Probably Osmia leaiana or a ‘pesto bee!’ A medium sized summer bee which has a bright orange pollen collecting brush (scopa) on her underside abdomen. It is also known as the Orange-vented Mason bee. As she does not use pieces of leaf (Leafcutter bee) or...
Join the Soil Association and help protect the skin of our earth! Some time ago I had the great pleasure of teaching school children in Liverpool about organic and wildlife gardening on an allotment site. Alas after a for a few short years the funding ran out! We grew...
Death in the organic lavender bed at Ryton Gardens The Bee Festival, part of the Blooms for Bees campaign, which I attended this weekend was, for me, a resounding success. It was great to be surrounded by people that liked and were engaged in wild bees. I had scores...
Neonicotinoids, a new inadvertent contraceptive for bees? Not only may neonicotinoids be the new DDT, researchers have already found that neonicotinoids can reduce bumblebee queen reproduction by 85%! And now the latest research (see below) shows that neonicotinoids...
Gasteruption jaculator solitary wasp checks out my nest boxes This is a presumed Gasteruption jaculator solitary wasp. What a great name, I wonder what it is based upon? Its another new species I have noticed in the garden since I had my boring lawn ripped out and a...
Bee Festival Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st July 2016 With all these free activities and lectures, at Ryton Organic Gardens, if you do manage to get a minute, come and meet me at my stall with my Nurturing Nature award winning bee boxes!! Activities Free talks, walks...
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