We have two feral bee colonies in the reserve.
Feral bees
Buff tailed bumblebees
How do bumble bees squeeze their fat furry bodies through small spaces?
Honey bees
A honey bee foraging among late season white clover.
The Bees’ Knees
Is Marks and Spencer right to set up beehives in farms around the country?
Buff tailed bumblebees
How do bumble bees squeeze their fat furry bodies through small spaces?
Honey bees
A honey bee foraging among late season white clover.
Fascinating fact about bees
Bees carry a positive electrostatic charge.
Buff tailed bumblebees
There are an exceptional number of buff-tailed bumblebees in the park this year; a walk around the hedges of Sleeper Field on a sunny morning revealed dozens working in the blackberry blossoms and the hogweed. There is obviously at least one large and thriving nest somewhere in the southern part of the park.
Honey bees
Unlike common wasps, honey bees (Apis mellifera) don’t die at the end of the summer. The hive stores enough food for the queen and the workers to survive through the winter. .o.
Garden Bumblebee
Garden bumblebee numbers are still falling.
Swarm
One of our feral bee colonies has swarmed.
Reports and photographs of insects this week:
Bluebells
Beautiful photographs taken among the bluebells by Cheryl Cronnie.
Earth Day
April 22nd is Earth Day.
Anemone blanda… …found and photographed in the reserve last week. Anemone blanda isn’t a native species so this is a garden escape but it naturalises easily in the partial shade of woodland edges and our bees will love it. Let’s make it welcome.
A closer look at weeds
Weeds are just plants that are growing in the wrong place. Take a closer look.
Your own sensory garden
Scented plants for you and your garden’s wildlife.
Our gardens can be an important resource for wildlife.
Celandine shine Have you ever tried to photograph lesser celandine or buttercup flowers on a sunny day? The petals are so shiny, like little cups of mirrors, that the reflected sunlight flares and obscures the details of the flower; if you are trying to photograph a celandine in close up, you have to do it… Continue Reading →
On the eleventh day…
Eleven pipers piping…
Exactly HOW do our wild honey bee colonies survive the winter?
The return of neonicotinoids
Neonicotinoids are still a problem.
European hornets
There are always hornets somewhere in the reserve.
Eco-gardening
It’s time to begin eco-gardening.
A parasitic plant
A plant that is parasitising the grass in Lambrok Meadow.
Southwick Country Park Nature Reserve 