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From last year they were Sleeping Beeuties 2018 to
This year 2019 again these little kind and sweet bees have caught me unaware and when I opened
the sleeping box there were a few anxious looking faces! So up went the boxes sharpish
and they were put on top to feel the fresh air and off they flew ~ they'll be back always
to the same spot they first remember.
These are the boxes facing South in the hot sun.
Wildlife have no respect for photographers!
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Now this is definitely buzzing, @TallTrees:
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-51401315
And to top it all off, this:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1226324840149213184
Brave man!
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How fantastic @pgn
Thank you for the link, really enjoyed the read.
That man is just cool.
I will endeavor to match both stories but don't hold your breath 🥵
I have read several articles recently one study found that solitary bees were very choosy about where to set up home and took various signs into account regarding safety possible predators nearby, looking for good neighbours and neighbourhoods just like humans🤭🐝🐝🐝
Thank you for the link, really enjoyed the read.
That man is just cool.
I will endeavor to match both stories but don't hold your breath 🥵
I have read several articles recently one study found that solitary bees were very choosy about where to set up home and took various signs into account regarding safety possible predators nearby, looking for good neighbours and neighbourhoods just like humans🤭🐝🐝🐝
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Not so good news for bees... Sadly, but thought you might be interested, @TallTrees.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/24/washington-state-murder-hornet-nest-destroyed
Innovative use for dental floss, too, I thought!
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Thank you @pgn
Reading that it seems like an invasive species of Asian Hornet (Giant).
I believe we are not to escape that either.
Hornets kill bees anyway but that would be natural for the bees they have defences for that.
The other evening I saw a huge hornet flying by, looked larger than our home Hornets.
My box plants suffered with the invasion of chinese box plant moth. Dealt with them sharpish 😡
Reading that it seems like an invasive species of Asian Hornet (Giant).
I believe we are not to escape that either.
Hornets kill bees anyway but that would be natural for the bees they have defences for that.
The other evening I saw a huge hornet flying by, looked larger than our home Hornets.
My box plants suffered with the invasion of chinese box plant moth. Dealt with them sharpish 😡
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This was the clever bit, @TallTrees - dental floss and tiny radio transmitters to track down the nest - genius!
It only needs one...
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I read that too and thought ingenious - impossible to follow one of those Hornets @pgn
Seems as if WE have much to blame China for now!
Those moths I mentioned earlier invading all our Stately homes box plants topiary they devour them hundreds on the stems. Once these very old plants gone it takes years to replace. Mine are over 20years old so I was lucky to see them before they took hold, I spent several days picking them off by hand .. I enlisted helpers too because they are very hard to see.
My back was aching so sat on a stool.🥵
The females lay hundreds of eggs. It was a nightmare.
Scary what next?
Seems as if WE have much to blame China for now!
Those moths I mentioned earlier invading all our Stately homes box plants topiary they devour them hundreds on the stems. Once these very old plants gone it takes years to replace. Mine are over 20years old so I was lucky to see them before they took hold, I spent several days picking them off by hand .. I enlisted helpers too because they are very hard to see.
My back was aching so sat on a stool.🥵
The females lay hundreds of eggs. It was a nightmare.
Scary what next?
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The Box Moth, yes I looked at some photos on RHS website, looks to be voracious, @TallTrees. Glad you managed to clean your box plants, sounds like a trial though. Perhaps a spray may help next year, something that sits on the leaves of the plant but that is toxic to the caterpillars of the Box Moth when they hatch?
Thankfully, not many things go for holly, which is what we have as a hedge along our front lawn - all we have to watch out for is interlopers hacking lumps of it, with berries, off around Christmastime 
Now the ash tree at the back, well, we try to keep an eye on it for Ash Dieback Disease - it seems ok so far, but the disease is around, a nasty fungal disease... not as easy. Alas, the Emerald ash borer beetle is another critter to watch out for - and that IS yet another import from Asia!
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Yet there is nothing unfortunately, which will kill the two Leylandii we planted in our garden 45 years ago when we moved in.
New to the game, we were simply looking for plants and shrubs to fill a new build empty garden.
I've had them chopped back every 2 years and will be booking a tree surgeon to fell them before the year is out.
Oh what mistakes we make when young and green. 
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Yes @pgn I reported the box moth invader to the RHS as they are tracking them in the country. I spray now unfortunately but I have to. I clip them to stop them flowering so that bees don't use them. I also put up a pheromone trap got two moths in April. They have a long year cycle menacingly so I have to put up a new P.Trap in October as well, none so far and no Caterpillars.
Pity many of our native trees have difficulties of one thing or another. The conker tree is dying of some disease too.
We have all made the Leylandii mistake @Cleoriff
See many looking half dead brown one side green other terrible .
Waiting for planning permission to take some branches off The Pines as all have Tree preservation orders on.
So hoping to have the tree surgeon here too.
Good luck with the chopping of Leylandii..
Goodbye Leylandii and Goodbye Pine branches yipee!!
Pity many of our native trees have difficulties of one thing or another. The conker tree is dying of some disease too.
We have all made the Leylandii mistake @Cleoriff
See many looking half dead brown one side green other terrible .
Waiting for planning permission to take some branches off The Pines as all have Tree preservation orders on.
So hoping to have the tree surgeon here too.
Good luck with the chopping of Leylandii..
Goodbye Leylandii and Goodbye Pine branches yipee!!
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