This post was originally one of Chrissie’s blogs. But ‘How to Save a Bee’s Life’ is good to know for all of us – and so simple to do!
Does this Bee need First Aid?
Here at Visit Fylde Coast we’ve performed first aid on bees many times. It’s really rewarding to see them fly off after you’ve saved their life!
So what are you looking for? And what do you do?
Well if you see a bee walking very slooowly, it usually means the poor little chap is in trouble.
Now giving first aid to a bee is not as hilarious as it sounds. If they wanted the kiss of life that would be different altogether! But this is so simple and easy – anyone can do it. It’s basic first aid for wildlife and how to save a bee’s life.
How to Save a Bee’s Life
All you need to do it put some sugar on a tablespoon and add some warm water out of the kettle. Warm water simply makes the sugar dissolve better so it’s a stronger solution. Let it cool before feeding it.
It’s easiest to get the bee somewhere that’s better for your back! You need to hold the spoon for a few minutes until it’s had enough to drink. Use a piece of paper or a leaf or something to gently pick the bee up and put it on a wall. The top of a wheely bin is a perfect height.
Very gently put the spoon and water under the bees face. If it’s really dehydrated it you might need to wiggle the spoon to get it to register that there’s water there.
You should see the bee extend it’s proboscis into the water and start to suck. You can actually see it drinking like we would through a straw. The proboscis is the tool it uses to get nectar out of flowers – and make us honey.
Be patient
Don’t give up hope until you’ve given it a chance.
Give your patient a few more gentle shoves and nudges and make sure it’s facing into and has contact with the water. If there’s no response, tip the water up so that it’s head is touching the fluid to try and coax it to drink.
A thirsty little thing
Fingers crossed all of a sudden you’ll see it start sucking the fluid up. It’s a bit like watching someone siphoning petrol out of a car to look at, you really will see it sucking and sucking.
We’ve done this many times, and usually the bee will drink for 10-15 minutes. Once you can see that it is drinking you can prop the spoon up so the water is level and leave it glugging.
Eventually it will start to slow down, then clean its face, before flying off.
Bees in your Garden
It’s a real treat to watch the bees buzzing among your flowers. It also shows that you’ve got a welcoming patch where wildlife feels at home.
They’re such an important creature to mankind – so often underrated. Without them food production would be seriously affected. Without enough food people would starve.
Feed the Bees
A drop of sugar water is a brilliant tip for reviving one bee that’s obviously flagging and it’s how to save a bee’s life.
However, some people have misunderstood the instruction and left dishes of sugar water out for bees to feed on. Please don’t do that. Not only is it junk-food for bees, they will make honey which is essentially sugar water and not honey at all. It could also encourage swarms of bees to visit for the free, abundant food – and you wouldn’t want that!
The very best way to feed and attract bees to your garden is to offer a wide variety of flowers, all through the year.
When bees come out of hibernation in Spring they need food, right up to autumn. Winter flowering plants that may also help are viburnum, mahonia and hamamelis (witch hazel). Honey bees can emerge on cold sunny days to have a poo or get some water and nectar. Early emerging solitary bees also need nectar and pollen.
Simple flower shapes are best, without complicated double petal arrangements. Make your garden a haven for bees, and include an area which is wild and undisturbed where they can both nest and hibernate.
Not much of a gardener? Here’s some tips to help you to look after your plot in summer.
Make Bees at Home
In previous years we’ve had nests in our garden, which I’ve been thrilled with.
We’ve enjoyed watching them buzzing in and out collecting pollen and feeding their young. Unlike the bad tempered wasp, bees will generally avoid stinging you unless you do something to provoke them.
They quietly go around minding their own business, so they aren’t a garden threat.
Effects of the Weather
Bees are like any other creature – their wellbeing is affected by the weather.
Extremely wet weather throughout the summer period is as bad as very dry weather. When it’s wet bees are unable to go out of their hives to gather pollen as they usually do around June onwards throughout summer.
Staple crops that bees rely on, like fruit trees, can have their blossom affected by bad weather and by too much drought.
Why we need Bees
When bee populations are affected, food crops are affected.
The British Beekeepers Association says:
“Honey bees are important pollinators and we rely heavily on them for much of the food that is on our plate in one way or another. All sorts of crops are pollinated by honey bees, including fruit and many vegetables.”
Bumble and solitary bees are essential for the variety of food we eat and these are the most endangered due to changes in agriculture. Honey bees are well looked after by beekeepers and aren’t doing as badly. So we need gardens to feed all sorts of bees and get their numbers up.
Without them we only have wind-pollinated foods to eat e.g. grains, cereals and corn. There are areas in China where they have to hand pollinate fruit trees because there are so few bees left!
It’s only honey bees that produce so much honey that we can remove some for ourselves. Bumbles and solitaries only make enough for their own and offspring use.
When to Call a Beekeeper
There’s a difference between a nest and a swarm that needs to be understood.
If you have bumbles or solitaries nesting in your garden, under a shed, or in a bird box, they will leave after a few weeks if you leave them alone.
A swarm of honey bees is very recognisable as a clump of bees with some flying out to scout for a new home. They may leave after a few days when the scouts find a more suitable home.
If you think you see a swarm, go to the BBKA (British Beekeepers Association) website to find swarm collectors near you. They cannot charge for the swarm but could claim expenses – most don’t.
Finally, male bees don’t sting!
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