On Tue, 29 May 2012 16:03:37 +0100, prb wrote:

In article , lid
says...

On 29/05/2012 10:07, 'Mike' wrote:
Just heard on the radio that they are in 'short supply' and that some are
being introduced into the country????

We have dozens of them here and have had so for quite some time. Is it
because my wife is a 'flower gardener'? More interested in flowers than veg?
(In fact we have no veg this year)

Have you got Bumble Bees and where are you in the country? Is this a
zone/area thing?


I think you slightly misheard the radio announcement. It is the
short-haired bumblebee which has been reintroduced to this country. It
had been declared extinct, and has been absent of 24 years.
http://bumblebeeconservation.org/new...fter-24-years/

A friend of mine went to Chelsea this year, someone was
selling/promoting colonies of bees for gardens. Apparently these bees
do not produce honey in any great amount and are not regular swarmers,
with each colony producing about 200 bees, dying off each year and
leaving a few queens to over winter. They seem to be useful in
pollinating and generally providing a talking point in the average
garden.
Does anyone know any more about them?

There are a number of companies that sell "hives". One example is
Dragonfli (www.dragonfli.co.uk). Downside is that you're talking £70
for a "Beepol Hive" which is a cardboard and plastic affair. You then
need something to put it in. Another £130 gone. Then you have the wax
moth problem for which the solution is another tenner. So you'll be
spending over £200 for something that will last this year. Chances are
any queen left over at the end will fly off somewhere else leaving you
to clean the hive container (another fiver). And before you start you
need something for them to feed on, not just plants you want them to
pollinate.

These are bumblebees not honey bees so no "crop" for you.


Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the asylum formerly known as the
dry end of Swansea Bay.