Bee Roads in the UK

[norseman]

A new initiative is being started, trialled in Yorkshire [where else ! ]. It concerns the decline of bees [ and various other flying insects in the job of pollenation ]. Intensive farming everywhere has rooted out most of the wild flowers in the countryside, leaving bees [ by that I mean all the pollinators] isolated in insect ghettos, so there can be no integration of colonies. The scheme is for farmers to plant wild flowers as borders on their arable land to facilitate passage for our flying friends. Now this is an excellent initiative which deserves our support - after all these insects pollinate most of our food crops !
Initially, there are plans for two "motorways", one north to south, and the other east to west.

On a similar tack, in my beloved dales there is an old Viking settlement called Gunnerside in Swaledale. When the Vikings first came over a thousand years back, they settled and constructed meadows beside the river to grow hay as fodder for their cattle. They also built strip fields along the south-facing side of the steep valley to grow their barley. The custom was to only cut the hay when the wild flowers had set their seed. This custom continues to this day and, during the flowering season, the meadows are a riot of colour. Just shows, the old ideas are often the best ones. :D

[norseman]

Just a notion. Most Garden Centres sell packets of wild flower seed. Why not buy a few for your next walk/drive out and scatter them in your favourite spot. Every little bit helps !

[Enya]

Great ideas! Just one thing to mention - be careful where you scatter the seeds, as they need time to 'set' in the summer and if it's a bit of land which is cut regularly, then they won't come up again the following year. Also, chose scrap, rough land - most wild flowers prefer it.

[norseman]

:D Enya, I ONLY wander the wilds, so no danger there. Been scattering wild flower seed and planting acorns for almost 10 years now. :smile:

[Kaere]

The only thing I would say to this would be to do some careful research about what you want to plant wildly like this. Not because I think it's a poor idea but... well, for example. Here where I live it is a very agriculturally active and sensitive area. Certain wildflowers and plants are very very invasive - there is a scentless chamomile here that will invade and take over a wheat field in a single growing season, essentially decimating the crop, and not just for the single season (which has further implications than just inconveniencing some farmers).

I think it's a great idea, I really do. I love the little bees and all the good things they do. I just think we need to be really aware of the entire picture around us before we go ahead and do things like this :D

[Silver]

Yes Kaere, great thinking. Maybe do the research to discover what the local bees are good at making, in demand, like here clover or orange honey and there are others, and focus on planting the most logical wildflowers for your particular area.

[Jules]

NORSEMAN!!! Gunnerside along with Glastonbury is my FAVOURITIST place on earth!!! thank you for bringing back some happy memories :).

I'm doing my bit too :) .. I heard about this on the radio a few days ago The new house I'm in has a couple of hawthorn trees at the bottom of the garden. I was going to dig them up and patio the area to put up a gazebo type thingy, but after watching the blue **** a couple of mornings ago I've decided against it. They love those trees! I'm planting daffs, crocus, snowdrops and bluebells making it into a little woodland area. Think it will be quite nice when it's done :). Hope that helps with the bees anyway. But ooo on a by note .. have you noticed the size of wasps and bees this year?? I think they've been working out with Arnie! lol

[Silver]

Hope that helps with the bees anyway. But ooo on a by note .. have you noticed the size of wasps and bees this year?? I think they've been working out with Arnie! lol

I wondered what that extra humming and buzzing was over this way...! Mystery solved~*

[Jules]

LOL SG! they're bloomin humungous!!!!!

[Silver]

I think it's to do with the climate change ~ warmer mean temps? Idk.

[Jules]

either that or all the pesticides being used?

[norseman]

Just for Jules ! photos of Gunnerside

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk267/norseman_photo/Best%20of%20-%20my%20choice/HaymeadowsGunnerside2.jpg
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk267/norseman_photo/Swaledale/Ghyll2.jpg
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk267/norseman_photo/Swaledale/Gunnerside.jpg
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk267/norseman_photo/Swaledale/GunnersidelookingbacktoReeth.jpg

Enjoy !

[norseman]

The only thing I would say to this would be to do some careful research about what you want to plant wildly like this. Not because I think it's a poor idea but... well, for example. Here where I live it is a very agriculturally active and sensitive area. Certain wildflowers and plants are very very invasive - there is a scentless chamomile here that will invade and take over a wheat field in a single growing season, essentially decimating the crop, and not just for the single season (which has further implications than just inconveniencing some farmers).

I think it's a great idea, I really do. I love the little bees and all the good things they do. I just think we need to be really aware of the entire picture around us before we go ahead and do things like this :D

Kaere, this initiative is being led by farmers !

[Jules]

Just for Jules ! photos of Gunnerside

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk267/norseman_photo/Best%20of%20-%20my%20choice/HaymeadowsGunnerside2.jpg (http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/redir.php?link=http%3A%2F%2Fi282.photobucket.com%2 Falbums%2Fkk267%2Fnorseman_photo%2FBest%2520of%252 0-%2520my%2520choice%2FHaymeadowsGunnerside2.jpg)
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk267/norseman_photo/Swaledale/Ghyll2.jpg (http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/redir.php?link=http%3A%2F%2Fi282.photobucket.com%2 Falbums%2Fkk267%2Fnorseman_photo%2FSwaledale%2FGhy ll2.jpg)
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk267/norseman_photo/Swaledale/Gunnerside.jpg (http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/redir.php?link=http%3A%2F%2Fi282.photobucket.com%2 Falbums%2Fkk267%2Fnorseman_photo%2FSwaledale%2FGun nerside.jpg)
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk267/norseman_photo/Swaledale/GunnersidelookingbacktoReeth.jpg (http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/redir.php?link=http%3A%2F%2Fi282.photobucket.com%2 Falbums%2Fkk267%2Fnorseman_photo%2FSwaledale%2FGun nersidelookingbacktoReeth.jpg)

Enjoy !
Aw you little darlin!!! ty ty ty ty ty :) ... i've set haymeadows as my desktop - hope you don't mind :hug2:

[norseman]

Serendipity - it's my desktop also :D

[Kaere]

Kaere, this initiative is being led by farmers !


Yes and that's lovely. I'm sure the farmers here would like the same thing. But completely misses my point - which was not about the initiative. I'm sure your farmers are planting a specific flower and plant and nothing that would endanger their crops or animals.

My point was that it's important to be as informed as possible about spreading flora and fauna about willy-nilly. It's the same as introducing rabbits into Australia or snake-head fish into Lake Ontario. It can mess things up if care is not taken. That was my point - that care must be taken.

[Jules]

ooohhh wow LOL .. Once I've got the house a bit straighter, and got the scanner set up (just moved and I'm upside down lol) I'll try and dig the pics out and put them on. Send me the occassional dig to remind me lol.

[mac]

I wondered what that extra humming and buzzing was over this way...! Mystery solved~*
On a different, but related, tack my wife was badly stung by bees/wasps in New Mexico last summer. Highly aggressive, small bees some of which I had to remove by hand, the rest left stingers which I also had to deal with.

15 stings in all, borderline ER, hugely painful, touch and go if she was going to be OK....No epi pen with us as she'd never been stung before and we have no idea whether she'll be likely to go anaphylactic if she's stung again.

I'm very pro bees but they attacked without provocation and I think they might have been the so-called Africanised Bees now found widely in the US.

We can only hope we're not similarly affected in future in the UK - it might change folks views if they were attacked by a swarm. :icon_frown:

[mike bike]

Now this thread has got me going !!....this week I'll go for some wild flower seeds...and I luuuuurve Bumble Bees...I think they're beautiful.

I want to plant some Poppys at the bottom of my garden...and ....(what's it's name?)...a Buddlea bush ?....the butterflies and bees can't resist this one....it's nickname (I think) is "the butterfly bush."

I'll also go into the countryside and plant some seeds there....along the verges on cycle tracks.

[Silver]

That is awful mac. Was this a recent thing? I've always been afraid of bees, my fear has gotten less as I get older, but to think we've got killer bees nearby isn't very comforting. I'm not sure of the real story behind how they came to uh be?
:D


p.s. norseman, those pictures were fantastic.

[mac]

That is awful mac. Was this a recent thing? I've always been afraid of bees, my fear has gotten less as I get older, but to think we've got killer bees nearby isn't very comforting. I'm not sure of the real story behind how they came to uh be?
:D


p.s. norseman, those pictures were fantastic.

It happened near Silver City, NM, early August 2010

This winter a Canadian friend turned up bringing us a leaflet which, I think, she'd picked up in the Tonto National Forest area warning about these 'Africanized' bees in AZ (where we were in winter)

The bees that attacked us were very small but incredibly aggressive. I rang the local forest ranger station to warn them about the high risk of attack but they weren't interested - wouldn't put up a warning notice. All there would be for other hikers was a note at the trailhead that I left on a tree warning about the bees.

Their aggression was totally unexpected and it's very scary how they'll attack without provocation. Prior to that we worked on the basis that if you don't provoke 'em you'll be fine. Not so. And you can wander into their territory without knowing and risk being attacked.

If you have any concerns any time, give bee swarms the widest berth possible I'd suggest.

[Jules]

I'm petrified of the blinding things! Although I will say they are incredibly beautiful!

Mac that's awful, you both must have been terrified. Personally if it happened to me it wouldn't have been anaphalaxis that killed me .. it would have been sheer fright!

*shivers* urghh!

[Silver]

If you have any concerns any time, give bee swarms the widest berth possible I'd suggest.

Heck, I give ONE bee a wide berth. You should see how fast I roll up my van window when I see one fly nearby.

Idk if it's universal, but if a person discovers a bee is already inside their vehicle, WoW! Now that's something to freak a person out!