‘Be LESS tidy’, experts cry as they reveal 3 ways to get bees back in your garden – and how your dog’s hair could help
DAVID Beckham loves them, The Princess of Wales tends to her own hives at Anmer Hall, and even Queen Camilla’s honey is on sale at Fortnum and Mason to raise funds for charity.
And this is because along with the rest of us gardeners, they appreciate not just how brilliant bees are – but how they’re one of the most threatened pollinators on the planet – and we need to take action.
Bees, especially wild solitary bees and bumblebees, are in serious decline globally.
According to Friends of the Earth, in the UK alone we’ve already lost around 13 species and another 35 are currently at risk.
And if we lose the bees, we lose all the flowers, fruit and veg crops they pollinate. In short – a total disaster.
So this week, the RHS launched a nationwide initiative to spot ‘Bumbles on Blooms’ to help work out which plants bees love the most in Spring.
Up until May 31, they’re asking you to note down and photograph all sightings of bees on flowers in gardens and parks across the UK.
Supported by the Bumblebees Conservation Trust, the RHS ultimately wants to boost bumblebee populations by ensuring gardeners receive the best possible advice on what to plant when – and improve its understanding of our pollinator pals.
At the same time, between Feb 21 and March 1, the Royal Parks are asking visitors to take a photo of any bee they see and submit them online, to find out when the Queen Bee emerges.
This means they can tailor their planting schedule to benefit the bees the most.
Helen Bostock, RHS Senior Wildlife Specialist said: ‘Bumblebees are a vital part of our ecosystem, pollinating our crops and flowers, and playing a key role in much of the food we eat.
“In the face of large-scale changes to the countryside and the ensuing decline in their numbers, flowers in gardens and parks are an increasingly important source of pollen and nectar for bumblebees.
“The better we understand which plants these industrious insects most rely on, the more we can help them to thrive.”
For more information on the RHS project visit www.rhs.org.uk/bumbles-on-blooms.
For Royal Parks visit www.royalparks.org.uk/queenbees
BEE-SY RIDERS
TOWARDS the end of February, Buff-tailed Bumblebees and Honeybees may be joined by the male Hairy-Footed Flower Bee whose arrival heralds the start of spring.
According to apiary experts Urban Bees, which educates city communities on how to save our buzzing buddies, the buff tailed type are ‘plump, golden-striped bumblebees with a thick winter coat’ if you live in the south, and in the North, it will actually be the Queen you may see foraging close to the ground.
And its website says Honeybees are so much slimmer and smoother than bumblebees that there is little chance of confusing the two.
Hairy footed Flower Bees ‘distinctive hovering and darting flight and loud buzz makes them easy to spot,’ Urban Bees says.
For more information visit their site at www.Urbanbees.co.uk
THE BEES NEEDS
BEE nesting season is from March to October and according to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, there are three ways gardeners can help.
- Let a patch of grass grow long and tangled to entice the Common Carder Bumblebee
- Put up a birdbox with straw, leaves, moss, wool, or pet hair to encourage tree bumblebees.
- Be less tidy! Some species nest in old vole and mouse holes – including the White-tailed bumblebee, the Buff-tailed bumblebee, and the Garden bumblebee
- For more visit www.bumblebeeconservation.org
THE POLLEN SOCIAL
BEES need flowers whenever they’re up and about, and they need easy access to pollen.
So to encourage them over Winter and early Spring, include Helebores, daffodils, crocus, catkins on Willows, snowdrops, aconites, clematis and Mahonias.
TOP TIP!
REVIVE tired bees with a sweet treat. Mix 2tsp of white granulated sugar with 1tsp of water on a plate or drip on a flower
THIS WEEK’S JOB!
IF you’ve got some bulbs lying about you didn’t manage to get in – fear not – you can STILL plant them now for a beautiful late Spring display.
WIN!
DOGS and lawns aren’t a great match – but Tuffgrass reckons it’s created a seed mix that stands up against those infuriating patches.
THREE lucky winners can get their hands on enough TuffGrass With Dog Patch resistance for 200 sq m of lawn – worth £55 PLUS a litre of Neudorff CleanLawn Moss Control for Lawns Concentrate worth £13.50.
To enter visit www.thesun.co.uk/TUFFGRASSCOMP
Write to Sun TUFFGRASS competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, email or phone.
UK residents 18+ only. Ends 23.59GMT 02/03/24.
Full T&C’s here.
LEARN
My winter plants are looking poorly, what could be the problem? Peter Wareing, via email.
This is basically down to winter frost damage – and at an absolute push, Leaf Spot.
Try cutting back Hellebore leaves in November or before the temperatures drop to avoid the leaves browning, and leaf spot come Spring.
It’s a very common disease that blackens leaves and common around now.
Either way it’s not a disaster. Prune it all back, clear any fallen leaves, bin them rather than compost and see what happens.
SAVE!
Get your garden buzzing with this bee hotel from Thorns DIY for £11.99
Or keep them sweet with this Robert Dyas version for £32.99