Helps to halt the decline in numbers of this essential garden buddy by providing them with a home.

WHY DO I WANT BUMBLEBEES IN MY GARDEN?

• Britain’s Bee Population is under serious threat
• Bees are vital for plant pollination
• Bumblebees are essentially people friendly

The humble bumblebee is dozy, clumsy and much misunderstood. Over time it has become associated with honey bees and wasps and as such is feared by many people. In fact it is a very docile creature that is totally non aggressive and only stings in extreme circumstances, and only then after issuing several warnings to the protagonist.

There is now real concern over the recent decline in Bee numbers. 25% of Britain’s wild bee species are categorised as rare or near extinct with some species having declined by up to 60% since the 1970s. Of 250 wild bee types in this country, 24 are bumblebees with three bumblebee species having become extinct in the last 150 years. Many of the problems for the bee are man made; intensive agriculture and a decrease in insect pollinated crops being the main causes. As such it has become vitally important that gardens are turned into bee havens.

So how can you help the humble bumble?

Basically Bumblebees need three things to survive and thrive; a seasons supply of nectar, a safe nesting site and somewhere for queens to overwinter - and the good news is that we can do something about all three.

The secret to season long nectar lies in careful selection of plants. We should endeavour to plant our gardens so that flowering occurs at differing times. Not only does this help the bees but also it ensures maximum colour in the garden from early spring through until the dark days of late autumn.

Early plants worth considering are heathers, crocuses, comfrey and peas. Other useful sources of nectar and pollen are catkins and fruit trees. Summer plants that are bee friendly include geraniums, lupins, borage, the majority of summer fruits and of course Roses are a favourite Good late flowering plants are Lavenders, most herbs and Honeysuckle. Care should be taken when selecting plants, as the majority of ‘show’ species are non-nectar bearing.

To help supplement nature you can concoct a mixture which is especially helpful to Queen Bees during the early season frosts and rain. Mix 30% of honey with 70% water and leave small amounts in containers amongst flowers and plants. You can also help by not using insecticides unless they are labelled as not harmful to bees. This will also have the added benefit of enticing more birds into your garden as there will be more insects about.

The second pre-requisite for bee survival is a secure nesting site. This is where your Growing Success Wildlife Lodge can be used. Firstly you need to find a warm, south facing and sheltered area. Dig a hole and position the Bee Rest into it. Ensure the bedding is inside your lodge and if you wish you can wrap the lodge in a plastic bag to prevent damp creeping inside. Bury the Lodge ensuring the end of the spout remains above ground level. You then need to leave a coloured marker near the entrance hole (a coloured plant marker for example) as the bees will forget exactly where to return to unless there is a prominent landmark.

The success rate of nesting boxes is actually very good, providing they are sited correctly and if you miss out in year one invariably they become inhabited the next year. As an alternative to a manufactured lodge an old teapot, buried and insulated against the damp may work.

Finally to help Bumble Bees survive, the Queen needs a hibernation chamber in which to overwinter. Once more you can use a Growing Success Bumble Bee Rest. This time however it should be sited in a cool dry place. South facing sites may well cause the Queen to emerge too early in the year so it is probably best to find a north facing area. Dryness is essential so it is vital to insulate the buried lodge against the damp. Emulation of natural sites proves the most successful so it is recommended that you bury your lodge at the base of a wall or the foot of a hedge.

The Lifecycle of the Bumblebee

Bumblebees live in colonies and each colony has a yearly cycle. Central to colonisation is the Queen who after hibernation, emerges when the climate warms and finds a suitable nesting site. Once in situ she lays up to 16 eggs, fertilised the previous summer. These hatch, pupate and then produce female worker bees in about 4 weeks. These in turn begin to forage for nectar and a colony develops. Unlike Honey Bees, the Bumble Bee does not keep a well ordered hive and the whole affair is rather higgeldy piggeldy and much smaller than the familiar Honey hive. Although Bumble Bees can produce honey the amount is so minuscule that it is impossible to collect without destroying the nest and the reward is definitely not worth the effort.

In the meantime the Queen lays unfertilised eggs which hatch into male bees and later worker larvae become Queens. Both the males and new queens emerge from the nest, mate and then go their separate ways - the males to die off, the queens to seek out hibernation sites. Meanwhile stores in the nest run out and any resident workers and the founding Queen die off.

Bumble Bee Facts

• According to science the bumble bee should not be able to fly.
• The fastest recorded flight of a Bumble Bee is 16 kph.
• Male Bumble Bees (those with a white face) cannot sting.
• Cuckoo Bumble Bees emulate their feathered namesake by laying their eggs in a foreign colony for the workers to raise.
• When annoyed a Bumble Bee raises it’s middle set of legs.
• Bumble Bees cannot take off if their body temperature is below 300C
• A Bumble Bee can beat it’s wings at up to 240 times a second.