What’s all the Buzz about?
Have you been to the Willis Museum, Basingstoke Bee exhibition yet? If not, do go as it tells you so much about our bees and pollinators, their history, their importance to us, honey production, our natural world and what we can do to keep them thriving. It is indeed a fascinating ‘Bee Story’.
There are three main types of bee: the Solitary Bee, the much-loved Bumble Bee and the Honey Bee. May is a very busy month for all of these Bee types. This month I will focus more on the Solitary Bee and finish with a few key pointers about Bumble Bees and Honey Bees
Solitary Bees have a very short life-cycle as they emerge from a 10 – 11 months pupae ‘sleep’ between March and May. Their priorities are to mate, find a nest, lay eggs and provision the emerging larva. Solitary Bees are the most important bees for our fruit farmers as the Bumblebees and Honey Bees take longer to get going and, without the Solitary Bee, we wouldn’t have our orchard fruits, soft fruits and other foods which depend on April – May pollination.
The egg-laying task is hard work as she creates a single chamber per egg, often in a long tube like structure as you see in the bug hotels, sealing it up before she starts on the next egg. Once she’s done [after 4 to 6 weeks], she’s worn out and dies.
The size and variety of Solitary Bees is huge. There is no need to be nervous around these bees as most are stingless and, those that have very mild stings, are certainly not that interested in us humans as they are far too busy trying to fill their tubular nests with as many eggs as they can for that short active life.
Bumblebees: it’s all about the big buzzing furry Queen setting up her nest! With a distinctive droning buzz, she flies in a low zig-zag around wood tree roots and hedgerow banks searching. By May she should have found and built her nest… then will focus on raising her first brood colony, who thereafter become her workers so she can rest and get on with100% egg laying.
Honeybees are busy busy busy!! The Queen laying the eggs and the workers raising young and gathering nectar and pollen for the honey harvest. May is also a key month of natural swarming. If you see a cluster of bees, don’t worry! They are at their most calm, waiting for the scout bees to come back to tell them where to fly to their new nest. That said if you don’t want them near you, call up Basingstoke Beekeepers swarm number and they will come and collect [07580 528482].
Kenneth and Barbara Robson
on behalf of CB400 Foundation
www.charlesbutler400foundation.org.uk
Please contact us on 07725 832964 if you want to know more about bees and how to help them and our natural environment.
