on 18/3/04 3:00 pm, paul_mabbott at paulmabbott@... wrote:

> I'm sure you will all be looking for something else to do in the
> summer .. A survey of the feeding and nesting habits of bumblebees is
> being organised by Rothamsted. It will entail studying for a few days
> in June your garden and a nearby 'wild' site: noting plant use and
> nesting sites. A simplified colour identification chart will be
> provided.
> Details will appear on
> www.rothamsted.bbsrc.ac.uk/pie/BumblebeeSurvey/
> This could be a very useful study since bumble bee numbers seem to be
> inclined and there is not a great deal of data from urban/suburban
> sites.
> Best wishes, Paul
>
>
>
This is a good idea, since we have already had four dead bees in our house
(three in the dining room one morning). I have no idea how they get in; our
windows are not open and the only holes we can see are vents where the
fireplaces once were, leading to the bottoms of the disused chimneys.
But I am not sure I should be very good at surveying them in the garden, and
even less good at a wild site.

Peter Pickering