Dying and dead bees

Thu 23 Aug 2018, 14:32 (last edited on Thu 23 Aug 2018, 14:57)

I've just finished reading The Bees by Laline Paull - it's a novel about the life of a hive of bees, but is full of fascinating factual information about bees. I read about the eviction of the drones in that - and also learned that the drones die after mating. I'm just about to return it to the library so it's there if anyone else wants to borrow it.

Thu 16 Aug 2018, 08:28

Ah! Yes. Thank you Angus. I also had an informative chat with the man at Applegarth Nurseries in Chipping Norton yesterday who told me about this. Poor drones! At least now I have the reason for it. I was surprised this year because I haven't noticed them before.
Incidentally, the garden centre mentioned above (Banbury Road) has got some lovely perennials for summer planting out right now giving the plant the best chance for a good strong root next season, which was something I had not really thought about before! They are being dead-headed now, so there is time to see the flower-heads if you don't know the plant. I'm not being paid for this plug by the way.

Tue 14 Aug 2018, 21:50 (last edited on Tue 14 Aug 2018, 22:24)

I believe that, at this time of year, the (black) drones (male bees) are not admitted back into the hive as they've done their bit for the year so the workers throw them out as they'd be a drain on the stored food.. They are left to crawl away and die. That's nature!

Tue 14 Aug 2018, 18:22

Good to hear, Hannen. This is a new experience for me, I have looked after exhausted bees in the past, but I haven't seen bees behaving like this before. I've got one right now, appearing to be asleep, folded up wings, on a flowerhead, then for a moment or two clawing wildly with one limb, then managing to move slowly, unlike the normal proverbial busy bee, in fact, it is almost dead. I have never use pesticides in over 30 years but we are of course absolutely surrounded by industrial farmland employing industrial methods.

Tue 14 Aug 2018, 17:02

I had to administer sugar water to one in the living room a few weeks ago. That worked. No, in fact I've had a lot of bees and butterflies in our garden this year. However I have been deliberately planting bee friendly things e.g. Borage. And I don't use pesticides.

Tue 14 Aug 2018, 14:33

Is there anyone else finding dying and/or dead bees? It has been distressing to find what appear to be disoriented or dead bees in my garden. The bees do not respond to emergency sugar water, they seem to be battling for life but are crawling and stumbling around randomly, for some time, before they die. What is happening to these bees? Does anyone know? I have had small bumble bees and now black bees like this.