Buff tailed bumblebees

Today we had two buff tailed bumblebees feeding on our croscus flowers. These are likely to be queens. In spring the queen bumbles wake from hibernation. The first thing she needs is some nectar to give her some energy. Then once she has found a suitable nesting site she sets about collecting pollen which she will feed to her developing young.  In recent years wild pollinators have suffered declines so I love seeing these bees in our garden. Ireland has 20 native species of bumblebees, 4 of which are endangered. Last year I started to recorded what wild pollinators were visiting our garden. This year I am trying to grow more to provide food for them. They will use flowers on fruit trees (our black currants were popular last year) and vegetables such as runner beans, as well as wild and cultivated varieties of flower. It is important to provide flowers throughout the growing season so that the bees and other pollinators have a constant supply of both nectar and pollen. In addition, some bee species have short tongues and others long tongues so it is also necessary to provide a variety of plants. For more information on Irish pollinators see the following website:  ( http://pollinators.biodiversityireland.ie/ )