[arobwk]

If you’ve found a lot there’s often birds which have attacked them.  If not I’d wonder what else would have killed them.

Thinking aloud - maybe they've just pegged out with all the post-hibernation activity (and after a wet, windy winter).  Who knows?

[Penninehillbilly]

BIG bumbley in the greenhouse today, I left the door open and off she went.
Some hyacinths in there from a few years ago,  first time flowers have been as good as twhen we bought them flowering in a pot, quite a scent as I walked in.

[Fleecewife]

Brilliant     I have really early daffodils in my polytunnel, planted there when I'd forgotten to plant them out in the garden.  I love it when they flower so early 


I shall be keeping my eyes peeled tomorrow for bumbles here as it's forecast to be warm and sunny all day (grandson and his partner are coming to shovel    for me  )

[arobwk]

Flowers for bees:  I won't bother with the background, but I received a one-word txt msg yesterday saying just "Heliotrope". Nor entirely understanding, I did a web search and find that there is a Heliotrope plant (never heard of it myself).  Importantly, if not already mentioned in this thread, it is seemingly another one of those profusely flowering plants much beloved by bees. 

[Fleecewife]

Our Bumble Bee Queens came out today  here in southern Scotland at 1000'. Some were on wide open crocuses but I was so excited to see the one I saw that I can't for the life of me remember what flower it was on  . The BB was very yellow, but we are far too far south in Scotland for it to have been a Yellow BB.  Maybe it was covered in pollen all over.  By the time I got my phone to take a pic, she flew off so no record.
But still, that's the start of the season for me here  .


Hardly any flowers in the garden yet, but we do have snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils, Daphne, saxifrages various, wallflowers and hellebores, dead nettle etc.  Clearly enough to give the few bees around an early bite.
I haven't checked the goat willows but I shall do tomorrow, as their pollen would explain how yellow the BB I saw was 

[Penninehillbilly]

Flowering currant very 'busy' today, had bumblies coming in the barn, goats not impressed,

[arobwk]

'Twas cold today here albeit being sunny.  While gardening for 4-5 hrs I saw just a few BBs in flight, BUT also noticed a few who had, I imagine, headed-out on a sortie and ended up deciding to land in 'odd' places to rest out of the chill wind when the clouds wiped out the sun's warmth !

[Fleecewife]

Same up here - warm in the bright sunshine but very cold still in the shade. Lots of snow showers over the last few days and -6 at night.  Still Bumbles zapping around though and making the willows hum.


I've been trying to work out how to move a pic from my phone to my computer so I can post it here, of a strange queen BB I saw here last week. I can't find it in any of the ID charts: very black with a red/orange tail and 2 narrow red/orange stripes.  Red tail yes, red stripes no 
Otherwise, it's the usual buff tails and carders, plus a couple of red tails I think.


Flowers out up here 010422 include lots of daffs, primulas, primroses, last of the crocuses, dwarf iris, red dead nettle (very popular with BBs), hellebore, japonica, forsythia, willow of course, hazel catkins, masses of mirabelle blossom (best year ever), pulmonaria, various saxifrages and one white kingcup.

[doganjo]

I've been trying to work out how to move a pic from my phone to my computer so I can post it here, of a strange queen BB I saw here last week. I can't find it in any of the ID charts: very black with a red/orange tail and 2 narrow red/orange stripes.  Red tail yes, red stripes no 

I'm sure there ae easier ways, but if I'm stuck I email a photo to myself then pick it up on the laptop and post it on here from there

[Anke]

I've been trying to work out how to move a pic from my phone to my computer so I can post it here, of a strange queen BB I saw here last week. I can't find it in any of the ID charts: very black with a red/orange tail and 2 narrow red/orange stripes.  Red tail yes, red stripes no 

I'm sure there ae easier ways, but if I'm stuck I email a photo to myself then pick it up on the laptop and post it on here from there

I bluetooth photos from my phone to my laptop (I don't really use my phone for emails), but am told that is nowadays a bit old-fashioned. I am just pleased that I can now do it!

[Glencairn]

Bluetoothing pictures over is positively modern by my standards!

If I need to move pics from my phone to my laptop I get out a usb to type C cable!

I've ordered the gardening for bumblebees book.

[Penninehillbilly]

Watching YouTube yesterday, a suggested video popped up, that Dave Goulson again, it was very interesting, trying to find it this morning, I found he has lots of videos on there, I'm going to have to sit down and go through a few at a time. 

[Fleecewife]

Bumblies were scoping out a crab apple today.  It's not in blossom yet but the buds are showing - they're watching carefully 

[Fleecewife]

So this is the strange bee pic, on my Saxifraga Boston Spa pictured a couple of weeks ago.


I truly can't find anything similar in the ref books.  Any ideas?



I would have asked a child to help me post the pics but in the absence of my Grandchildren, Mr F obliged 

[Steph Hen]

Probably a rather dark  Buff tailed bumblebee.