to ask you to save a bee

[wonderingsoul]

As you know bees are very important, but the numbers have decreased by alot over th epast couple of years.

i saw a post on the dreaded facebook, asking if you found a bee not flying. or laying around. mix up some white suger with water, pour on some tisue and put it next to the bee, or if the bees to sick place the bee on it.

it acts as a quick engry intake and hopfull the bee will fly off.

i found a huggeeee bee in my living room today, and i have to admit i am scared of them to. but it was trying to get back out the window but couldnt fly high enough. so i did the mixture, it crawled onto it and drank it. i have to admit it was pretty amazing seeing this so close up.
it had it fill and flew right out the window to the flowers below.

i just wanted to share, as i ts pretty cool and to ask if that if you can, help them. we need em.

Ooh I'll do that next time I see one. It's funny I notice bees all over lying about. I wonder why they keel over

(I draw the line at mouth to mouth resuscitation though)

I've seen lots of tired bees, this year. I'm usually away from home at the time - someone had attempted to revive one of them, by the look of it.

DS1 made a "bee cafe" at his B&Q class, today - a hanging basket full of flowering plants!

Redwelly - you can by screen netting stuff to go over your window to stop bugs coming in :)

I stopped someone from stamping on a bee yesterday, does that count? It seems the sight of me trying to haul my 7M pregnant bulk over the picnic blanket, whilst shouting "NOOOOOOOO!" was enough to stop them in their tracks! Sadly no sugar water around to offer them, but the would-be-stamper moved them closer to a flower, and a couple of minutes later the bee was up and off.

Also you could join the Bee Conservation Trust. Bees need all the help they can get at the moment.

Especially with news that 50,000 were killed in the US recently due to the use of pesticides.

We have been saving bees this way for the past few years.....even saved the odd wasp (I must be mad.)
Though wasps are useful too, as they can also pollinate flowers and they help control the insect population.

I've been doing this for years too! Only with honey. I've always thought people would think me a sandwich short of a picnic, so really pleased to see I'm not the only one.

I think the numbers have gone down due to thwarted type of flowers being planTed. People tend to get rid of hives. Pollution etc.

I'm glad to see so Many people helping the bumble :)

mango that defiantly counts :)

I had a gigantic bee in my lounge the other day, it scared the crap out of me, but I managed to gently guide her outside!

I read somewhere that the UK lost a THIRD of it's bee population last winter because the weather was so bad. :(.

PS I haven't seen a single wasp this year so far. HOORAY!

Now I know what to do with those Gu pot/ramekin things! I've just dotted about 8 of them around the garden with water in them, near to the plants which the bees like.

.... and we'll be keeping an eye out for 'sickly' bees too. Nice to know what to do with the sugar/water thing.

I live this thread...love bees! I nearly cried the other day when my SD told me her mum had been putting ant powder on other shite on a bees nest in their garden.

*love

Bees are a protected species, aren't they? Deliberately destroying a whole nest is unthinkable.

I just did this and it actually worked! T

Also, please check paddling pools in your garden as bees have a tendency to go into the water later in the day.

Thsnks for the tip. We have a bee rescue kit (cup and postcard) in the conservatory to free them, but will bear this in mind if find a sickly one

We've just put up a bee hotel and a more general bug one (with a floor for solitary bees). My planting schemes include a good look at bee-friendly plants and DDs are being taught to be kind to all sorts of garden critters pity DD1 doesn't understand that the snail house is to drown the buggers in ale, not to line with leaves and find snails to rehome

Have rescued 3 bees this year who were lethargic. We lost one when DD1 accidentally trod on it running around the clovery bit in the lawn :( She didn't have shoes on so she did learn that lesson well but at least she still likes them.

I luffs bumblebees.

Lovely tip.

It's a very odd 20 year cycle that's been noticed since 1869 that seems to have multiple causes. This time the problem is being made exponentially bigger because the number of beekeepers has dropped a lot (in the States, it's about half as many as the last cycle).

I saved one of those huge ones with white bottoms this afternoon. It was stuck in a spider's web. I lifted it up on glossy leaflet and carried it over to my flowerbed and managed to untangle it. Wish I'd known about feeding it as it was probably exhausted from struggling.

We do this too. I love bees.

Bees seem to love honeysuckle in my garden, verbena too.

Issimma - yes they love geraniums, we have a big purple/blue one and I counted 8 bees on it the other day :)

I find buddlia is great for attracting bees, butterflies and hawk moths, which bear an uncanny resemblance to humming birds.