Bees & ladybirds activity

[compo49]

Has any one seen much signs of bees or ladybirds being active in your areas.

I am in west yorkshire and at the moment i have not seen any signs of ladybirds or groups of bees yet apart from the odd big bumble bee (queens i presume)  is it due to the bad winter we have just had.

Wasps seem to have been active in the last few weeks though at home and on the lotti with the odd cabbage butterfly . 

[compo49]

[Columbus]

Hi compo, Hi all,

Yep I have plenty of both, I suspect bees are nesting in the nooks and crannies somewhere between  my water barrels and my shed. And they are very welcome ;D

(This thread is in the wrong section  :P )

Col

[budgiebreeder]

. West Yorkshire here also.I have had quiet a lotta Bees and seen  Ladybirds about as well. So they are here.

[goodlife]

Oh...in our area (Notts)I've seen more ladybirds this year than what we've had past few years put together...and plenty of bumbles too, that I put it down to the efforts that people around here has done for sowing flower seeds for them.
I've been 'preaching' in our lottie meetings about not letting any ground going 'waste'..and letting brassicas and onions etc. to flower so to provide food sources for our bees. Other year I grew and saved loads of flower seeds..bagged it up and gave it to members in AGM so they did not have no excuse not to grow any..there were plenty for people to take home too and many did...and for friends and family.. ;D
We have even our local shopping centre taking part for the 'saving bees' stuff...I keep honeybees on the roof there.. ;D
The work is still going on..but I think we are slowly seeing benefits from the efforts..In our lottie shop we do not sell insecticides instead we started to stock more and more alternatives..like insect mesh, glues etc. If anybody wants to use chemicals they are free to do so but they have to get their 'bums in gear' and get it to themselves....I see/know very few that do so..instead here and there seem to be bird feeders dangling from the trees..and the mesh roll is nearly sold off  ;D

[Spookyville]

west yorkshire here too. Saw 1 ladybird back in April and that's it. Bees are about but far lower numbers than usual. had a bumble bee nesting in our bee box last year but nothing this year either :(

[Suzanne]

Lots of honey bees and also the buff tailed bees, and I think some of the solitaries as well like red mason bee. Also have ladybirds all over the currant bushes at the moment as they seem to be suffering from a very active aphid infestation. I am hopefully letting them sort it out for me.