Has anyone else noticed a lack of bees in the garden this year! Any thoughts about the long term effects of lack of bees on home gardening!
harrislucinda,
Dec 27, 9:21am
yes!nohoneybeesaroundwhenplumandapricotsneedthemwillbeyearsbeforetheybuildup again
r.g.nixon,
Dec 27, 9:24am
Google "neonicotinoids killing bees".
lythande1,
Dec 27, 5:39pm
To begin with I did. Had a few bumblebees but no regular bees. Now, however, there are bees. I did plant a lot of things that they like, mainly to help the bumblebees but I guess the honeybees liked it too.
echoriath,
Dec 27, 5:59pm
Varroa is taking its toll, plus it was a pretty crap spring down here. When it's slow to warm, the bees are slower to build numbers.
harrislucinda,
Dec 27, 7:20pm
then alotofpeopleinnewhousesare,ntputtinginflowers,goingforamoreinstantgardenlikegrassesandflax,theydontbringbeesAndyesVarroahaskilledthebeesoff
the-lada-dude,
Dec 27, 7:52pm
i've got about 70,000 of the little monkeys at my place( 2 x hives )and other hives at different locations. I lost many hives to varroa last year, ( won't let that happen again ) trying to build up again
ro42,
Dec 27, 10:08pm
Mine disappeared 5 years ago, and are back for the first time this year, in force! The rata is in flower and the rata trees are humming with them, but they are all over everything. So good to see them back!
echoriath,
Dec 28, 5:17am
Yes, I had resisted treating because varroa only got here last year. I was definitely too complacent this year, and will now treat autumn and spring, alternating treatments. I'm keen to see how people go with top bar hives, which theoretically help minimise treatment with a mesh bottom, but I think that will only be able to reduce the treatment time rather than eliminate the need for treatment.
scruff71,
Dec 29, 7:10am
Since November I've seen plenty in my Auckland garden which contains lavenders, wildflower mixes, poppies and borage, along with grasses and bromeliads.Early in December I could hear the honey bees en masse in the bottlebrush tree but now that the birds have stripped the flowers the majority have buzzed off looking for other flower gardens further afield.
I agree with bobcat_6 that it is not only the Varroa mite but low maintenance plants that have assisted the bees' demise. We all need to plant thoughtfully so we encourage both birds and bees in our gardens.
wheelz,
Dec 29, 7:52am
I have heaps. Can't walk on the grass barefoot, as they are busy with the clover! And no hives in cooey!
echoriath,
Dec 29, 11:07am
Bees feed on gorse, and there's not a shortage of that around. There's probably something usable in broom as well. At one level, I think we've over-domesticated them. A very good read on the topic is The Beekeeper's Lament by Hannah Nordhaus.
holly-rocks,
Dec 29, 11:13pm
Real lack of bees here, might be lucky to see one a day ~ and we have a huge garden with lots of flowers. Its a real worry actually :/
smoocher,
Jan 5, 3:18am
I have been looking for honey bees for 3 months and have only seen 3 honey bees, in that time. I am lucky as we have 2 bumble bee nests on the property, who are working in the gardens. I have planted a whole heap of bee attracting plants in the last week, to see if I can lure more honey bees.
The lack of bees, concerns me.
Since the public registrations are closed, you must have an invite from a current member to be able to register and post in this thread.
Have an account? Login here.