My Sourwood tree is the very best bumblebee magnet, outdoing any shrub or flowering perennial by a huge margin!

I had them, too - 2 big fat guys who hung around for weeks. They liked the petunias and the cucumber vine blossoms. I know 2 doesn't sound like much, but I'm in Manhattan, so was happy to see them.

I started this thread back in June and I am proud to say, there are still bumblebees taking advantage of my offerings in my yard. Agastache cana is a favorite now that they don't have hummingbirds to compete with.

The numbers have dropped off as the days have got shorter and the nights have got longer and colder. Hopefully, next year will also be a banner year for bumblebees.

For major bee attracting flowers there were swarms of of bees on Caryopteris incana (common bluebeard) that was being sold in late summer at Lowes. I had to have a couple and they really do attract a lot of bees. Also the bumbles really love our pink rhododendrons in the spring.

If you are having pollination problems, Id suggest Knox Cellars at www.knoxcellars.com they can provide native docile non-stinging orchard mason bee and osmia californic bees, and bee nesting blocks and they even have bumble bee homes. Last year we started with an orchard mason been kit and they really were fascinating and helpful to our garden. They have an extremely good pollination rate too!

The best bumblebee attractors in my yard are Indigo spires salvia, bog sage, salvia melissadora, salvia ballotiflora. They stay on them from dawn to dusk, whenever they're in bloom, which is from spring to fall here, except for melissadora, which blooms in the fall.

We have some everbearing raspberries that grow along a back-
yard fence, and these bushes are very popular with the
bumblebees. I was consistently able to find bees feeding on
the raspberry blossoms all summer and fall, 2002. They
seemed to prefer the raspberries to everything else we have
growing here.

The Carpenter bees are out already around here but no Bumble bees that I have seen yet.

Saw the first bumblebee of the season zooming across our
back yard today. We have daffodils in bloom but not much
else.

They are definately back. I've got the big yellow bumblebees (I think they are queens that are stocking up for a brood back at the nest) and I also have orange striped bumblebees. They've rediscovered the nepeta plants as well as some of the bulbs such as grape hyacinths.

Eric, it sounds like it's still a little cold up there in Wisconsin. My daffodils are all spent and so are most of my tulips.

I read recently that there's an exotic virus taking a high toll on our honeybees. Congrats on all the bumbles! They may be expanding to fill a vacating niche.

So far this spring I have seen very few bumblebees in our
yard. The winter was typically cold, but not unusual. But
we had no significant snow until March, so for most of the
winter the ground was bare. We also had significant freeze
damage to the blueberry shrubs, for the first time in 10 years.

I think some bumbles have found a home in the brushpile out in my wild/bird garden. That's ok! They've been pretty busy at the lily-of-the-valley and grape hyacinths in my front flower bed, too.

My neighbor had carpenter bees so bad she couldn't sit on her patio, they were flying around her all the time. She bought termite poison, sprayed it into the holes in her wooden deck cover, then she spray the outside of the beams. She has to spray two more times a month apart then she will fill the holes with wood putty. They are gone now, just wanted you to know it does work.

Good to know that valuable pollinators are being poisoned. The large numbers of carpenter bees, bumble bees, honeybees and the other types of bees and wasps pretty much leave me alone except for a periodic yellow jacket with an attitude.

Eric, too bad you've got fewer of them this year. Hopefully as the weather warms, there will be more of them around. I've mostly seen really big yellow bumblebees that are probably queens that over-wintered, but I'm starting to see smaller sisters showing up.

I'm glad to see so many bumble lovers here! Last year I specifically planted things that I had read they would like, from joe pye weed to monarda and a nice butterfly bush........this year I'm making sure I plant hyssop and nepeta as well. (This is all in addition to my array of other flowers!)

Saw my first bumble a while ago, but just yesterday I saw a HUGE bumblebee zipping around. Sounds like it was a queen? I don't know much about bees, except that the more the merrier......

I've actually seen a couple of bumble bees this year, which gives me hope they may be on the comeback. Over all, though, I've seen very few pollinators in general. The butterflies are late coming out. I planted an African Blue Basil this year, because the one at work last summer was constantly covered with bees (mostly honeybees). So far, I've only seen bees on my French Hollyhock. They've been ignoring my blue Basil. Go figure. I have my fingers crossed that I'll be seeing more bumble bees this year.

Sally

As a kid(back in 70s and 80s),I use to see so many different bees. But in my young adault years,I hardly see them. But now as I started growing milkweed species few years ago,I see few. I hope I will get to see more this year? I did notice bees loved the Common Milkweed. So they must really love plants that have sweet smell to them?

About a month ago my husband commented on how many bumble bees were in the bladdernut beside our deck.I said "That's good , they'll take the place of the honey bees that we no longer have."
I had a 'run-in' with bumble bees , several years ago.I was mowing a lawn where I was the 'yardman'.I moved a trash can so I could mow the spot.It had a bumble bee nest under it , and they didn't take kindly to being disturbed ! I beat a hasty retreat , over a high board fence and into the house,but not before getting stung 3 times!!
Normally they are 'non-violent'!!
I'm not afraid of them , and practically brush against them when I'm working around my flowers.

I have Anise Hyssop 'Blue Fortune' in my herb garden and last year it was COVERED with bumblebees. On any given day at any given time there were at least 1-2 dozen on there. In addition, I had probably 2 dozen yellow sulphurs on at the same time.

During the fall the bumblebees went for my New England Asters in particular.

If it's as active this year (and I think it will be) I'll try to catch a picture of it. It was gorgeous!!!

Marie

Wow... nice that so many appreciate bees. Mom always told me that they go for blue flowers, and that's held true in our yard. Our nepeta is the only blue blooming now, but last year the lemon monarda was continually covered with bumblebees. Like gardeningal, I try to share space with them... We put in a new bed up front this year, right by the sidewalk, and I couldn't resist putting in a couple of lemon monardas. Hope we don't get sued...

I too have a bumblebee haven in my yard. In addition, the last 2-3 yrs I've noticed miner bees nesting...woo hoo!!

Just wanted to let all y'all know to keep your eyes open. If you have a bumblebee haven, it won't be (urk, bad pun) long before you will get a predator or two. I happened to be in the section of my yard that is a recreated woodland a couple of years ago when I noticed what looked like a bumblebee on the leaf of an Arrowwood Viburnum. Odd, thought I, Why is this guy sitting on a leaf? So I walked closer and crouched down to look at it. AND IT TURNED ITS HEAD TO LOOK AT ME. That's when I noticed more details. legs positioned funny, wings slightly off and bumblebees don't turn their head to look at you. After abit of research, I found a reference to a Beekiller. It ambushes bumblebees or other large flying insects from above.

Never knew about that before.

Bumbles love lavendar in my garden. I have it all along the front walk right up to the front porch. It hasn't bloomed yet and it didn't do very well this winter due to the severe cold and little snow. My garden really suffered this winter with poor conditions. Plants and trees here do much better with snow cover for insulation. Hopefully when I cut away the dead lavendar stems the roots will send up more branches. It's pretty chilly today, might reach 60. Still chilly for bees. VAL

Today I noticed a juvenile bumblebee feeding on blueberry
blossoms in our yard. So it looks like there is some
reproduction going on, and the population of bees may grow.
If it ever stops raining, and warms up a bit...

I have seen a lot of bumblebees this year too. One of my Sedum Autumn Joy's decided to bloom in the spring instead of the fall and the bumblebees love the thing.

Like was mentioned already, the big fuzzy bumblebees absolutely LOVE my everbearing raspberries. They buzz all over the blossoms. Most of the blossoms are now small forming fruit, so the bees haven't been around them. I feel kinda bad! :-)

This year's favorite bumblebee flower has been penstemon palmeri. They grow about six feet high with light pink blossoms that a bumblebee fits in like a glove.

I can't believe this thread is still out there. I started it last June. It's good to see so many bumblebee lovers out there.

My bumblebees probably wish I didn't come home each day cause I like to walk by and pet them on the back when I get home from work. :)

Am finally starting to consistently find bumblebees feeding
in our yard. They are juveniles, about half size, but its
July, they have the rest of the summer to gain some weight!

The Joe-pye Weed and Agastache have been absolutely covered in Bumblebees this year.

Late in the year but the Bumblebees are still going strong. The Goldenrod is usually covered in them, plus they have been into the Butterfly bushes which are still blooming. Also into the last of the Hyssopp flowers that they love. We had lots of Borage flowers this summer which also were a magnet, plus the Scarlett Runner Beans.

I've had more bees than ever in my garden this year. Lots of big ones and I have a live oak tree that literally has hundreds of bees swarming around on it. It's been that way for about 2 months. I don't see a hive anywhere. I wonder how long they'll stick around?

Just to point out to all you bee lovers, honeybees are not native to North America...they are introduced from Europe and formally known as the European Honeybee. In some areas of the country, non-native honeybees outcompete native pollinators at plants, particularly in the desert southwest where populations of native bees have declined in part due to introduction of the honeybee. So, when you think of the honeybees as "our" honeybees, think again, they are not native and in some cases, can be bad for native bees and as a consequence, the plants they pollinate.

I am fortunate to live on the edge of the shrub steppe and notice many native bees going to my flowers this year. The bumbles really like the scabiosa (pincushion flower) and the veronica. They also like the coneflower. The little native bees really liked the coreopsis, scabiosa, and the rudbeckia.

J

I have decided that I am going to get a Winter Fragrant Bush Honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) for planting this spring. Since they are supposed to bloom very early, probably March or April around here on Long Island (I am guessing on those dates) I expect the only bees out to pollinate them will be the Bumble and Carpenter Bees.

The Catmint has just started blooming here. I have noticed less Bumblebees this spring than normal.

I have seen several bumblebees in our yard, but it's early
yet. The blueberries have just started to bloom, the
dandelions are blooming, and we have purple blooms of
creeping charlie around the lawn.

My blue salvias and penstemons are drawing in a bunch of bumblebees this year. It's good to see them. Does anyone know how many varieties there are of these bees. I've seen huge yellow and black ones, as well as smaller ones with an orange part on them. I love them all, but I wonder if there are web resources that identify different types.

If anyone in Britain has bumblebees, these are now in the decline, so you should help by preserving and providing nesting places. Some Wildlife trusts are cuurently doing bumblebee surveys. If you would like to take part, get in touch with your local wildlife trust. I have been told there is a survey /poster in this month's BBC wildlife magazine.
ps we have the orange bottomed big ones which seem to live in the cracks in our old concrete path.

I have found this article about British bumble bees on the BBC website.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/features/340feature1.shtml

Here is a link that might be useful: Bumblebee article

Dswan - Here's one website that tries to identify a species of bumblebee (Bombus spp.) from a descritpion that you enter.

From what I have gathered on other sites, there are about 50 - 60 different kinds of bumblebees in the US.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bumblebee Identification

Just noticed that you were in Utah. This site might be even more helpful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Northern Utah Bumblebees

There is a wonderful article in Birds and Blooms about
creating a bee habitat.
It suggested that you take coffee cans, (or things with like sized openings) cut straws to simulate honeycombs, bees will move into it. In hot climates be sure to provide shade if using metal cans.
Another one was to take a terra cotta planter and turn it upside down set it up on rocks so that it is lifted off the ground a bit, and put a cork in the drainage hole.
Bumblebees (I think were the species) will make a home of it in your garden.
Just be sure not to move it, they do not like their homes disturbes once they have moved in.
I too have many bee friendly plants.
Joe pye weed, many agastache's Nepta, honeysuckle, hyssop,
blackberries, raspberries, a wildflower garden and MUCH more.
Yet... I am missing my bee visitors this year, my garden has been mostly vacant of any little flying jewels, no butterflies, and no bees to speak of.
I think maybe Texas has been spraying for mosquito's too much and the insect population is suffering.
What a sad thing to see.
I think I am going to add some bee homes, even though DH's response to me was "You know I dont like things buzzing around my head all the time, but you do what you want, you never listen to me when it comes to things like this anyway" heheheh...
the funny thing is he is ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
My defense is... "Well you travel so much, you loose your right to vote" LOL...
And my 10 year old little girl is with me, WE LOVE BEES.
2 to 1 he's outvoted !!!:~)
EG

Well, I may have noticed less Bumblebees in the Spring than normal but come the warmer weather and Summer, they are everywhere. More so than usual. Of course, I have been planting more flowers, shrubs and vines in the garden for 4 years now so there is much for them to visit!

The everbearing raspberries are blooming heavily, and the local bumblebees are in heaven. Happens every summer here.

When we moved to where we live now in 99 I was lucky to see 2 or 3 bees all summer long. The numbers have been slowly rising every year and this year we have had a bee explosion! I am so jazzed. Many times I've seen up to 5 or 6 honeybees and/or bumblebees on a single plant repeated throughout the yard. In our yard they seem to prefer basil in bloom, borage, monarda, catnip, bluebeard, st. johns wort, and cilantro. The bumblebees are especially fond of the catnip. I had planned on pinching the blooms off the basil but when I saw how much the honeybees liked it I let it bloom.

I remember as a child seeing dozens of bees on a single bush. We would play a game called 'pet the bee'. Last one to get stung won.

The bees were wild about my Echinacea this year!

Well, pretty soon the crocus will be out which means it's the start of bee season!

A friend just rang to say she'd just seen two or three bumble bees (my favorite insect) flying about. Is this early or what? Mind you she has a `year-round' garden, with something blooming almost always.

[In last few days had to usher out some attic butterflies - is that early too?]

Ray D

I can't help it but the bumblebees scare me -- they seem to dive-bomb for me everytime I'm outside. I would *SO* much rather have honeybees!

I also love native bees and do a lot to attract them to my garden. The bumbles are really docile and I can mow the lawn right by the flower bed when they are foraging and they just fly around and go back to pollinating. Some of the plants that the bumbles and other native bees love are:

Globe Thistle (excellent for bumbles)
Penstemon barbatus
Monarda
Salvia 'Blue Hill'
Purple coneflower
perennial oregano
Scabiosa (pincushion flower)
Hosta
Gaillardia (Blanket flower)

This year I am planting for them and the butterflies:

Salvia nemerosa 'May Night"
Helianthus maximilian
Nepeta x Faessinii (catmint)
Salvia reptens
Hyssop officinalis
Ratibida (prairie coneflower)
Stachys macrantha
Agastache neomexicana

Should be plenty of buzzing in the yard this year!

BN

I have a Buddleja Globosa and there are cute bee's sleeping on it right now as the sun is setting. Has anyone ever heard of this or experienced it? I am wondering if they are honey bees.