jonno wrote:

Tom N wrote:
0tterbot wrote:

i haven't seen much bee activity for quite a while & i
wonder what is going on there. we've had bees out the wazoo all year
round since we came, but not lately.

I haven't been seeing many bees lately either (Melbourne). Half of
those I see are blue-banded bees (native) rather than introduced bees
(which is what we normally see). Blue-banded bees have been rare in
the past. Many of the introduced bees I see are crawling on the
ground like they are dying.

Our tomatoes have been shite (2 types of cherry and 1 roma). Fungal
problems early on, lots of flowers, not many leaves, hardly any
fruit. Tank water so no problem there.

We had plenty of nectarines so the bees must have been active in
spring.
Same here. Blue banded bees, are seen but the lavender, which usually
attracts all bees are only visited by blue banded bees (never noticed
b4) and are unfortunately seasonal types. The introduced species are
missing completely in the northern suburbs of Melbourne for sure, or
at least diminished. I wondered why I couldnt see the little beggars
earlier this year, thinking I may have killed them using dusting
powder....

Wonder what might be going on...

I saw a couple of healthy European honey bees today. Still way outnumbered
by blue banded bees (and European wasps for that matter).

Perhaps the extreme heat and lack of rain in Melbourne has been to blame.
If that is the reason, then it must be perfect weather for blue banded
bees.

I saw a story in the local paper about a house dripping honey after a bees
nest in the ceiling melted in the heat.