I have visitors!!!!!

peachyprice

I've just looked at my bee habitat that I put up at the end of last summer and two holes are filled with golden coloured stuff, on Googling it looks like I have some bees come to stay :j:j:j

The lavender next to it is about to bloom soon as are the roses, I hope they'll be happy here.

harrys_nan

It's exciting isn't it. I have 4 holes plugged up now, only 1 last year so getting better

lardlikesdogs

My mason bees have filled up about 15 holes with mud , I have about 6/8 bees fighting over the other holes and looking for more!!!!! I don't know what they will do when the holes are all taken.

peachyprice

The mud has only been there a few days, when can I expect to see my bees?

Cottage_Economy

Last year I had carpenter bees in an old bird box that I'd taken down and left on a table at the back of the house.

Everything went swimmingly until suddenly there was a population explosion and it got a bit dodgy to walk past. There were dozens flying in and out at any time and more patrolling the outside of the box and fanning their wings to cool everything down in there.

Then one day we came out and....nothing. Not a single bee.

Hubby was insistent they had swarmed and gone. I wasn't so sure, thinking it was quite a damp day and they were inside doing DIY or something. He did that "i'm a bloke and had a boy's book of knowledge as a kid so I know those bees have gone" routine.

So I marched up and shook the box. Out they swarmed. I ran in and left him to it. Apparently he legged it down the sideway and stood at the end of the drive.

Here were my little guys:

May 21st 2013...in the beginning

http://i340.photobucket.com/albums/o332/ItsMeDonchaKnow/imagejpg1_zpsc111d966.jpg

June 10th...they've got friends...

http://i340.photobucket.com/albums/o332/ItsMeDonchaKnow/imagejpg3_zpscbb4ac9a.jpg

lardlikesdogs

peachyprice wrote: »

The mud has only been there a few days, when can I expect to see my bees?

Next spring I think.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2011/may/swarm-like-behaviour-of-red-mason-solitary-bees97553.html

lardlikesdogs

Cottage_Economy wrote: »

Last year I had carpenter bees in an old bird box that I'd taken down and left on a table at the back of the house.

Everything went swimmingly until suddenly there was a population explosion and it got a bit dodgy to walk past. There were dozens flying in and out at any time and more patrolling the outside of the box and fanning their wings to cool everything down in there.

Then one day we came out and....nothing. Not a single bee.

Hubby was insistent they had swarmed and gone. I wasn't so sure, thinking it was quite a damp day and they were inside doing DIY or something. He did that "i'm a bloke and had a boy's book of knowledge as a kid so I know those bees have gone" routine.

So I marched up and shook the box. Out they swarmed. I ran in and left him to it. Apparently he legged it down the sideway and stood at the end of the drive.

Here were my little guys:

May 21st 2013...in the beginning

http://i340.photobucket.com/albums/o332/ItsMeDonchaKnow/imagejpg1_zpsc111d966.jpg

June 10th...they've got friends...

http://i340.photobucket.com/albums/o332/ItsMeDonchaKnow/imagejpg3_zpscbb4ac9a.jpg

seems like you had these

http://bumblebeeconservation.org/images/uploads/Bee_Craft_May_2013,_Bombus_hypnorum.pdf

peachyprice

lardlikesdogs wrote: »

Next spring I think.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2011/may/swarm-like-behaviour-of-red-mason-solitary-bees97553.html

Thanks. Hopefully they will fill more holes over the next few weeks and I will then have lots next year

[Deleted User]

peachyprice wrote: »

I've just looked at my bee habitat that I put up at the end of last summer and two holes are filled with golden coloured stuff, on Googling it looks like I have some bees come to stay :j:j:j

The lavender next to it is about to bloom soon as are the roses, I hope they'll be happy here.

Any chance of a photo? I would love to see what your bee house looks like.

We built this at the beginning of the spring. It is very posh as they are called insect hotels (despite the fact that they are made from old pallets). Just starting to plant up the area around so hopefully we will get lots of visitors too.

I wasn't convinced that the sedum roof would not all just fall off, but it has grown really well since this photo was taken.

Here is a pic.

Cottage_Economy

lardlikesdogs wrote: »

seems like you had these

http://bumblebeeconservation.org/images/uploads/Bee_Craft_May_2013,_Bombus_hypnorum.pdf

I think you're absolutely right! Thanks for that great article.

It described the colony to a tee, including the mating bees falling to the ground. We couldn't understand what was going on with all the bees on the floor...we thought they were perhaps dying bees thrown out of the nest. Oh and the yellow poo splodges on the front of the box.

I think they're around again this year...I've seen them on our massive comfrey bed near the house so I best be careful tidying up the garden.

Had a hunt around on the net and found this image which shows the different types of bumblebee in good detail.

lardlikesdogs

[IMG][/img]