Kay wrote:

Seems to be suggesting that it's foodstuffs that are the problem -we
need to plant more buddleias, lavender, rosemary, heather, honeysuckle,
cornflower and foxglove.

The garden I've just left we had planted with broom, lupins, foxgloves,
spirea, lavender, cornflowers, honeysuckle and a small buddleia. There
were always large numbers of bumblebees about, at least three distinct
species. They were particularly keen on the foxgloves and lupins.

New garden has a large buddleia, a honeysuckle, lavender, spirea and
large numbers of azaleas and rhododenrons. Plus a whole pile of stuff
we haven't identified yet. It's too early to tell yet what the bees
think of it.

On a slightly different topic, there are large numbers of robins,
blackbirds, and thrushes in the new garden. The robins in particular
are very tame and come worm-hunting within a couple of feet of me when
I'm digging. They don't mind me and they don't mind the thrushes but
they fly from my husband and from the blackbirds.

Rhiannon