Conserving Bumble Bees

[amelanchier]

I haven't seen very many bumblebees this year either, compared to the usual. I wonder if it has something to do with the odd weather the northern U.S. experienced this spring, which also seems to have killed off most of the mosquitoes. Here's hoping they bounce back next year.

[linrose]

We don't seem to be affected by a decline in bumblebees but the last couple of years we have seen a decline in butterflies. Right now we are in a drought which is not good for many creatures and plants. At least the monarda is blooming which keeps the pollinators happy for now until the mid-late summer composites start blooming. I'm finding solitary bee nests in the ground all over the place. I wouldn't know what they were until I started visiting this site!

[BeeWonderful]

Originally Posted by amelanchier

I haven't seen very many bumblebees this year either, compared to the usual. I wonder if it has something to do with the odd weather the northern U.S. experienced this spring, which also seems to have killed off most of the mosquitoes. Here's hoping they bounce back next year.

I also wonder if it is climate related. Maybe the unusually early spring has thrown them off a bit, and also contributed to unusual flower-bloom times. But I was a bit relieved to spot 3 very small bumblebees this morning foraging together on Culver's Root, then Agastache foeniculum, and then a rose bush (I have no idea what kind of rose---I assume it's not native). Our Monarda is about to bloom, and I am curious to see if that is mobbed by bumblebees as it has been in previous years. I really hope so. I find it odd, though, that I've yet to see any bumblebees on the Common Milkweed. Isn't that one loaded with nectar?

[sprucetree]

Not sure about all milkweeds but some have little hooks in the flowers, This can trap smaller pollinators and cause the larger ones to lose a limb.
The Milkweed seems to attract the butterfly's, honey bees and some flies but the common doesn't seem to be a favorite for the bumblees.

[BeeWonderful]

Originally Posted by sprucetree

Not sure about all milkweeds but some have little hooks in the flowers, This can trap smaller pollinators and cause the larger ones to lose a limb.
The Milkweed seems to attract the butterfly's, honey bees and some flies but the common doesn't seem to be a favorite for the bumblees.

Thanks for sharing....I didn't know about that! Is there a milkweed that bumblebees do find attractive more than others?

[sprucetree]

Originally Posted by BeeWonderful

Thanks for sharing....I didn't know about that! Is there a milkweed that bumblebees do find attractive more than others?

All I have is common milkweed and the buckwheat,zinnia,and cosmos annuals, They love the purple coneflower and sedums along with the clover.

[Helianthus]

I just posted on Friday about the bumblebee nest I discovered in my backyard under a yucca. I feel lucky to have so much bumblebee activity in my urban backyard. They went nuts this year for my swamp milkweed, coneflower, bee balm, and salvia.

Andrew