I have nesting bees!

[selfraising]

Very excited yesterday! About a month ago I put up a solitary bee box, not expecting anything to go in there but yesterday noticed two of the holes were blocked up. When I got back from work today a third one was blocked up. I sat and watched for a while and two bees kept coming and going and going into nearly every hole. Not sure what type of bee they are tho.

[NOG]

Well done...The bees look at my homemade nest but never do anything else.

[selfraising]

Well done...The bees look at my homemade nest but never do anything else.

Know what you mean NOG. I've had two other nesting boxes for the past 3 years and nothing.

[FB.]

Most likely the red mason bee; Osmia Rufa.
I've had them in prevoius years, but all the bees in my area now appear virtually extinct - as mentioned on another thread. None of my nest tubes have been used this year and my fruit tree pollination has been very poor; half of my fruit trees may not have any crop at all!

[selfraising]

Oh sorry to hear that FB. What do you put that down to?

[FB.]

I reckon that the problems are:

intensive farming
heavy and indiscriminate use of agricultural chemicals
increased road traffic killing bees


From reading "pest management" guidelines, it seems, to me, that certain recommendations for insecticide use will actually result in insecticides being applied before the flowers are completely finished, with the result that the flowers get treated and the bees pick up the insecticides - and die.

I'm not an environmentalist, but the more that I grow my own (or at least try to grow my own ), the more I get concerned and outraged about the way we're managing the planet.

The pollination situation for many of my fruit trees is so poor that I am considering re-grafting them to later-flowering varieties, in the hope of a few more bees being around when they flower.
Now, where did I see that advert for "Feuille Mort" apple trees?

[littlemark]

Here's a little video of our latest bee nest.

Rockingham Forest Cider: Bees-a-Buzzing

We've always had plenty of solitary bees, which nest in the stone walls all around us, but I can't say that I ever see many actually visiting the trees up in the orchard. I wonder just how useful this variety of bee is to fruit tree pollination.

Mark

[FB.]

I've watched the bee activity on my fruit trees and in an average season, I'd estimate that the proportions of bees seen would be about:

Bumblebee: 50%
Solitary bee: 20%
Honey bee: 20%
Other/unidentified bee: 10%

But in terms of the total amount of time that the bees spend on the flowers (which I reckon is a better indicator of the amount of pollination):

Bumblebee: 40%
Solitary bee: 40%
Honey bee: 10%
Other/unidentified bee: 10%

[nmayhew]

i think we have a quite a few solitary bees in the holes in our old stable block

they share the building with us (gym and shed), starlings (nesting in roof) and great tit (bigger hole in side). All are repeat tenants from last yr

to hear someone say bees are extinct where they are is quite shocking!!! what is the landscape around you??

[BFG]

I'd guess farmland!

[RedThorn]

I'd guess farmland!

you don't saaaaay? You sure or just guessing?

[janeyo]

Cool, where did you get the box from?

[selfraising]

Hi Janeyo
Here's the site. Not that cheap but well made. Also there are bolts underneath so you can seperate the 6 levels to clean it out and have a nosey inside when the bees have finished!

[selfraising]

Ooops sorry, here it is
Plantconnection - Product - Solitary Bee Hive

[janeyo]

Thankyou I will have a look