We have taken the message below, which is circulating on Facebook, and thought it tied in nicely with our June front cover supplied by Kevin King.
If you see a bee of any description on the floor or not flying other than on a flowering plant, it is STARVING! You can help.
We are currently well into the ‘June Gap’- the period between when spring-flowering plants stop blooming and autumn flowers start producing pollen and nectar.
You can help by mixing two parts sugar with one part water and offering the syrup to the bee. She (and they are mostly ladies) will happily drink from a teaspoon. You’ll see her little black tongue as she drinks. It will take about 10 minutes for her to convert the syrup to energy, but she will fly away if you helped her in time. The feeling you get on seeing her recovery and flight is well worth your time.
PLEASE NOTE – This is a temporary measure and is intended for ‘First Aid’ purposes only. The Bees need diversity in their diet and need to pollinate plants in their search for food. I’m not suggesting we feed sugar to Bees as a regular thing.
NO HONEY PLEASE – Disease can be spread easily from colony to colony through this practice and you will do more damage than good. White sugar and water only, please.
