The Bees are About

The only bee I have seen this year was a big bumblebee walking across the patio. Oscar the cat went and had a look at it but then went back to sunning himself. He allows anything in our garden but foxes, dogs and other cats that he hasn't invited in.

We have had ladybirds around for about four weeks and when I come across them I put them in the greenhouse. They seem to be enjoying it in there.

 

I think it's a possibility, Alice, that your bees while probably feeding on the rotting fruit have"gone to ground" somewhere in the area. I did have some nest in a hole under a tree at the bottom of the garden some years ago and I know the Queen, when looking for a nest, will use old mouse holes and the like. I try to keep and eye on what types of bees are around. I also keep a watch for how many hoverflies there are as I think they're a good indicator of how well the garden environment is. I've spent the entire day out in the garden today pruning and shredding the result from the Buddleia's, cistus, Escallonia, and the various roses, it's amazing how much there is! Anyway, I was able to keep an eye out for insects but only saw two bee's in the air. I uncovered a lot of Ladybirds though and covered them back up again. Considering I had only got out to decide on where I was going to put some Dahlias and ended up out in the garden all day, it wasn't a bad day's work despite the weather being wall to wall cloud, temperatures of 34f, and a cold breeze!!