Bees...Sad and a tad worrying.

[Brom]

Went for a walk with 'the Little Helper' this lunch time to collect the mail (the letter box is about 500m from the front door, at the top of our lane). I couldn't help but notice the amount of dead bees I saw. On one stretch, of about 100m, I counted 14. I can't see this being normal, I've lived here since 1990 and have never seen the like before.
Most of the fields round here are set out for grazing with a few sown with barley; I haven't seen any spraying for some time.
I know bees are on the decline but this is truly worrying.

[Nicos]

gosh- that's really awful!

can you collect a whole pile- and take photos..and maybe freeze a few so that there is some clear evidence when/if peeps come to investigate???

Needless to say if I were you I'd be contacting my local bee association to find out what's been going on- and sharing the information you have collected.

[Brom]

That's a good idea Nicos, I'll have a walk up the lane early in the morning and collect as many as I can and pass them on to the local Bee keepers.
We seem to have lots round here at the moment, but if this situation carries on...goodness knows what will happen.

[Brom]

This morning was out with 'the wee helper' to collect some of the bees we saw yesterday. I found about ½doz in five minutes, bagged them up and spoke with a bloke down the road who used to keep bees.
When he saw them he wasn't overly concerned. Apparently it's not unusual at this time of year, he said I should look at...

Finding dead bees | Bumblebee Conservation Trust

This is what it says...

...Bumblebee nests grow throughout the season, and produce new males and queens in autumn. Throughout the life of the nest a large number of smaller worker bees help the nest to grow by collecting nectar and pollen - these are the bees that you see out and about in summer. These workers only live for a few weeks, and then sadly die. It's therefore quite normal to see a small number of dead bees in the garden. So long as you are still seeing live bees in the area, then it's unlikely to be something new that we should be worrying about.

So it seems that I got worried about something that is entirely natural. Big relief, but with a declining bee population I suppose we can't be too careful.

[Brom]

Forgot to post Pic.

[lottie dolly]

So it seems that I got worried about something that is entirely natural. Big relief, but with a declining bee population I suppose we can't be too careful.

Your so right,now we know,wonder if other bee keepers say the same,

[Samurailord]

The bees in the picture are all bumble bees and not honey bees.

Beekeepers are only interested in honey bees, but they too have a short lifespan in the summer of about 5-6 weeks.

Honey bees are smaller and easily mistaken for flies so you don't notice them as much, but they will be there, and probably in much greater numbers than the dead bumbles

Andy

[alldigging]

Had it been quiet cold at night recently? Our heating came on the other morning so I assume it was a bit colder than it should have been at this time of year.

The cold will do for them as much as anything else.

There may have been a frost recently in Scotland?

[mothhawk]

Did they have any marks on them? Great tits will eat bumble bees, making a hole in the thorax and (hope you're not squeamish) pulling out the innards, just as if it was a sunflower seed.

[Brom]

Alldigging,
no, no frosts round here, night time temps usually average 8-12ºc at this time of year so don't think that was the problem.

No marks on them that I could see, Mothhawk. I think they must have got to 4 or 5 weeks old and 'popped their clogs'. Sad really, not much of a life, poor things. Still, that's nature.

One good thing that's come out of all this is that I've learned a lot about Bumble Bees over the last couple of days. Always had respect for them, but got a lot more now.