Blooms for Bees

Blooms for Bees

Tag: flowers

April flowers

The days are lengthening and queen bumblebees are stirring from hibernation. Here in Warwickshire, we have seen winter-active Buff-tailed Bumblebees for much of the winter, but the first emerging queen bumblebee we observed was a Tree Bumblebee about 4 weeks ago. This … Continue reading

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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 (though I will stay in touch with the project and continue to support Gemma and Judith in any way I … Continue reading

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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 ‘citizen scientists’. This often takes the form of activities such as, conducting experiments, completing surveys, or in the case of … Continue reading

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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 to see some of the emerging patterns (though more detailed number-crunching will take place over the winter). There is very … Continue reading

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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 of Chaenostoma (also known as bacopa or sutera) and bird’s foot trefoil as bee-friendly container plants. Many traditional bedding and container plants … Continue reading

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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. My main role is to check your photos and convert them into verified sightings that Blooms for Bees can analyse … Continue reading

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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 Blooms for Bees app. Initial bumblebee activity on the three colours of Dahlia ‘Mignon’ has not yet been as buzzy … Continue reading

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Foliar feeding trial fieldwork

Over the summer of 2017, we are working in partnership with Hozelock to determine whether foliar feeding can increase floral abundance, nectar and pollen quantity and quality, and find out whether this relates to increased bumblebee visitation.  We are growing 48 tubs … Continue reading

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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 University. Over the summer, I will be working as an intern on the Blooms for Bees project’s bedding plant trials … Continue reading

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Our latest publication

In 2013 we carried out a small study with 38 Garden Organic members, to explore the potential of a public survey to generate novel data on bumblebee foraging in gardens and allotments. The results of this study are now available … Continue reading

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About nasturtiums

This summer, we are working with Hozelock to explore whether foliar feeds can improve nectar and pollen provision for bees. For this trial we will be growing tubs of nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) and have selected the compact, non-trailing variety ‘Ladybird’. Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum … Continue reading

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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 wanted to create a flower-filled area that would provide food for bumblebees and other insect pollinators, for as much of … Continue reading

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Blooms for Bees