To wonder where the bees are

[Fuckitydoodah]

I've noticed a real lack of bees so far this summer. My garden would usually be full of them once the flowers are out.

I went on a dog walk through fields earlier and barely saw any. It's been hot and sunny here this afternoon and I've seen only 2 or 3 in the garden. I've got a lot of lavender and in previous years it's been covered in bees.

Has anyone else noticed a lack of bees?

Is it because we had a cold and wet spring and now a fairly crappy summer? Or is there a more sinister reason like the use of pesticides?

We've got loads of catmint and lavender in our garden that are both usually full of bees, but hardly seen any this year.

It's almost certainly because of the horrific weather. Both in terms of it affecting the bees themselves and also the fact that we've been stuck infuckingside all bloody year and never getting out there to actually see them.

Do you have any suggestions how to stop the slugs and snails eating the plants? I had salvias and dahlias but they got eaten almost immediately so I had to pull them out. I've replaced with lavender, hebe and a buddleia but I do have some other spaces to fill!

I've noticed too. Especially with spiders, I've not seen many at all other than our long-term cellar spider cohabitants.
Our back garden and house (next door to a farm) is usually full of insect activity!

Lots of midges though, as usual.

No insects in our area either, very worrying.

A lot of my plants got nailed this year, so unfortunately no quick fixes, other than increasing the amount of biodiversity in your garden, and making areas for wildlife that feed on slugs and snails, such as hedgehogs and small birds, that can help with population levels. I placed wool pellets around my hostas and lupins and they still got pretty nailed. It’s tempting to just use slug pellets, but they do more harm than they do good IMO. We sadly found a dead hedgehog at our allotment the other week and suspect that it may have consumed slug pellets from another plot, so this reaffirmed why I just don’t use them. If you’re only growing on a small scale then you can use natural deterrents.

Thanks and sorry to hear your plants are suffering as well!

We don't encourage birds into the garden - although we don't have a cat at the moment but we still have the cat proofing netting in place until we adopt again. When we had a cat it felt a bit like throwing them to the lions if we encouraged them! We've only got a small garden as well - it's only 8' wide so there's not a lot of room. I'll continue my slug restaurant!

This article has some good suggestions including trying things like bran and also beer traps.
https://greensideup.ie/slugs-how-to-deal-with-them-organically/

@summeroccupation please don't give struggling bees honey, it seems so logical but unfortunately it can pass on diseases. Sugar water is much safer.

Lots where I am in the west. Our slovenly excuse for a lawn contains more clover and selfheal than grass, and the bees seem to be really appreciating it this year. I'm also replacing some of the exotic plants we inherited with bee favourites like lavender.

my buddleia has hardley bloomed so far

My DH used to complain about the clover taking over our lawn and I always held firm on keeping the clover. That was years ago and now of course clover lawns are seen in much more positive terms.

I do agree that there have been far fewer flying insects like bees, butterflies, ladybirds and hover flies - even wasps.

But oh so many snails and slugs!

The sun is finally out today here (Somerset) & the garden is full of bees - leaf cutters, bumbles, honey, even a few small scissor bees. Plus saw my first butterfly (a gatekeeper) land in the garden.
The Leaf cutters are furiously at work building their nests.

Many, many have noticed the lack of insects. This has been warned about for years but most people either didn’t care or actually said they preferred this. The implications are truly horrific. By the time the general population understands the crisis we are facing it will be very much too late: to be honest, I think it already is too late

We have a small hedge of lavender and you can usually hear it before you get near it. This year, very few and far between now it is finally in flower. We also normally get loads of wasps in the house but so far, one this year (also a massive, dead, hornet).

I still think a lot of people just don't understand the wider implications of this. I have 'friends' who screech at the sight of a bee and want to kill it .... they roll their eyes when I explain how essential they are, and think I'm off my rocker to be planting bee/insect friendly plants in my garden.

They are all on the privet hedge in ex's garden. Constant loud buzzing....

Yes it's genuinely scary.

My neighbours lavender bushes were buzzing yesterday, but that's the first I've seen. I work in a woodland and the number of butterflies, insects of all kinds is significantly decreased. As a result seeing an impact on bats, birdlife etc.

Did you see this article? Broke my heart.

www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/16/nature-silent-bernie-krause-recording-sound-californian-state-park-aoe

We have bee hives at work. Due to the unexpected cold weather snap earlier in the year a whole hive perished. It was very sad and completely unexpected.

Our meadow area is only in its second year, but I have seen an increase in insect life from last year. It shows that what ordinary gardeners do can make a difference.

I'm probably not typical of the whole country because I've got two beekeepers quite close to me, so I've still got a good supply of honey bees as well.

They are losing their habitat.

Overbuilding, plastic grass, cutting trees down. The list is endless and it will get worse.

Plenty of bees here but there are hives not that far away. Lack of spiders, noticeably the garden orb variety. They were there in late spring, tiny spiders, but I think there was heavy rain that likely washed them all away before they'd had a chance to reproduce, so now we have none here.

We were just commenting on the lack of bees. We deliberately planted blue/purple stuff to attract them. We had big bumble bees early when there was not so much to feed them, then some miner bees (solitary ground bees).
I am deliberately not mowing the lawn as there is clover flowering in it that they like.

That is my excuse anyway!

I've noticed that there haven't been as many on our lavender, which is normally covered in them by now, but walking down a local road lined with mature ash trees the other evening, every tree was so full of bees that there was a weird undulating hum as I walked under and between them.

I've really noticed despite a big garden full of pollinating plants a distinct lack of bees and hardly seen any butterflies. It's a bit better today as finally warm and sunny.So this year the weather definitely a lot to blame.However with neighbours with plastic grass and a spray can coming out the minute an insect appears what chance do we have.Their latest 'problem 'is that a few starlings regularly sit and chat on the telegraph pole at the bottom of her drive.I despair.

I think the rain at the intensity we've had does for a lot of them. If you see one on the ground when it's raining, bring it inside and let it dry its wings. They get waterlogged if they get caught out in a torrential downpour that comes from nowhere. I saved an absolutely huge bumble but only because it was on my path. If it had been just a few cms either side I'd have missed it. It was just sopping wet through. When I let it back out the following morning and it buzzed off into the sunshine, my heart sang. Everyone has to do their bit. We're literally dead without them.