To Bee or Not to Bee

 Buzzzz go the bees. I love the bees.  So very social.They're more like old friends in the summer .
       "When the flower blossoms the bee will come." (Srikumar Rao) Or in this case, when the Cranesbill starts to flower, and the Lavender.............

 Spencer, the neighbour's cat, with only his ears showing, never chases the bees. The bees live underground. One year, though they  built a nest, in the wall, behind Spencer's chair. The entire porch would hum. I miss that hum. The hive died  off in the late fall.

      Only the queen bee  sleeps all winter.

     Bees have also lived in my greenhouse. The greenhouse would hum. And hum.

         But now the Bumble Bees are in trouble. It has been in the news a great deal. A third of North America's  50 bumble bee species are in rapid decline. Pesticides, climate change and even threats from honey bees have caused a lot of concern.

 Best thing to do is to avidly support the Bumble Bee, by  providing  flowers, and nectar. As many flowers as you can . Native plants are considered the best, since the Bumblys have lived with them the most. But  if not native flowers, then try verbeena, and other basket stuffers. (Cookeis do not attract bees.....they attract ants.)

 Leave  nesting sites available. Cavities in  hollow logs, rock walls, greenhouses, old birds nests.

 Try not to till or rake your yard till April or May ( may be difficult), because the queen Bumble likes to sleep away the winter underground. She emerges to lay eggs and start a new hive of devoted fans.

 Do NOT use pesticides in your garden. Use Safer products, or anything naturally organic. Any pesticides such as Neonicotinoids will mean that the bees will be exposed long after the product says it is safe.Neonicotinoids are rather new and can paralyze  and kill Bumbles at an alarming rate. Poisoned bees become confused and fly off, never to return to the hive, then they die off.

 And most importantly, do not destroy a Bumbles hive. Co-exist with it. They won't hurt you. They are busy being  gatherers of pollen. Neonicotinoids live in the ground , on the plants, for at least six months up to one year after application. Some of the products that will kill bees include a variety of Tree, Shrub, Garden Insect Control Sprays. 
 Bumble Bees  have a unique way of gathering pollen, by shaking the flowers till the pollen is let go. Some times I have seen a Bumble so packed full of pollen  he looks like he has gout and can barely fly.

  The  Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is very interested in any Bumble Bee sightings you may have. Or report to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. "Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn't know it, so it goes on flying anyways." (M. K. Ash)
    NOTE; Best weed "killer": Pure White  Vinegar in a spray bottle. I sometimes dilute it with a bit of water and add a few tablespoons of dish soap. The Dish soap may allow the solution to stick to the weeds. Spray on dandelions, etc. Works like a charm. Not harmful to bees!