Bee Happy's Plants for Pollinator's- Page for friendly advice,suggestions & links

Thanks Redwing, yes I understand its not as easy as it sounds, are you playing to the second wave of swifts returning home ? from my reading its the last years youngsters that arrive later than the breeders that you need to target, they don't breed the first year but look for a home to breed for the year after.

 

I've heard of Fuschia Mrs. Popple i think i have that one but its been in the garden a long time so there's no label now -and ive heard of Fuschiaberry i was tempted to get this one yet another to add i say ....but i cant find Scabious "Verdon" did you grow it from seed If its bee friendly its a ANOTHER!!! must have

 

Asian Hornet Watch
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The new app launched to help people quickly & easily report sightings of this invasive

species.

The free Asian Hornet Watch reporting app, launched last March and downloaded 6500 times already, allows people to quickly and easily report possible sightings of the invasive species and send pictures of suspect insects to experts at the National Bee Unit.
Members of the public can also report sightings by email to [email protected] with a photo or on the Great Britain Non-native Species Secretariat website.
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LINK New app to report Asian hornet sightings - GOV.UK

 

I play the cd, which lasts about an hour, starting when I've seen my first swifts of the year in early May. I play it if I see swifts around, which is the most successful as it draws them in. I also play it for an hour or two most days, obviously not if it's wet. I continue to play it until about July. Mr Redwing gets fed up listening to it!

I have a friend who has been successful. She lives in a village where they were already nesting a few houses away and they have returned to my friends house every year since. I know it can work, not always easy though.

 

Thanks for the information Redwing, hopefully you will have some luck next year ,

For anyone looking in that's not familiar with playing tunes to swifts this little read should help .
Attracting Swifts

 

Garden Bumblebees Attracting bumblebees and making artificial
bumblebee nest sites in the garden

Protecting Wildlife for the Future
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Bumblebees are insects of temperate climates. Quite different from honey bees and solitary bees, they live in small colonies of up to 200-300 and with their densely furry bodies can be active even in dull conditions. They are constantly busy in the garden, foraging for nectar and pollen, helping to pollinate flowers as they do so. Up to 25 species of bumblebee live in the UK. Many are found only in habitats such as moorland or in coastal areas; only 6 or 7 species are widespread and visit gardens. There are also 6 species of ’cuckoo’ bumblebees, that mimic other species and take over their nests. In the last 30 years, two bumblebee species are known to have become extinct in this country, and many more have suffered a marked decline.
This fact sheet suggests flowers and planting schemes to attract bumblebees, and shows how you can make special homes for them in your garden.
http://www.wildaboutgardens.org.uk/resources/leaflets/GardenBumblebees.pdf

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Here is a picture of my Swift boxes. As you can see there are two different designs. The one on the right is an old design and allows Starlings in. The new design is much better and the opening is too small for Starlings. Both came from Swift Conservation.

Swift Conservation Homepage

They are the real experts.

My setup is more basic than your link . I have conventional speakers, linked to a CD player, positioned on a window ledge near the boxes from which it blasts out.

 

Fascinating video footage



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This nest was capped with a leaf, others capped with mud,


In the next few days I will be installing a patio door, ive noticed an obstruction the needs to be moved any advice on how to safely move it, I don't like disturbing wildlife but left with no option the door needs to go in.

 

@martin-f how unfortunate :(
is there any way to test if the chrysalis is hard - if so I would wait until chrysalis is fully hardened and then very carefully cut the silk-like threads that hold it in place, being especially careful where the pad at end of abdomen is attached. Catch it in some soft tissue and very gently not touching it at all just the tissue. Then transfer to a safe place but not indoors as that would be too warm. I would use a net pop-up laundry basket

or box and keep it in a dry undercover place a branch or two of different sizes, widths upright for use when drying its wings. By the way its another Large White so your really doing your bit for nature as they are worryingly on the decline as recorded by the 2017 BIG BUTTERFLY COUNT

 

Thank you Redwing, when I do get round to setting it up I will do something similar hopefully early next year,

I do have swifts and house martins flying over my house feeding all summer,

I was told house martins used to nest two doors away after seeing them looking under the eaves why they had gone when we first moved here it was early spring next door but one was having roof work done, the birds must have moved on due to the disturbance , hopefully a little perseverance might get them back I will go and ask the neighbour if she will allow me to install here some new boxes I'm sure she will have no issue with it, lovely lady of 95 proper Yorkshire lass .

 

Thank you BH, ill check it tomorrow and move it as late as possible.

 

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@BeeHappy I have pink and blue Scabious and they flower from May through to Oct. I dead head regularly and feed liquid seaweed once or twice a month. They like sun or part shade. They are hardy but mine won't survive winters up here unless I tuck them up in fleece - think its the wind and rain more than temperature as we don't have much frost. I was going to post pictures but hubby has taken the mobile internet to work so I only have the house internet and it's just too slow
I just love Scabious, so pretty and adored by Bees and Butterflies . Attracts lots of flies too but somehow I tend not to think of them in quite the same way - especially after we pulled 9 maggots out of a baby hedgehog's ear canal and surrounding tissue that they had eaten into . River is very lucky to be alive.

I haven't been able to buy the white or burgundy Scabious up here but I did recently buy white plugs from Amazon. So far only one looks like it's interested in living but we shall see. The burgundy Scabious seeds are sold in hardware store so might have a go with them too. If you can get hold of some Scabious I don't think you will be disappointed.

 

Hi , my Eupatorium Purple Bush irresistible to Bee's and Butterfly's, it flowers from August to October and its 7ft tall. I can count 19 on this picture, everyday it is covered in BF's and bee's.