Sunday, April 29, 2018

Honeybees in Trouble

Honey Bee Suite
I have a small garden in my Philadelphia backyard. I grow a few peppers, herbs, tomatoes, flowers. I have been very sad because the Bees seem to have gone away.

We need Bees, so go here for some pet Bees if you like them. Most of the really good stuff we eat needs pollination by bees. No bees means less food.


On Sunday, I saw my very first Bee of the Summer. I was out in the garden, poking around in the Dill without my glasses. I was glad to learn that my eyes still work and I am not crazy. I saw a Bee. The Bees are coming back.


Bees are smart. They know who is growing those flowers. I have been given, while gardening, an affectionate bee nudge more than once. The Bees are making a comeback in Illinois too.
Native bee species spotted for first time since ’90s
COURTESY OF WILL PETERMAN / COPYRIGHT 2013
 By Sandi Doughton 
Bee enthusiasts beat the bushes Sunday to see if the colony of rare insects is still active, and biologists are planning conservation efforts.
More information is available at www.xerces.org/bumblebees. If you would like to be involved in our citizen science project moving forward, you can sign up at www.bumblebeewatch.org.

If you think you have observed the western white tailed bumblebee, please send a photo and site information. Please note that we cannot verify sightings without a photo, so please include one with your email. 



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm in Columbia County and it took a few days after my bee balm bloomed, but the bees are back! I have bee noticing their absence too. I don't want to cut my lawn either, since they like the purple flowers there. Quandary: Do I cut my lawn to please the neighbors, or let it grow to please the bees?

Plum Street Chili said...

Tough problem. I solved it by having no lawn. I have nothing but perennials. herbs, annuals and vegetables. I should put in some bee balm. I found bees especially like collard flowers. I let a collard patch go for three years and the bees were in heaven. Collards got awfully woody though. Thanks for your comment, fellow bee lover.