How’re our bees doing?
Sheila Haniszewska sent this question along for us:
Does anyone know how the bees are doing on Gabriola?
I have a large California lilac which is usually buzzing with hundreds of bees this time of year. I should have seen many yesterday, in the sun. None. Just a solitary white butterfly.
I have a friend who has noted the same decline on her California lilac.
I have heard that we have had colony collapse disorder here, as well as some vandalizing by a certain cheeky bear.
Filed in Gabriola Island,insects 6 Comments so far
6 Responses to “How’re our bees doing?”
skadhu on 12 Jun 2012 at 6:29 pm #
Our ornamental cherry and plum trees were abuzz earlier this spring.
Sal on 12 Jun 2012 at 7:28 pm #
I can only speak for myself, but my bees are doing very well. They are buzzing about everywhere. My California lilac is FULL of bumblebees, too. There is a hum as you walk by. Oddly though, my honey bees ignore the lilac, perhaps because the raspberries are blooming right now which they prefer.
As for Colony collapse disorder, I haven’t heard of any beekeepers around here getting it. I could be wrong, but its probably just hype.
Vivian on 14 Jun 2012 at 9:23 am #
Lots of bees in our yard (more than last year). They seem to prefer our other flowering plants before heading for the California Lilac.
cheryl on 15 Jun 2012 at 7:11 am #
I checked on my California Lilacs yesterday and I think I counted two bees. yet in early spring my apple, huckleberry and blueberries were just a humming. Last year my Cal Lilacs had so many bees it hurt the ears to get to close, I also heard on the news that this June is the coldest on record ever. Many farms are complaining about the lack of bees also. “Maybe the Tent Caterpillars scared them away” :o)
Gabriolan on 17 Jun 2012 at 8:55 pm #
Sal and Vivian – that bit about the bees’ preferences is very interesting. I’d love to see a list of all their favourite plants.
skadhu – maybe the bees who would otherwise be at Sheila’s lilac tree have discovered your trees, and prefer those!
Just Another Weed Patch Farm on 19 Jun 2012 at 10:07 am #
Nectar tends not to flow through to the flowers at or below 14 degrees celcius. Maybe you were observing your blooms on a less than warm day!
Also, plants release nectar at various intervals throughout the day – it is not a constant reservoir! This apparently increases their chances of pollination of the plant over a longer period versus giving it all its got in one go.
At our weed patch the mason bees fared better than last year; bumblebees are plentiful and honeybees are thriving but only with supplemental feed on less than desirable forage days.