Bees

[munchh]

Im sitting here watching a program on Eden about the decline of our bees, ive known about the decline, but didnt really know why apart from the pestiside thing.

So it is climate, under 14 degrees C, bees dont leave the hive and the tempreture also effects polen production in plants , then there is the mite that has come in on imported bees and the viruses that the mite carries.

My first question has to be, why cant we have bees and flowers in polly tunnels to provide a stable climate, if all ýou are after is honey production?

This could also help bring back up the numbers?

Am i talking noncense, or is this already happening?

[preppingsu]

That's a good question and I found this. It might help answer your question.

http://www.bbka.org.uk/members/forum.php?t=1799

[munchh]

Wow, thats pretty crazy,, so it is all about the sun for honey bees and the tell other bees by that waggle dance how to find the pollen, but they make their directions via where the sun is, so you would need an artificial sun and few reflective surfaces!
Mason bees or bumble bees do work for pollonation in tunnels though.

its far more complicated than i ever imagined, 250 different species of bee in this country! Mostly wild aswell.

[piglet]

In the great scheme of things the Honey Bee only plays a small part in the grand plan.

Much of the problem is us...Alongside the use of pesticides, we destroy the habitat required for native species and import Bees from other countries which are artificially managed to produce the constant demand for food production for an increasing population. And so Honey Bees have become major players, but with that, we are getting more viruses which are spreading to other species. Honey Bees are not actually native to the UK and were brought in by man.

We have hundreds of solitary Bees in this country alongside colony Bumble Bees that are quite capable of doing the job.
When it comes to early fruit production those small solitary Bees like Mason are far superior for pollination.

And a species of colony Bumble Bees are actually kept in Poly Tunnels for Tomato Pollination. Tomato's require the vibration of the Bumble Bees wings to release pollen. But even then, many of these Bees are imported and are bringing in viruses with them.

We should be trying to encourage that which is natural and can look after itself better, over those that require constant management.
Spare a little space in the garden to grow plants for wild Bees to improve you crop productivity without the cost or the hassle of a Honey Bee hive.
Save the Bees...save the Planet

[MissAnpassad]

One problem with keeping bees in a polytunnel, is that it would have to be a humongous one. As plant only blossom for a few days you would have to have an enormous variety of plants, otherwise the bees would starve.
Moving a hive constantly, as we do today in orchard and so on, is stressful to the bees. Monocultures are as you probably know sprayed with pesticides in daytime, when the bee is active. An easier method than building these gigantic polytunnels and moving the hive around would be to start spraying during the night instead and farm according to the permaculture principles (if you necessarily feel the need to poison the planet), then the bees are in the hive.

[Briggs 2.0]

Munch,

Have you seen/read this book? 'A Sting in the Tale' by Dr Dave Coulson. It's 100% bee focused, informative and in places extremely funny. Well worth a read if like me you had no idea there were such things as cuckoo bumblebees.

[piglet]

Munch,

Have you seen/read this book? 'A Sting in the Tale' by Dr Dave Coulson. It's 100% bee focused, informative and in places extremely funny. Well worth a read if like me you had no idea there were such things as cuckoo bumblebees.

Dave Goulson is the founder of the Bumble Bee Conservation Trust and has written a follow up book called, 'A buzz in the Meadow'
(Not quite so much Bees, but a tale of his own little Nature reserve, first mentioned in the previous book)
He also instigated the re-introduction of the extinct, in the UK, Short Haired Bumble Bee to Dungeness, and that particular project is now 'spearheaded' by Dr Nikki Gammas, of the Bumble Bee Conservation Trust.

[Briggs 2.0]

Munch,

Have you seen/read this book? 'A Sting in the Tale' by Dr Dave Coulson. It's 100% bee focused, informative and in places extremely funny. Well worth a read if like me you had no idea there were such things as cuckoo bumblebees.

Dave Coulson is the founder of the Bumble Bee Conservation Trust and has written a follow up book called, 'A buzz in the Meadow'
(Not quite so much Bees, but a tale of his own little Nature reserve, first mentioned in the previous book)
He also instigated the re-introduction of the extinct, in the UK, Short Haired Bumble Bee to Dungeness, and that particular project is now 'spearheaded' by Dr Nikki Gammas, of the Bumble Bee Conservation Trust.

Nice, I wasn't aware of the follow up book. I loved the first one so I'll check it out.

[PreparedKent]

I have a bug B&B (as recommended by RSPB) and have lots of flowering plants in my garden. Roses, Fuchsias, and annual flowers I grow from seed.

I noticed that my bee and flying insect activity in my garden was quite high, although I do live less than a mile from a huge lake and am surrounded by rolling countryside.

I found that some of the products required for my rose and fuchsia garden contained neonicotinoid pesticides so I binned them off and tell anyone else I see spraying them to bin them. I think by cutting back on the pesticides, providing nectar producing plants, water and habitat (bug B&B) the best way forward. The bees plugged every hole in the structure with larvae for next year so I'm sure this summer I will be teeming with bees and insects

[piglet]

The bees plugged every hole in the structure with larvae for next year so I'm sure this summer I will be teeming with bees and insects

Hello there

I keep Red Mason Bees
Are yours Masons or Leafcutters?
Do you leave your's outside all winter?
Mine are currently in the fridge awaiting the warmer weather. But I have been told you cannot do that with Leafcutters. And although I have had them in the garden they didn't use the nesting tubes.

I see some people take their Mason pupa out of the tubes and even wash them before storing. But I have not been that brave yet.

The weird weather we are having has caused many of my early plants to have flowered much to early and so am having to look for replacements to ensure I have enough flowering plants to feed them when the time comes.

RSPB... do you get to the Dungeness reserve?. I try to when I can, either for the birds/general wildlife.