My bee population is actually up, but note I had hardy any plants last year and this year I have over 200+.

The insect population in general seems less this year, including mosquitoes(blessing). I do have lots more Fireflies and earwigs(yuck), though.

Dean

Just yesterday I saw four different bees going from clover flower to another. I also have tons of Fireflies. It was beautiful last night with them. Showed my niece and nephew how to catch and release them.
It has been very dry here in Fort Dodge so not many mosquitoes but the ones we do have are larger than horse flies!

I've seen either two honeybees or the same one twice. The bumblebee numbers seem to be down from last year. I noticed an odd thing last year with the bumblebees--I kept finding dead ones drowned in the rain gauge. Has anyone else noticed this?

Butterfly numbers are down, too. But lots of hummingbirds!

why dont you just catch bees from other peoples yards? its much easier than waiting for them to show up.

Good AM - Even my Pear tree missed the bees that usually came to the fallen fruits ... not that I had any left to preserve, after our busy neighborhood squirrels dug up seeds of all the young fruits. My Bee visitors have never bothered me even during the bumper-crop-year of pears ... they were so drunk - around the 'Pear Pub' - fun to observe <:->I have 2 beautiful Chelone clumps, lovely scented old Hostas and a Blue Beard bush that bees love ... only a handful of visitors ... I do love & miss them!

I heard, from one of the 'Talk of IA' episodes, that experts seem to suspect the Cell Phone towers may be disorienting them ... poor guys ... a future worry for our Midwest growers <:->