Reasons why bees may have suddenly stopped visiting your garden.
Hello
I have a garden full of bee friendly plants. Only a couple of weeks ago, I was seeing lots of bees (bumble bees) in the garden, and now they have gone. Why has this happened? I do not use chemicals, and as far as I am aware, nor do my neighbours. The weather is great, so where have all the bees gone? I still have lots of flowers for them but the bees are nowhere to be seen. Have they died? – Kelly, UK.
I am thrilled that so many people are making their gardens as bee friendly as possible, and are taking an interest in the bee visitors to their gardens.
Quite a few people, however, are alarmed when it seems after a spell of regular visits by bees (especially bumble bees), suddenly the visits appear to stop, or decrease substantially. It seems the bees have gone, and people are worried that something is wrong.
I find it's a fairly common query for people with smallish gardens (like mine). I myself witness fluctuations in bee visits through the seasons, and the explanation is usually a natural one.
For most people, these fluctuations in visits are conspicuous among bumble bees, because bumble bees are so recognisable, even when they are of a different species. People are far less likely to be familiar with solitary species, which might also appear to be around for a few weeks, and then apparently ‘disappear’.
Anyway, in short, the reasons this occurs can often be explained as follows:
In short, my advice would be not to worry too much. Go for a walk around your immediate local
area at different times of the day, and look about you.
Perhaps some-one else is like you – planting for bees, and just as your shrub or flower patch has reduced its nectar output, your neighbour has a tree in blossom that the bees cannot resist.
Or maybe there are brambles nearby in a hedgerow, or some other fabulous plants.
I find I see more bees when I focus on larger
patches of particular bee-favourites, and also on plants to attract certain
species. I have deliberately included
some plants for particular solitary species.
For example, I see hairy footed flower bees for a few weeks early in the season on pulmonaria (right), and I see wool carders on lamb’s ear. |
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Bumble bees absolutely love toadflax – linaria purpurea (below), so I have plenty of it. I also get lots of bees on my raspberries.
However, if you choose carefully, you may find you’ll attract different bees species back to your garden in a week or two. Take a look at these lists of plants for bees to help you:
- Shrubs
- Lawns
- Herbs.
Good luck!
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