WHERE ARE YOUR BUMBLEBEES, TEXAS?

It is incredibly lush and green outside at this time. And it flourishes everywhere, in all the gardens around me, in the meadows, on balconies and all along the roadside.

And the insects? Mosquitoes I have met and they love me, the ants are of course here, some flies, amounts of Junebugs, nice fat earthworms and some dead wasps. But where are the bumblebees and the bees?

Close to where we live there is a large piece of unoccupied land, where there are wild citrus trees, oaks, honeysuckle and meadows full of beautiful wildflowers. I run along there with the dogs every other day and up to this day, I haven’t seen a single bumblebee. And I don’t run very fast so that can hardly be the cause.

It is almost spooky that they are so totally absent. In our garden, there are Jasmine, Oleander and herbs that bloom. There sure should have been some nectar gathering insects there? And we haven’t used one pesticide in the garden since we moved in.

Hope it changes. I really miss those little chubby, furry, yellow and black creatures buzzing around and gargles into the flower crowns in the garden.

And I’m not sure what more I can to force them to come. I avoid pesticides and insecticides, I plant flowers with single flower crowns to simplify the nectar gathering, and I make sure to keep a small untouched plot of land without mulch where they can make nests in the ground.

Lantana. Native to TX.

Here is one Bumblebee in action outside our cottage in Sweden.

This is roadside the 290 here in Cypress.

This picture was also taken along the 290 Beltway.

Saved from the pool.

Just like those guys. Loads of Junebugs.