My garden is buzzing ...

Hi everyone

At last, some gorgeous weather with blue skies, sunshine & .... bees.  I appreciate their place in the ecosystem but like most of my family, I am allergic to them so tolerate but don't encourage them.

The visiting VizslaApollo and I were  unaware that they had colonised a bird box & while working in the garden & Apollo playing a lively game of ball, we were suddenly set upon by some bees.

He managed to escape but I had several stings in my neck as a bee got in under my hair as I was running inside.

I immediately took my prescribed anti-histamines to calm it all down & then used various methods to get out the sting (which was annoyingly far back by the neck hair so not good to see)

I applied some frozen peas to cool & calm it while the medication worked & continued with medication for several days until I felt more normal.

Some research revealed that these are tree bumblebees who fortunately do not have barbed stings with unfortunately means that they can sting multiple times ....

It appears that local bee keepers are not keen to move bumblebees who can live for around 3 months.

This is the information:

Bumblebees are not aggressive insects and are generally only interested in finding flowers. The only time when they may act defensively is if something disturbs their nest so it can be a good idea to put some sort of barrier in place a few metres from where they are nesting so that any pets or young children do not disturb the nest. Having a bumblebee nest in your garden can provide a great opportunity to teach children about these vitally important pollinators. 

Please note we do not move bumblebee nests. Generally we do not advise that people move nests unless it is absolutely necessary. Most bumblebee colonies do not survive after being relocated so it is always better to let them finish their short life-cycles rather than move their nest. 


It looks as if my gardening is going to be curtailed or I might have to get a bee keepers outfit for gardening. Bees are vital for the garden & it is advisable to have medication to hand (I have a very capable nurse for a neighbour)

I suppose it is a compliment that they find my garden appealing but I hope that when the nest dies out, they will find their next home with my neighbours.  I hope your warmer weather is going better than mine, tell all & thank you for stopping by,
Dee ~♥~