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has anyone else noticed a vast amount of bumbles this year? I'm having to rescue 2 or 3 from the house every day & there seems to be a MASSIVE population in our garden, one tree was virtually alive with them. I wondered if whereas the honeybee is struggeling the bumble might be doing better for it?

Yep - we have tons of bumbles too. I put it down to the insect oasis our garden is - but maybe it's a more general thing.

Mike

My mum's garden in Somerset was full of them including species I've never seen before - that was in April when I was there. I didn't notice any when I was at the in-laws although they have a wonderful sweet smelling front garden that you can smell from halfway down the street - you'd think that would have attracted bees - but then again, I wasn't sitting out there like I was in mum's back garden.

Here at home in France we have plenty of bees but now the clover in the lawn is flowering I've noticed it not so alive with bees as last year - but last year seemed to be exceptional - had to not mow it was crawling with bees but this year very few, although they are on other plants. Certainly plenty of bumbles about at the moment as I've noticed them on my zillions of foxgloves!

I think it's very localised - have seen very few this year, and hardly any honey bees.

oh they're all disappearing yaknow (<---- U2 lineup for the next concert)
Have been reading the local hype rag thing, apparently here in France they have introduced loads of borderline poisonous pesticides in the corn crop this year, apiculteurs have been loosing bees by the zillions in the last couple of weeks (ok slight exaggeration there, but I am listening to radio wales so...)
Then again it may bee ( ) that the bumblebees are taking over the space usually filled by honey bees in the ecosystem... does anyone else get those huge black ones? We call them B-52s here, they are HUGE!!