Stellaghost Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 1 hour ago, Nonimouse said: Can you get a better picture of the bees? I'm trying to identify them I can certainly try, I know one of them looks like a big bumblebee assuming this is the queen, the others are smaller and look black and orangeish regards Stephen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 @Nonimousebest I can do at the moment regards Stephen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nonimouse Posted May 24, 2022 Share Posted May 24, 2022 https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/bumblebee-species-guide/ Try this , if you have time. Bumbles bees are amazing things and seriously threatened by poorly educated do gooders trying to change farming techniques 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted May 24, 2022 Share Posted May 24, 2022 Last picture, nest totally enclosed now so going to let them get on with it They do however seem to be burrowing into the stump just above the nest either for fibres or an extension Very interesting having watched them I think they are tree bumblebees regards Stephen 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nonimouse Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 23 hours ago, Stellaghost said: Last picture, nest totally enclosed now so going to let them get on with it They do however seem to be burrowing into the stump just above the nest either for fibres or an extension Very interesting having watched them I think they are tree bumblebees regards Stephen It does look like a Bumblebee nest - they actually have little chainsaws 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 1 hour ago, Nonimouse said: It does look like a Bumblebee nest - they actually have little chainsaws Explains the noise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nonimouse Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 26 minutes ago, landroversforever said: Explains the noise! People think they are becoming rare, but it's actually that they haveswapped to electric chainsaws 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffR Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 Currently the white 110 that is in the tree (still....) has a robins nest in the heater opening on the dash, a wrens nest in the top right corner, blue tits in the engine bay, a missile thrush (not a typo...) above the chassis next to fuel tank, blackbirds in tree (thats why it is still in the tree!). The garage has angry swallows, friendly wrens, overly friendly robins all nesting with chicks. Wasps nest (Vespula germanica) removed from garage with extreme prejudice. I miss the Hornet that used to hibernate in the kitchen when I lived in Devon, was a really cool critter 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffR Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 On 5/23/2022 at 3:21 PM, Nonimouse said: Can you get a better picture of the bees? I'm trying to identify them Be careful with single individuals, some of the solitary bees very closely resemble the colonial bumble bees in terms of paternation.... I found that out the hard way... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreePointFive Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 7 hours ago, JeffR said: The garage has angry swallows, friendly wrens, overly friendly robins all nesting with chicks. Not to be too OT but I've read that Robins are not friendly at all and their propensity to get up close is actually a furious display to see us off their territory. I just like the idea we're all thinking how adorable and friendly they are while really there is nothing but a hate-filled rage with the burning intensity of a thousand (tiny) suns inside their little heads. It's the small things.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyoldgit Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 Adjusting the steering box on the '43 Jeep today I decided to give the old gal's nipples a bit of attention. As I walked over to get a fresh grease cartridge off the shelf a wee mouse scurried across the floor and disappeared under the shelf racking. Probably the great, great, great grandkid of the one that chewed through my mower wiring... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nonimouse Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 Two young blackbirds in the garage tonight - luckily I know where the nest is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 Plenty of birds (with plenty of chicks, judging by the rate they empty the feeders, though I don't know where their nests are), but as far as more invasive wildlife goes no wasp nests yet this year. I'm just at war with the rats - who are well ahead on points. They've worked out not to touch bait, seems they've now leaned to avoid traps, even when lured with suet (only thing that would get them near, and they still managed to eat it and escape more often than I caught them), and they're back in the loft. Not sure where they're getting in, I repaired the felt where they chewed through last time and blocked it up. Got a camera trap in there trying to find out... The garage smells of rats, but I think it's more then using the gully behind it as a run, no sign of them in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nonimouse Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 We have regular rat issues, I use high velocity lead poison. The we have no rats for a while. Then they come back. Repeat scenario I've only got two chickens now, so when they are gone, there will be no reason for them to come back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 I have an image of me standing in the living room, blazing away redneck style at noises from the ceiling... 😆 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallfry Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 On 5/26/2022 at 7:51 PM, ThreePointFive said: Not to be too OT but I've read that Robins are not friendly at all and their propensity to get up close is actually a furious display to see us off their territory. I just like the idea we're all thinking how adorable and friendly they are while really there is nothing but a hate-filled rage with the burning intensity of a thousand (tiny) suns inside their little heads. It's the small things.... Its really not that at all. Robins are only aggressive to their own kind and mostly during the breeding season or when food is really scarce. They get close to us when gardening because they see us as pigs, turning over the soil for them to take advantage of the easy pickings. They also recognise you if you feed them. We had a Robin here for five years that I could hand feed with grated cheese. He, or she (hard to tell the difference) would come into the lobby chirping to remind us it was feeding time. We named him Mr Cheese. Sadly gone now. He was also a beautiful singer, so loud too, I couldnt believe such a small bird could produce such volume. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 I have one that follows me around while I mow the lawn, picking up insects/ worms a few feet behind me. Very dear. Heard a black cap singing near me recently, beautiful song, and even louder than my tame Robin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffR Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 19 hours ago, Nonimouse said: We have regular rat issues, I use high velocity lead poison. The we have no rats for a while. Then they come back. Repeat scenario I've only got two chickens now, so when they are gone, there will be no reason for them to come back Poisons are awful, buggers tend to crawl somewhere very inconvenient die , then stink the place out. 25 caliber better at dispensing high (actually low)velocity lead poisoning. I have problems shooting rats these days as currently have 13 pet rats...all rescues.Not to mention 2 hamsters, 3 cats, the worlds angriest rabbit and two obligatory guinea pigs. Also 4 jackdaw chicks that came down the chimney whose parents decided we could do a better job of raising them than they could. Had the same jackdaws in the chimney for about a decade.Male has a small white flash on left wing 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffR Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 2 hours ago, Bowie69 said: I have one that follows me around while I mow the lawn, picking up insects/ worms a few feet behind me. Very dear. Heard a black cap singing near me recently, beautiful song, and even louder than my tame Robin. During lockdown counted 63 species of bird in and around my garden, ranging from Goldcrests (chicks are super cute) to Common buzzards. Have 5 species that will take food from my hands Back garden Robins, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Wrens and Chaffinch. Kind of got attached to em. Will have plenty time to get some other species tame later this year after cervical spine fusion puts me on sick for a few months.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreePointFive Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 20 hours ago, smallfry said: Its really not that at all. Robins are only aggressive to their own kind and mostly during the breeding season or when food is really scarce. They get close to us when gardening because they see us as pigs, turning over the soil for them to take advantage of the easy pickings. They also recognise you if you feed them. We had a Robin here for five years that I could hand feed with grated cheese. He, or she (hard to tell the difference) would come into the lobby chirping to remind us it was feeding time. We named him Mr Cheese. Sadly gone now. He was also a beautiful singer, so loud too, I couldnt believe such a small bird could produce such volume. Sounds like I need to fire my ornithological psychologist. Can't even remember where I read/heard/saw it so not surprised I'm wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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