Bumblebees


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	Bumble Bees

Bumble bees have been in decline for many years.
They are essential pollinators of many flowers and fruits and can be used commercially to increase yields.
Bumble bees will only string when threatened by extreme danger and are non aggressive.
True bumblebees make small nests of a few dozen cells in holes in the ground, tufts of grass or nestboxes.
Only fertilised queens survive winter to start a new nest the next year.
Colonies range from about 20 to over 200 workers.
They search for nectar and pollen from flowers.
They have hairy pollen sacks on their back legs
Like mammals, their hairy bodies keep them warm allowing them to forage earlier in the year, and earlier in the morning and at higher altitude than other bees.
Bumble bees will often nest in old mouse nests and cannot resist the smell, so the best way to attract them to a Bumble bee box is to add old mouse nesting material.


	Flowers for bumblebees

March - April

May - June


July - August Black horehound Borage Bramble Buddleia Cardoon Catmint Cornflower Delphinium Heathers Hollyhock Hyssop Knapweed Lavender Lesser burdock Marjoram Mellilot Mint Penstemon Phacelia Polemonium Purple loosestrife Red bartsia Red clover Rock-rose Sainfoin Scabious Sea Holly Snapdragons St. Johns Wort Sunflower Teasel Thistles Viper’s bugloss

	Find out more about Bumblebees and join in the nest box trial at The Bumblebee Conservation Trust



		...and find out more at.....


	You can encourage Bumble bees into your garden by planting pollen rich flowers, such as thistles and aliums and by making or buying a Bumble bee box,




		Bumble bee boxes are available to buy from our online shop




		See our full range of bug houses and attractants....


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