This year I hung a different style of bee nest, suitable for Mason Orchard bees, on a tree branch with an ant trap! To my delight, I have signs of use in the nest. The tubes are used by the bees for their larvae. When the holes are slightly plugged in appearance, it means they are "in use".
A couple of days ago I got up close and personal with a few honey bees that were drunkenly
flitting around my Pride of Barbados plant (otherwise known as the Big Bird plant):
We are suffering from a deminishing bee population here in the U.K.as well and anything that will increase them is wonderful Leslie. You are obviously doing your bit!
ReplyDeleteWe get some bumble bees under our outhouse every year, and their entrance to the nest is directly in front of my kitchen door, and under the doorstep to the outhouse. The laundry faclities and some garden furniture, etc.is in there so I have to step over them as I make my routine comings and goings.
We have to work on some pretty nifty choreography in August when they seem at their busiest!
Your garden looks exotically beautiful. I love it.
Leslie, your bee hive house is as beautiful as functional. thank you for taking care of our bees!
ReplyDeleteWe love bees! My youngest daughter is a bee charmer: bees love to come sit on her and she adores them. Not at all afraid, she will allow them to snuggle down on her arms and hands. Claire and I have driven down the street with bees sitting on our hands extended out the car windows. The bees sort of "hunker down" next to our skin and appear to be surfing the wind.
ReplyDeleteHazel, I'm getting quite a visual picture of your maneuvers around your bee nest!
Beautiful! I love your bees' nest, and although I'm afraid of bees myself (having been stung too many times as a child), I'm happy that you are nurturing them.
ReplyDeleteLeslie, love your Mason bee nest - I'm trying honeybees this year for the first time, hoping it doesn't cut into my fiber art time too much ;-) MJ
ReplyDeleteOh my! I hope you will stop by again and tell me how it is going! There was an article about beekeeping in our Sunday paper last weekend. It seems like a very interesting and enjoyable endeavor.
ReplyDeleteIf your first nest is successful this year, you will need to double or triple the number of tubes available to them next year. :)
ReplyDeleteGood to know Strumelia! I'll keep a close eye on them, but so far, there rae plenty of tubes open.
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