Butterflies

[GRIZZLY]

What's happened to all the butterflies this year?.So far this year all we've seen are 2 large whites,2 tortoiseshell,1peacock and no red admirals at all.Saw some male wall butterflies but these too have dissappeared.Normally our large collection of buddleas ,fuscias and escallonia are covered in butterflies competing with the bees for the nectar.I've also seen my bees feeding on the buddlea this year - the flowers seem smaller and shorter this year allowing the bees to reach right down the corolla of the flowes.

[madasafish]

Same here. A few in the March warm spell and now zip.

Ditto with wasps.

Lots of midges though.

[Jon]

I am starting to see more wasps checking out the apideas for any chance of easy pickings but nowhere near as big a problem as last year.

[Trog]

We're going to have to set wasp traps soon - not usually any problem at all but this year they're coming into the house and hanging around the hives.

[Bridget]

Loads of wasps and butterflies here. The dog loves to chase them. Plus a million bumblebees all spring and summer, plus a trillion midges

[gavin]

LOL! I like the logarithmic increase in insect species.

This year seems notable for the long season and high numbers of the early bumble bee, Bombus pratorum. The wee one that flits about faster than the average. Sometimes with an orangey tail but also a yellow band higher up. It is August and it is still on the wing.

Wasps seem to be such a local thing. They don't fly that far so if you have a byke near, tough luck. I have seen the odd one at my apiary but there is no sign (yet) of the huge numbers I've had some years. Thank goodness.

[Ruary]

Three Red Admiral, one tortoiseshell and one speckled wood and one green veined white, not anything compared to last year. five and six spot burnet moths are plentiful.

[Adam]

I've not seen many. However I ran past some fields recently where the field-margins have been planted with cornflower, poppies, big daisies and lots of wonderful stuff and it was literally buzzing with life. It was a good excuse to stop and watch. Put a smile on my face. :)

[Jon]

You ain't readin' the script Adam.
Get back on message and forget about your cornflowers.
Have you forgotten about the dead zone already, not to mention bee Armageddon.
If we don't act now there will be no bees alive in a few years - no sir, not a single one even in Norfolk.
Thus spake the oracle the other day in the Herald so it must be true.

[GRIZZLY]

A few more about now but still no wasps yet.

[Neils]

There's quite a few butterflies about round these parts but not much in the way of wasps. Also have only seen dragon flies once this year, they normally live around our pond in the garden but not this year it seems.

[Bridget]

Saw dragonflies today and other days as well. Don't remember seeing any other years. However other biting bugs have been rampant as well this year. I am covered and not just midge bites though I have not seen many clegs. Birch fly ( or black fly as they are known in Canada) have been rife and a really long season as well as I was bitten last week and they are usually over by July. I'm quite looking forward to a hard frost to kill all the blighters but with outside temp 22 degrees at 8pm this evening it does not look likely.

[madasafish]

Well now the total is:
2 peacocks
2 red admirals
3 commas
3 whites

and LOTS of bumbles who do not read the books.

[janesik]

Strange we've seen the first dragonflies (in 30 years) in our garden too. Fewer butterflies - bumblebees but none of our usual red tailed ones - fewer hover flies too but midge bites- I'm permanently itchy!

[lindsay s]

With all the talk about the decline of insects this year it turns out that the elephant in the room was the good old British weather. No mention of pesticides here.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19337612

[Jon]

No shedding many tears for the lack of wasps though.
Honeybees have probably fared better than many other insects which feed on pollen and nectar due to their ability to lay down stores to see them through a week or two of wet weather.
I remember reading somewhere that a bumblebee nest would never have more than a spoonful of nectar in it so they are obliged to forage all the time.

[madasafish]

I have a bumblebee nest in the ground - rescued on a "swarm" call! - doing famously on our garden's pollen/nectar rich flowers. Fascinating to watch.

Under some trees so shielded form the frequent rains...

[madasafish]

Great display today 30+ peacocks butterflies..