On 2009-07-13 17:34:46 +0100, Davy said:

Sacha wrote in
:

the RHS site seems to refer to the short tongued
bumble bee not helping with pollination:

Try as I might I cannot get the bumble bees to stick out their tongues
for long enough so I can measure them so cannot say whether our bumble
bees have short tongues.

As I wrote that I just *knew* I was courting that response. ;-)

I wonder if, next year, you could arrange for a local bee keeper to
put a hive in your garden or on your allotment?

I've got an empty hive in the garden, maybe the local beekeeper might be
willing to put a swarm in it? Someone I met who had an operational
beehive in their garden said that it was not safe to pick the runner
beans till late evening by when the bees had gone to bed ........

thanks for your thoughts,

DAvy

IME, you're at most danger of getting stung if you impede their flight
to and from the hive, which should be facing south-ish, not facing into
strong wind and rain and not under overhanging trees in deep shade.
I suppose if you happen to make contact with a bee on the beans (a
has-bean?) you might get stung but otherwise they're not too interested
in people at all. If you have a local beekeeping association they'd
probably be delighted to use the hive, providing it's been cleaned out.

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon