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Where have all the bees gone?

TinyGardenGIrlTinyGardenGIrl Posts: 169
in Wildlife gardening
Hi all,
Last year I would happily sit and watch the bees helping themselves in the garden. But this year everything seems to have vanished in the last few days, even if I have more flowers for them than ever. 
I have spent tremendous effort Planting more bee friendly plants in my garden in the last year. Now all of a sudden my garden is like a ghost town , with no bees in sight. It just feels like such a waste and I’m not sure what has gone wrong. 
My foxgloves and erysimum (Bowles mauve) plants are empty. I bet when my many lavender plants bloom that will all be left untouched too. 
This is not normal is it? Anyone else noticed this lately?
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  • FireFire Posts: 17,116
    Was it all the rain?
  • TinyGardenGIrlTinyGardenGIrl Posts: 169
    I wondered if it was the recent low temps but we have had lovely warm weather for a good few days since then.

  • madpenguinmadpenguin Posts: 2,469
    Plenty of bees on my Cotoneaster today!
    “Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
  • FireFire Posts: 17,116
    I have heaps but I think the rain would have slowed them up a lot for a few weeks.
  • HippophaeHippophae Posts: 154
    Honeybees quite rare around where I am at the moment. There appears to be no shortage of bumblebees and carder bees. I did see quite a few honeybees briefly while the Ilex were in bloom and also a few on a flowering Pyracantha but that was a couple of weeks ago. There must be flowers elsewhere in the vicinity that they find preferable to harvest pollen and nectar from at the moment.
  • Bee witchedBee witched Posts: 1,126
    Loads of bees here .... plenty of bumbles and we currently have 6 of our honeybee hives in the garden.
    Now that the oilseed crops are finished we start seeing our bees on the flowers here.
    Popular plants at the moment with both types are astrantia, rodgersia flowers, and the candelabra primulas. The honeybees are also busy on the extrafloral nectaries on the laurel hedges.

    Bee x
    Bees must gather nectar from two million flowers to make one pound of honey   
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 50,366
    Loads here on the heucheras, pyracantha, rocket, cotoneaster etc
    Even better - I spotted a hole in the ground under the conifer by the shed yesterday, with a bee going in and out  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • B3B3 Posts: 24,505
    Definitely different bees this year. Last year it was all black bees and the brown honey bees. This year it's the round stripey ones. 
    Maybe someone en route to your garden is growing something that appeals more.
    I haven't seen a single butterfly yet. I'm blaming that on the weather.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 82,800
    Loads here too ... the salvias are full of then ...  mainly bumbles of all sorts 😃 
    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • Mr. Vine EyeMr. Vine Eye Posts: 2,265
    More bees here than last year (East Yorkshire, middle of a town) - I've seen several different types. I heard my 2 year old yesterday say "Daddy there's a big bumblebee on the window!" - thinking he meant outside, but no it had come in through the window. Caught it and let it back out. Was massive!

    I've not seen vast swathes of them, but I've seen a few each day at different times

    Ive seen them on the Erysimum, hebes and Lavendar Stoechas - but they particularly like the Geranium cantabrigiense.

    Its all newly planted and still quite patchy in the borders so hopefully the numbers will increase as I fill in the gaps and the plants become more established. Still definitely more than last year though.
    East Yorkshire
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