Dead bumblebees

[genwilliams]

I don't know if anyone else has noticed this... over the past month or so, I've seen lots of dead bumblebees around the Bellenden Road area. Usually just dead on the pavement or in the road. I know the weather's been pretty unpleasant of late but I see them even on drier or finer days - and would the wet weather account for them all? I saw four dead ones on Soames Street today alone (well, 3 dead ones and one that was crawling along the ground looking somewhat confused.. when I passed again an hour later, the poor little critter was dead.)

Anyone else spotted this... any idea what might be causing it? A bit of googling suggests pesticides, illnesses among a colony, even mobile phone masts...!

It's quite upsetting. I like bees.

[DulwichFox]

I found one in my living-room , not dead but very 'drowsy' ???

Took it outside and tried to feed with orange cordial. (Did not have any Honey which has worked before)

He was there for hours. but was still alive. ??? Just..

Next time he was gone. ??

So either flew off or was blown away. ??

The Bee was very small. ??

Fox.

[genwilliams]

Um.. I'm a little perplexed as to why this was moved to the lounge? I posted it on the main board because it's specific to the local area and I wondered if any gardeners around here might be able to shed some light on what's making the bees die (i.e. maybe someone's using something toxic in their garden?). If something is killing them off it's a bit worrying.

[genwilliams]

Inside the home is the only place I'd ever previously seen dead bumblebees... I guess that's why it's so weird and unsettling seeing this many of them locally. And it really does seem to be within a few streets - between the corner of Soames Street and the fork at Bellenden Road / Avondale Rise seems to be a hotspot for it, I haven't seen them anywhere else.

My bee knowledge is scant to say the least, but after a bit of googling it seems the one I saw earlier today (alive, then dead) might have been a queen - very big, black with an orangey-yellow end. Very beautiful actually, I was sorry to see it didn't survive.

DulwichFox Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I found one in my living-room , not dead but very

> 'drowsy' ???

>

> Took it outside and tried to feed with orange

> cordial. (Did not have any Honey which has worked

> before)

>

> He was there for hours. but was still alive. ???

> Just..

>

> Next time he was gone. ??

>

> So either flew off or was blown away. ??

>

> The Bee was very small. ??

>

> Fox.

[Sue]

You could try posting about this on the ED Nature Thread, which is in the gossip section.

There was some discussion on it about dead bees in East Dulwich earlier in the year.

There is a virus which is affecting bees, I think worldwide, but I have no idea whether that is what has killed the bees you saw.

I've also seen a few bees on pavements, but happily have seen many more live ones on flowers!

[lizbells6]

It could be natural death. The workers only live for about 4 weeks, so it may be the first batch from a nearby nest which mostly die off at the same time.

Could be cold weather after a warm spell or their nest flooded.

Something has attacked their nest.

For single dead bumbles, could be as above, or parasites, or bird predation, especially great tits.

[aquarius moon]

There are quite a few drowsy ones over in Nunhead too.

I've bee picking them up from the pavement & putting them somewhere safe, so they don't get trodden on.

Also seen more dead ones than usual so could be more of a widespread problem.

[genwilliams]

Good call.

It may sound...er... eccentric, but when I went out today I took a tiny pot of honey with me. And managed to save a forlorn looking honey bee! It was lying sluggishly on the pavement. I fed it a bit of honey, and watched it fly off, to buzz another day. Hurrah.

[womanofdulwich]

genwilliams- we will know you when we see you.

[genwilliams]

Haha!

I managed to avoid odd stares by pretending to retie my shoelaces when anyone walked past.

Obviously now everyone will know what I'm up to. Oh dear.

[pennymetal]

someone just sent me this thread...

the dead bumblebees you are finding are not unusual - they can die of old age, work, toxins and general pollution, mites and parasites (all bees have particular species that parasite them, plus they have to contend with cuckoo species), gorging on too much nectar from certain trees (especially non-indigenous trees), dehydration, and really hot weather.

i have been collecting dead bumblebees for the past 15 years around Peckham and i have actually noticed less dead ones this year! but we are having peculiar weather and its playing havoc with all insect species.

just a note - if you want to keep bumblebees really healthy and happy plant lots of flower-rich meadow seed and herbs - its our natural indigenous plants that bumblebees like!

[Dulwichmudlark]

If u find a bumble bees clinging to life give them a bit of. Super water or honey and watch her sping back to life well most times

[jumpinjackflash]

I gave a bee a lift to work this morning. He was sitting on my bonnet when I got in the car this morning..he got off just before the Rotherhithe tunnel. Maybe he's got a hive near Bermondsey.

[TotallyMagent]

Bees have problems in wet weather and will die pretty much whenever there's rain.