Summer
Pests Part 2 – How to Welcome Bees into Your Garden Safely
In 2006, bee
keepers started to notice their bee
colonies were declining. It has been known for some time that bees are
susceptible to viruses and fungi but this was something different.
This time, it’s
a mote. As a result of declining bee populations, most professional pest
controllers don’t exterminate bee colonies as standard pest control practice –
they will relocate them.
Not all bees are
honeybees but ALL bees are important pollinators of food crops, flowers and
shrubs. But they are not protected in the UK, as many people think which is why
it is important that we take steps to ensure that bees are nurtured, remaining
part of our landscape and eco-system.
Do
bees have knees?
There is an
expression, ‘the bee’s knees’ which means something is of high value. This
leads many people to assume this expression was coined because bees have knees.
Unfortunately,
it is a myth, the origin of the saying unknown because bees don’t have kneecaps
although they do have jointed legs.
What
does a bee colony look like?
In a bee colony,
there will be a single queen, thousands of female workers and when the summer
comes, hundreds of male drones. Come the winter, these males are evicted,
subsequently dying of the cold.
Bees live in a
well-ordered society. If the queen bee dies or is removed from the colony, the
nest simply falls apart from the ensuing chaos. The maximum population of a bee
colony can be up to 50,000, significantly larger than other nest building
insects. The bumblebee colony is less, with between 50 and 150 bees.
Where
do bees go at night?
We are used to
seeing furry buzzy bees bumbling about during the day, assuming that they
return to their cosy colonies for a good night’s sleep.
However,
scientists have found that bees don’t sleep, they just lay motionless to
conserve their energy. You may also find a bee doing this during the day, on a
wall or a window sill. Unless they are in danger, leave them there as they are
conserving their energy, ready to take flight to look for more pollen and sweet
nectar.
Bees will fly up
to five miles for food, although they tend to stay within a mile radius of
their colony.
How
do bees fly?
They often look
clumsy but this is part and parcel of the bee conserving energy as it searches
for food.
For example,
they don’t fly higher than they need to, only gaining altitude if there is
something in their path. They also follow designated routes when they leave the
colony, often zooming along at high speed and be surprised by a new obstacle in
their path i.e. you!
How
well do bees see?
Scientists
believe that the bee has fantastic eye sight for such a small insect, capable
of seeing a range of colours that other insects can’t but bees apparently are
red colour-blind. They can also see large amounts of ultra violet light which
means that even on a dull day, they can see well.
Why
do bees sting?
Like wasps, the
bee will sting in defence. This means when you get in the way or they feel
under threat, or when the queen wants to get rid of another queen etc.
So,
I HAVE to live with a bee colony?
No, you don’t.
If the bee colony feels under attack, a bee can deliver a nasty sting. We
always find relocation of bee nests preferable over extermination. Why not give
our expert bee team a call?
