21 October 2019
Evaluation report
Our funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund has officially come to an end, and it’s been great to look back…
Read moreNews and articles
Keep an eye on this section to find out what the project is up to and to get tips on how to help your local bumblebee populations thrive
01 July 2019
Blooms for Bees quiz
We have developed a short quiz to test people’s bumblebee identification skills and familiarity with bumblebee-friendly garden plants. You can…
Read more
29 June 2019
Our first journal paper
The first Blooms for Bees journal paper ‘Evaluating the ability of citizen scientists to identify bumblebee (Bombus) species’ has been published in…
Read more
02 June 2019
Blooms for Bees featured in new wildlife gardening book
We are delighted that the Blooms for Bees project features in Kate Bradbury’s new book, Wildlife Gardening for everyone and everything,…
Read more
27 September 2018
The results 2017
Thank you to everyone who submitted surveys in 2017 and 2018. We received records from 599 participants, from as far…
Read more
12 April 2018
April flowers
The days are lengthening and queen bumblebees are stirring from hibernation. Here in Warwickshire, we have seen winter-active Buff-tailed Bumblebees…
Read more
13 February 2018
Steven's blog - bumblebee ID and farewell
It’s 11th January 2018 as I write this, sadly my last day of work for the Blooms for Bees project…
Read more
27 November 2017
Winter-active bumblebees
Most bumblebee activity has now ceased for the year, with just the new queens waiting in hibernation, ready to start…
Read more
02 November 2017
Steven's blog - Citizen science
In recent years, a growing number of projects and organisations have been engaging members of the public in research as…
Read more
26 October 2017
Foliar feed trial results
This summer, we have been working in partnership with Hozelock to find out whether foliar feeding can increase your container…
Read more
25 October 2017
Dahlia trial results
In spring we sent out packets of seed to citizen scientists around the country, to explore the potential of ‘Mignon…
Read more
25 September 2017
Steven's Blog - Autumn bumblebees and findings from our app so far
Well, it’s already mid-September, which means that the bulk of this year’s records have come in and we are able…
Read more
13 July 2017
Bee-friendly container plant trials
This summer, the Blooms for Bees project and our partners at The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) are investigating the use…
Read more
12 July 2017
Steven's Blog - Verifying your bumblebee surveys
This blog coincides with the four-week anniversary of me officially joining the Blooms for Bees team as their expert verifier.…
Read more05 July 2017
Hannah's blog - using the Blooms for Bees app
One of my jobs this summer is to carry out timed observations of our bee-friendly bedding plant trials using the…
Read more
27 June 2017
Foliar feeding trial fieldwork
Over the summer of 2017, we are working in partnership with Hozelock to determine whether foliar feeding can increase floral…
Read more
19 June 2017
Introducing Hannah, our intern
I’m Hannah Murphy, and I have just completed my first year as a Biological and Forensic Sciences student at Coventry…
Read more
11 June 2017
Our latest publication
In 2013 we carried out a small study with 38 Garden Organic members, to explore the potential of a public…
Read more
05 June 2017
Making liquid feeds
This summer, we are working with Hozelock to explore whether foliar feeding container grown plants can increase flowering, and the…
Read more
09 May 2017
About nasturtiums
This summer, we are working with Hozelock to explore whether foliar feeds can improve nectar and pollen provision for bees.…
Read more
02 May 2017
Using foliar feeds
Containers are a popular and versatile way to grow flowers in gardens, but as the nutrients in growing media start…
Read more
08 April 2017
Foliar feeds trial
We’re really excited about our new field trial in partnership with Hozelock. The trial is designed to determine whether foliar…
Read more
21 December 2016
Nasturtium Trial 2016
Over the summer of 2016, with the help of our student intern Giri, we conducted a trial to find out…
Read more
17 November 2016
Avoiding the temptation to tidy
As the flowers fade in the Blooms for Bees Border, they leave behind some beautiful dead stems and seed heads…
Read more
08 November 2016
Highly Commended award
We are very pleased to say that Coventry University were given a ‘Highly Commended’ award at yesterday’s #BeesNeeds event. This…
Read more
12 September 2016
Sourcing plants for the Blooms for Bees border
The Blooms for Bees flower border was designed to provide food and habitat for bumblebees and other wildlife (see Designing…
Read more
06 August 2016
Designing the Blooms for Bees border
Over the summer of 2016, Blooms for Bees installed a new flower border at Ryton Organic Gardens near Coventry. We…
Read more
30 May 2016
Welcome to the Blooms for Bees project!
Welcome to the new Blooms for Bees project website. We hope you like the site and find it both useful…
Read more