Category: Bees, Bees and more Bees

1. Bumble Bee Nests

   Posted on 12:00pm Sunday 8th Jul 2018

   Around this time of year I get a lot of telephone calls about bumble bee nests – in bird boxes, under decking, under sheds, in the rockery, in the compost bin etc.  Most people are understandably worried when they discover they have a bumble bee nest, but please,

   DON’T PANIC!

   The nest you have just discovered has already been there for a number of weeks and will very soon die out. 

   Unlike honey bees who cluster during the colder winter months, bumble bee queens hibernate. 

   

2. In The Beginning . . . (Part 2) . . . Where did bees come from?

   Posted on 12:00pm Saturday 13th Jan 2018

   I love giving talks to children’s groups because they ask such wonderful questions and I have learnt so much from talking to them.

   One of my favourite questions is, “Where do bees come from?”.  Especially when I can answer that bees were around when the dinosaurs roamed the earth!

   Around 135 million years ago when dinosaurs walked the earth there were also some insects.  Some of these insects were oversized butterflies and dragonflies.

3. In The Beginning . . . (Part 1)

   Posted on 12:00pm Saturday 6th Jan 2018

   A gloomy January morning walk today had me thinking about how very different our world could have been without insects. 

   

   When we think of nature and conservation we tend to think of the larger animals and birds, but insects really are the invisible unsung heroes of our world.

   Around 135 million years ago, dinosaurs walked the earth.  When we think of dinosaurs roaming the earth, we tend to think of huge beasts tearing up the vegetation, colossal battles between gigantic armour plated warriors, and herds of smaller beasts being chased and preyed upon by larger dinosaurs, whilst the gigantic forerunners of today’s birds dominate the skies.

   We rarely, if at all, give much thought to the plants and insects which would have inhabited this world.