First bumble bee????

[Glutton4...]

Several Bumblies buzzing around in the Snowdrops this afternoon!

[frantic furball]

I saw one !!!! I was on the bus and it was bumbling along happily. I pointed it out to other passengers but they didn't seem to be as pleased and impressed as I was ha ha ha

[wellie]

Ah, nice to talk to you again SueA!

I'm glad you mentioned Ladybirds, because they are all now waking up between the actual and secondary glazed windows here at The Funny Farm, along with all those annoying overwintering flies. Sadly, a lot of them seem to wake up from their hibernation, but don't seem to survive, and I do highly rate a live lady for eating greenfly.

Is there an intelligent and knowledgeable person out there that can enlighten us as to why a lot of the overwintering ladies die?

[SarahStrawberry]

Hi

I would like to know what happens to the ladybirds too! Yesterday we found a plant in the house covered in little beasties and we thought a hungry ladybird could sort that right out. When I was little there used to be thousands landing on the grain my Dad had just harvested and brought back to the farm. I used to take my socks and shoes off and jump in to try and count them all (v dangerous I know now, could have suffocated, but luckily didn't!). Anyway, just don't see so many now, sad

[Dottie]

Huge bumble bee just outside my front door around 1pm, he was taking a little look at a hellebore. Serious heavy rain half hour later, so not sure where it would go for shelter.

[wellie]

Did some serious garden tidy-upping yesterday either side of the gate, and there's a mature Mahonia on the left of the driveway. That's where all the Bumblies are my friends?

[Two_Sheds]

why [do] a lot of the overwintering ladies die?

I think it's down to starvation, as with other hibernating animals, eg hedgehogs. If they don't eat enough before hibernation, they just never wake up, or wake up too early and can't find enough food

When I was little there used to be thousands (

1976? There was a swarm of them that year, and I got caught in another swarm of ladybirds in France in 1990 ish

They need food (aphids). If we annihilate all aphids, we get no ladybirds

[SueA]

Still not seen a bumble bee but I did see what looked like a poor honey bee struggling to fly through the garden in a gale this afternoon! It must have been desparate for food to try flying in this weather.

[pipkins]

Rescued a bumble yesterday off the public foot path, he was very slow and sleepy. I picked him up on a stick and placed him on a tuft of grass.

[SueA]

At last I've seen a bumble bee, & a couple of honey bees, a wasp & three small tortoiseshell butterflies, lovely sunny day must have brought them all out.

[Potstubsdustbins]

My first bumblie of the year smooching around in my lean to. I think the season may well be about to kick off.

Luvely Jubbly Colin

[VirginVegGrower]

Saw my first bumble bee of 2011 today ...and a peacock butterfly yesterday!

Tis a tad early isn't it????

Saw a bumble bee in last few days and they have been feasting on my daphne - then caught one in the greenhouse which I realeased.

[Occupiedblond]

In the middle of Feb as I was clearing way for the newly acquired gh, I moved a woodstore and realised that a peacock butterfly had just emerged and was drying his/her wings. It was in shadow so a figured out where the shadow was coming from and moved the objects causing it so that she could dry properly...she had been there all morning but when I went in for lunch and came back...gone. I felt quite privileged to have been a small part of it's life.

[wheatleys wheels]

I saw my first bumble bee last saturday. It was good to see them back.

[elsie-scot]

My first bumble of the season went zooming past me yesterday.