Where are the Bees hiding..missing them!

it's been so cold and wet, for bees, butterflies, etc. Gorgeous warm day today and they are all out in the garden, at last. But what a tough time they've had so far.

The Bumble Bees with the fluffy white bottoms have taken residence in my attic this year, together with two pairs of house sparrows who are feathering their nest for the second time this year.
The Bumble Bees usually vacate their home/nest in July, and are no trouble at all.

I've got loads of them on my blackberry blossom! It is a joyful sight to see and the sound of them busily collecting pollen is awesome!

Lots on the tiny flowers on my Contoneasters, I was surprised as the flowers are so small.
We have had a few people asking over the last week on local FB pages for someone to collect bee swarms from their gardens.

My sprouting broccoli went to flower (yellow flowers) and the bees loved it.

My veg patch has been very entertaining with all the varieties of bees here.

They’ve emigrated across the Tamar. Rob needs new hives.

Callistemon: Yes, I noticed yesterday that bumble bees were all over the purple flowers in my garden. I don't remember the name of flowers so I cannot identify. Wasps often seem to like a laurel which makes life interesting when I am trimming the laurel hedge.

I've rescued several from my conservatory.

My lavender isn't out yet but there are plenty of other flowering plants they seem to like.
Bees do seem to love purple flowers, Ellianne, although they love the climbing hydrangea which is white.

They're all over my purple French lavender, but they don't like the white version.
Maybe the brighter colours in the sunshine will bring them round.

It was a cold late Spring so food stocks had to last for longer. Some bees may have starved but hives also monitor their supplies and kill weaker bees to ensure the survival of the hive.

With the better weather the hives will have new queens and build back to strength and some of the old queens will swarm and make new hives.

I’ve got lots of bees, both honey bees and bumble bees, I’m in the mountains though so there’s very little arable farming here, that may be something to do with it. Unfortunately there are also plenty of wasps about, I thwarted an attempt to build a wasps nest in my shed last week.

I've seen lots of bees around. They are covering my ceanothus just now.

Me too - plenty of bumblebees but very very few honey bees. I wonder how many colonies have died over winter, from hunger, from disease...

They're all clustered all over my alliums and chives; dozens of them.