August 29, 2023

Where are the honeybees and other insects? Silent Summer?

I counted pollinators for the Great Southeast Pollinator Census on August 19, 2023. I didn't see a single honeybee on the Coastal Plain Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium dubium) that I watched for 15 minutes, which was highly unusual. Honeybees outnumber any other species year round in my garden. I looked around the rest of the garden, but no honeybees. I looked for fifteen to thirty minutes a day for the next nine days too, but no honeybees. Alas, I'm not exactly sure when they disappeared because they were so common that I only photograph unusual activity.

Today, I photographed every species of insect that I observed and posted them here. I saw only one individual wasp, four or five carpenter bees, and one megachile. I'll comb through other recent photos and post more to document what is here. I'll also compare what I am seeing now with the previous two years.

Our local TV station recently moved the beehives on their roof, but they are about 2.5 miles away. That doesn't explain where the wasps and native bees are. https://www.wral.com/story/bee-hives-on-wral-rooftop-take-temporary-vacation-to-country-home/21015831/

I'm concerned. If anything, I should see more activity because I'm continuing to add native plants to the garden. I see no insects on my hedge of blooming Soldago rugosa 'Fireworks' (Fireworks Goldenrod https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/134939493). One of the joys of August is to stand surrounded by Goldenrod and listen to the buzz of hundreds of insects. Suddenly, we are having a silent summer here.

Posted on August 29, 2023 01:51 AM by ejwildlife ejwildlife | 0 comments | Leave a comment

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