I spent a good few hours over the weekend, rescuing bumblebees from inside my greenhouse. They fly in through the open windows and roof vents and then crash into the glass in a desperate attempt to escape.
Most of the bumblebees out and about at the moment are queens setting up home and so every one lost is a whole colony of bumblebees gone. That has serious implications for the garden and beyond. But more than that, I can’t bear to hear their little bodies bumping against the glass and I hate anything to be affected by something I’ve done. I’ve even thought about putting netting over all the vents and windows.
Of course the dilemma is that soon the windows will be open all day and I’ll want the furry bumblebees to visit the greenhouse to pollinate the tomatoes, runner beans and strawberries languishing within the glasshouse walls.
Catching the little critters has been entertaining at best. The greenhouse apex is so tall that I can only just reach it with an extended rubber rake. I have to wait until they fly lower and try and catch them in a flowerpot and then release them outside – easier said than done.
I’ve come pretty close a couple of times to getting stung, but so far the bumblebee rescue scheme has been successful.
