I saw the Queen today

Spring is here.
I know this not only because my back lawn has a carpet of snow drops and the daffodils are coming up along the road sides, but because I saw the Queen today.

Picture from Bumble Bee Conservation site.

It is such a rare sight.
Perhaps a little sluggish in her movements, she was looking for food from the hedgerows to feed her brood.

I saved one once when it got trapped in the store-room and I found it on top of a pile of boxes. It was very weak, so I got a cup of sugar-water and a spoon, and tried to get it to drink. I put a few drops of the solution on a piece of paper and gently pushed it towards its head.
I was rewarded by seeing its proboscis emerge and so I left it alone. Shortly afterwards, I heard it buzzing as it came up through the hatch and out into the day.

Hubby and I like bees.
Last year on our walks, we found several that were ‘tired’ and so helped them to flowers so that they could feed. People may have thought it very strange to see the two of us talking to nothing in particular, finding a twig or long leaf, and carrying something to a flowering plant. Some asked what we were doing, so we explained, and on later walks, found they had been doing the same.

Unfortunately, we also found some dead bees in our garden and believe it was something to do with the farmers spraying their crops.

Bees are in decline.
The EU have insisted our farmers use certain insecticides, even though it is known they are harmful to bees.
It doesn’t make any sense.
If there are no bees, there can be no pollination.
If there’s no pollination, there will be no growth.
No growth leads to no crops.
No crops means no food.
No food leads to famine.
Famine leads to death.

Take care of the bees.
They do more for us than you think.