I would recommend to anyone.  Recently I bought a willow tree with the primary purpose of encouraging bumble bees and today, taking advantage of the warmer weather,  I deployed two hostels under the hedge alongside the pond.

Key Elements:  Roof, Platform and Access Pipe

Nest building materials inside the pot

And here's a picture of the target of this exercise (taken last autumn)

22/08/16

From what I read it is touch and go whether either of these hostels will be adopted.  Let's wait and see!

Bee Bumble