Where are all the bees?

[Harping]

Is anyone else noticing a worrying lack of bees? Usually the clover on our grass is full of bees

Very few here on Kent coast. We don't mow our lawn, have a proper wildflower patch, grow lavender, buddleja, etc. Have really not seen any bees at all this year. There are butterflies but no bees. It's worrying.

Every other post on local FB pages for the last few weeks seems to have been photos of swarms, warning of swarm locations, asking who to contact to collect swarms... honestly I've never seen so much bee talk but at least it makes a change from the usual moaning about dog poo and escaped/injured/dead sheep! Anecdotal for sure but my area of Wiltshire certainly appears to be enjoying a surfeit of bees this year

A bee tried to get in my open window at 5.00 am this morning😴

Very few 🐝 or 🦋 here in Bedfordshire so far this year, and no ladybirds.

Next door heavily pruned their buddleis Bush last year, and it's not flowered this year. That always used to be alive with 🦋.

I read that 🐝 are attracted to the blue/purple range of colours, so we've mainly hot those in the garden in the hopes of attracting them.

And thanks to this thread I've just gone out and put several saucers of water and pebbles around the garden

I'm in Gloucestershire. Happy to say I've seen them every day in our garden. I planted some bulbs last year (nectaroscordum siculum) but they've loved those. Things don't grow very well in our garden (basically builders rubbish under the surface!), but luckily they've got some wild flowers to investigate now and then the lavender bushes.

They’re going mad in my garden. I just walked out and can hear the buzzing as soon as l step into it. It’s like this every year. Happy bees

Haven't seen any either and we live in the country. We do have loads of black beetles in the house. No idea where they've come from.

We're missing ladybirds this season. Usually we get aphids on the roses in May, followed by Ladybirds to eat them in June. We've had not one ladybird. Something's gone wrong with the circle of life in our garden for sure!

I’m in the central belt and we have a lot of bees in our garden - one plant in particular attracts dozens and dozens of them! It’s lovely to see.

Well the honeysuckle has been very beneficial this year - it's really gone into bloom & the bees are loving it. Just bought a few plants today - bronze fennel, a salvia, a borage & a verbenas - ladybirds are meant to like fennel; borage has one of the fastest nectar refilling chambers (30mins its full again after being drained) & they love salvia & verbena.
Closely examined the cherry tree & there are a lot of ladybirds nymphs now - but lots of ants too, so going to have to try bringing down the ant population.

I don't see many but a huge tennis ball sized bee flew into my head when I was hanging out my washing earlier.