I just came in from the yard to see if it was just me...and there it was. Where are the bees? The year in my yard ? Some solitaries while the fall sown turnips flowered, very few of the spring flowers developed pods, only one Iris. All the bushes are covered with white flowers (50 feet of 2 story bushes). NO BEES!! I should be seeing many hundreds of bees. In addition, the solitaries have almost disappeared. Is this just Virginia? What's been sprayed that I haven't heard about?

I haven't seen a honey bee yet but I've seen quite a few other species. I don't have a lot in bloom right now though. The two apiraries closest to me both had their hives decimated in the last few years. The farm we bought our Icelandic sheep from lost all their hives as well a few years back. I think she had 10, but not sure on that. Colony collapse is devastating for the bees and those bee farmers. When the financial losses were posted in the paper last year I felt so bad for them, well them and the bees.

Oh and my son did a school paper on the Varroa Destructor mite last year. There was a great documentary about it and the leading scientist who studies it. Australia is the biggest supplier of bees to California because this mite has spread to everywhere now. So you couple insecticides with this mite and the bees just don't have a chance. The bees just have so much against them right now.

I've seen two or three small bumblebees in the clover and Edward goucher abelia I have. Surprised they haven't touched my butterfly weed. Carpenter bees have been enjoying it.

It's been about a month since my initial post. Although I thought it was plenty warm by then, maybe I was wrong. It seems there are a lot more bees out now, of all sizes and shapes. Still not humming like I've noticed in the last couple of years, but things are definitely better now.

My Moringa Olieferra tree is buzzing and will do so all summer. Rosemary is buzzing too.

We have loads of bumble bees and I have see the occasional honey bee.

They are all in my yard. Walked past the Vitex this nmorning and it was loud - lots of native bees, some imported honey bees and a couple of HUGE wasp-looking things a;; snarfing the pollen and nectar.

Honey bees are more temperature sensitive than the natives, so if your morning walks aren't at the same temperature of day, not time of day, you might miss their activity.

There have been drastic declines in the numbers of many bee species recently, which is why there is a huge push for individuals, churches, schools, businesses and government organizations to pitch in to provide pesticide-free habitat for all pollinators. Someone mentioned above that very few of their flowers developed seed pods this year. The fruits and vegetables we all depend on are the seed pods of those plants. Without pollinators we won't produce the food we have become accustomed to. So, visit any number of national groups to learn more about what you can do help. I like the Xerces Society, or Monarch Watch, or Wild Ones. Happy planting.

Martha

While I'm still not seeing lots of honey bees, I have seen a few now. I'm seeing lots of other bee species. I'm pro bee conservancy, but remember that there are loads of other pollinators it's not just bees. Flies, ants, moths, hornets are just a few species that pollinate so if someone isn't getting much seed development I'd be looking for other potential issues as well such as soil deficiency.

I seen one honey bee yesterday, the first I've seen all year. Is anyone else not seeing honey bees? There are a few carpenter bees and bumbles but no honey bees. In years previous to last year there would be many. Is no one concerned about this? I am very scared for the future if people don't hurry up and realize we all need to make changes. This is crazy what we are doing to our planet. The insects and the animals that are being pushed into extinction everyday. I shutter at the thought of the future for my children, and what it will be like for their children.

I'm actually more concerned about the native bee populations. Lots of focus is put on saving European honey bees while very little attention is on the importance of native pollinators. I think there should be a healthy balance. Unfortunately, it seems like a considerable amount of the general population labels every bug, plant, animal or fungi as bad, which leads them to ask "How do I get rid of it?" Many don't seem even the slightest bit interested in said organism's purpose. That is truly sad.

We need to restore the classic birds and bees lessons back into the typical childhood repertoire (thank goodness for auto spell). And some adults need a remedial course.

Martha

I have lots of white clover blossoms all across our meadow, and normally they would be buzzing with hundreds of bees to the point where I would be reluctant to walk across. We are lucky now if we can count the number of honeybees on one hand. Also the bee balm in my perennial beds is starting to bloom, and normally this would be alive with bees of all varieties, but this afternoon when we walked down through, there was not a single bee. It really gave me a chill to see the monarda standing there, beeless. My familiar meadow suddenly seemed like a post-apocalyptic landscape.

I use no chemicals at all on my land, no pesticides or herbicides. I leave wide swaths of milkweed and other wildflowers to grow and bloom for the wildlife. I compost my own fertilizer from yard waste, tree litter, and organic food waste, and I grow all my own domestic annual flowers and vegetables from seeds. My state is rated as having a very low rate of chemical pesticide use too. So I have done all that I can to nurture the wildlife here, and it is very disturbing to see the marked absence of bees.

I'm in central Arkansas and have three backyard hives of european honey bees, but know that the early spring rains and floods kept the bees from foraging as much as they might have. Chances are good that the native pollinators were also stifled in this region during the extra heavy rains of spring. Some of the native pollinators live in the ground, which was downright swampy here. Our city does spray for mosquitoes, but the evening spraying doesn't seem to bother the bees. Bats live near my house, which means the mosquito spraying truck has to come round less often!

I see less bees this year than last hear on East coast. I think I read that this winter saw a larger decline in bees in addition to the over all decline.

I'm seeing more honey bees, though I found out my neighbor has a hive. I'm still not seeing many bumble bees or other native bees. I plan to keep expanding my pollinator plantings and encouraging others to plant things that support them.

Martha

I usually have tonnes of bumble bees and a few monarchs on my cone flowers in the front garden (near Toronto), but have only seen 1 bumblebee so far out there; haven't seen any monarchs anywhere. Not really seeing any types of bees in my yard. Wonder what happened :S

My coneflowers are nowhere near as abuzz as they were last year. I did spot a fair number of bees on the porcelain berry vine that's flowering. I have a large butterfly bush that, in seasons past, has been covered in all sorts of butterflies, not so this year. We had a very hot Spring and I wonder if that's had anything to do with it.

Now that's its warmer out (approx 30c) , i've seen 5 bees out by my cone flowers, and 3 butterflies, but still no monarchs.

I'm guessing the not so warm summer has been effecting the bees around here.