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"Researchers find "alarming" decline in bumblebees" (as well as honeybees)

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Chevette Girl

All around BAD EXAMPLE
Moderator
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Apr 27, 2010
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Ottawa, ON
When I was out this autumn picking asters, I saw very few bees compared to what I'd expect, mostly I saw honey bees but one bumblebee made it home in my bucket... and I only saw the little bumblebees this year, none of the regular-sized ones... kind of scary...
 

chams

Worker Bee
Registered Member
When I was out this autumn picking asters, I saw very few bees compared to what I'd expect, mostly I saw honey bees but one bumblebee made it home in my bucket... and I only saw the little bumblebees this year, none of the regular-sized ones... kind of scary...

Strange. A little south and east of your location, I saw a bumper crop of bumble bees, but not too many honey bees last summer.
 

Chevette Girl

All around BAD EXAMPLE
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Lifetime GotMead Patron
Apr 27, 2010
8,443
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Ottawa, ON
Strange. A little south and east of your location, I saw a bumper crop of bumble bees, but not too many honey bees last summer.

Ooh, how south and east? Metcalfe? Russell? Embrun? Casselman? or farther out like Cornwall? We're getting close to enough meadmakers in the area to think about meeting up!

OK, local gushing aside :toothy9:, my harvesting experiences have been in North Gower, which is south and a little west of Ottawa, and the only time I paid particular attention to bees this year was in October when the bees were all slow because it was getting cold and I was trying not to bring any of them home with me again. So it wasn't really a valid study, just my own biased observations this year as compared to other years when I'm picking wild grapes at that time and stumbling into all manner of honey and bumble bees - the weather was wonky this year, I barely got half a pound of grapes :( so I fermented asters instead.

The bees don't generally go after the fruits I harvest there, although this year there were 2 types of butterflies going after the windfall pears (which fell early this year) and there were some of the BIGGEST damn wasps I've ever seen harassing them. I've never seen butterflies after the pears before and I've been picking that tree over every year for the last decade.
 

chams

Worker Bee
Registered Member
Sorry, I meant south and west. ;)
Specifically, the Haliburton area and just north of Toronto. My mum's Monarda
was just covered in bumblebees this year near Toronto, and at our cottage I noticed the same thing. They love Monarda, hence the common name "Bee Balm".
Lots of bumblers, not so many honey bees.
I just got some honey from an apiary in Lafontaine, ON and he mentioned that his honey bees weren't too bad this year.
 

Chevette Girl

All around BAD EXAMPLE
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Lifetime GotMead Patron
Apr 27, 2010
8,443
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Ottawa, ON
Ah, you'll be closer to Jord then...

My mom had a lot of honeybees drinking at her little garden fountain this year, she's had the fountain in for at least five years and it's the first she's seen more than one bee there.

("Bee Balm" reminded me that my mom grows it too which reminded me about the fountain)
 

chams

Worker Bee
Registered Member
Ah, you'll be closer to Jord then...

My mom had a lot of honeybees drinking at her little garden fountain this year, she's had the fountain in for at least five years and it's the first she's seen more than one bee there.

("Bee Balm" reminded me that my mom grows it too which reminded me about the fountain)

I've been getting involved with the native plant society, and we've been planting native plants, and trying to get others to do so, in their gardens.
They attract a lot of bees and butterflies.
 
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