"K" wrote in message
...
Charlie Pridham writes

"Alan" wrote in message
...
In message , K
wrote
Over the last few days I've found several dead or sluggish bumblebees,
in my garden and in my father's about 1/4 mile away.


No signs of anything wrong, except the sluggish ones just aren't
moving, and one of them seemed unable to move his back legs.


Was this early in the day?

If so they probably just need to warm up a bit in the sun. They can
only
fly if their flight muscle temperature is above 27 C
--
Alan
news2006 {at} amac {dot} f2s {dot} com

Intercept/pravado can also cause that, lots of people use it in their
containers and hanging baskets, when the bee visits a flower the chemical
passes to them in the nectar.
I suspect other crop spays can do similar.

It surprised me to get them in two locations, separated by about 1/4
mile. Neither I nor my neighbours us pesticides.

If I was seeing that many just with the normal level of crop spraying,
our bumblebees are in severe crisis!
--
Kay
There is also some evidence to suggest that mobile phone radiations are not
helping, they can disrupt the bees normal homing abilities and they
eventually drop exhausted to the ground. but my money's on pravado its
widely used in composts and as everyone has put up their hanging baskets and
put out their containers the bees start to suffer.
Ironic really as the exotic flowers they love.

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea