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How
You Can Help Bumblebees
____________________________________________________
Posted: 27th February
2009
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Declining Numbers
They're furry, friendly, noisy and possibly the most important pollinators in our gardens, but our native bumblebees are under serious threat.
Intensive agricultural practices and a decrease in the number of insect pollinated crops have led to a drastic decline in bumblebee numbers over the past seventy years, with one species,
Bombus subterraneus, recently driven to extinction.
This is what conservationists call "a-bad-thing". Not only
because bumblebees are fascinating insects, but because they're responsible
for a sizeable proportion of our own food production. Many arable and
horticultural crops depend on bumblebees for pollination.
The Importance of Gardens
As a result of drastic changes in land use, gardens have now become increasingly important refuges for bumblebees.
Gardeners have a vital role to play in creating the right habitat to help our humble bumbles survive.
But what is the right habitat for bumble bees?
Bee Hotels (no stars)
For many people, the idea of creating a good habitat for bumblebees is to simply go out and buy one of those ready made 'bumblebee
hotels', stick it somewhere between the decking and the tarmac driveway
(next to the patio heater), and wait for the bumble bee population to explode.
Sadly that doesn't work.
There's a free plan for making one of these bumblebee boxes in the 'Factsheet' folder of the 'Member's Area', but I should mention,
it was put there as a result of pressure from subscribers rather than for
any effect on bee conservation. The only people who rave about the
virtues of these boxes seem to be the folks trying to sell them. From
my own experience, and from speaking to others who've tried bumble bee boxes
in their gardens, the take up on them is usually poor. Spiders and
woodlice like them, but bees, no. That's not to say you shouldn't try
them. Just don't raise your hopes too much.
Nature's Nest Sites
When you watch queen bumblebees at this time of year you'll see why.
They fly low along hedge banks, ziz-zagging and buzzing their way through tall grasses to find the ideal nest hole.
It looks very random, but they're quite selective about where they lay their eggs.
Generally,
if they're given the choice between a grubby old mouse hole on a raised bank,
and a shiny new 'Bumblebee Hilton' from the local garden centre, they'll
choose the mouse hole every time.
If you're serious about wanting to provide homes for bumblebees then a
raised bank, sheltered by a hedge, covered in rough grass, with plenty of
mouse holes seems to be the ideal habitat. Fussy little critters
aren't they.
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Flower Powered
The easier option is just to provide them with food and let them get on with
the business of nesting. Bees will always settle at a site which has plenty of food nearby. Since bumblebees (in fact all bees) feed on pollen and nectar, the best nest site will have
plenty of flowering plants nearby - preferably flowering right through their
active season from early March through to late October.
It's believed that bumblebees can see ultraviolet colours because the
flowers they make a 'beeline' for (sorry) are mainly white, blue, purple or yellow.
If you
want to make your garden come alive to the sights and sounds of bumblebees,
try growing some of these plants:
Bluebells
Dead-nettles
Geraniums
Foxgloves
Honeysuckle
Monkshood
Lavender
Bugle
Rosemary
Buddleia
Knapweed
Red Clover
Yellow Rattle
Yellow Archangel
Michaelmas Daisies
Comfrey
Winter Flowering Heather
 Guide
to Bees of Britain
Fully illustrated fold-out identification guide to 28
of the most frequently seen bees found in Britain.
Laminated for outdoor use and suitable
for all ages
Our Price - £2.95
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Related Links:
UK Safari Bumble Bee Pages
UK Safari Creepy-crawlies Section
UK Safari News
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