Hello and welcome to The Compost Bin. I'm Compostwoman and I live with my family in rural Herefordshire. We have nearly four acres of garden and woodland, all managed organically and to Permaculture principles, which we share with Chickens, Cats and assorted wildlife. We also grow a lot of our own food, run courses in all sorts of things and make a lot of compost!

I am a Master Composter and have spent more than a decade as a volunteer Community Compost adviser with Garden Organic and my local Council.
I'm a self employed Environmental Educator so I run workshops and events where I talk about compost, veg growing, chicken keeping, cooking, preserving and sustainable living. I also run crafts workshops and Forest School/outdoor play sessions in our wood.

We try to live a more self sufficient lifestyle here, as best we can, while still having a comfortable life and lots of fun.


To learn more about us click on the About Compostwoman tab and remember to click on the photos to make them full size!


Friday 21 August 2009

Amazing Bumblebee nest



We have an amazing bumble bee nest in the woodshed and while I was poorly I spent a lot of time sitting in the sunshine by the woodshed entrance, just watching these industrious insects zooming back and forth past me...a wonderful sight!

They love the flower bed next to the wood store as well.





Bumblebees, like Honey bees are under increasing threat in our modern, polluted world. They struggle to find suitable plants to feed from, they need suitable undisturbed places to nest or for the queen to overwinter and they are not finding what they need in our modern world.

So, a plea for the bee...( with apologies for my naff poetry...!)

Make space for bees,
leave corners natural,

careful when strimming,
make gardens floral,

leave plant stems standing,
don't be too tidy,

watch when you're mowing,
take time to study,

Bees are so beautiful,
gentle and busy

and if we don't help them......
our crops will be gone.



For more information on Bumblebees visit the Bumblebee Conservation Trust

5 comments:

  1. i like your poetry! And i totally agree...Bees are welcome guests here too. They like my wild, unkempt cottage garden as much as i do!

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  2. We have found a big increase of all varieties of bees this year. I'm not certain why but we have palnted a wider variety of plants this year and a large patch of wild flowers which they seem to love.

    Margaret

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  3. Wild gardens are ideal for bees and all other sorts of valuable pollinators...

    So well done both of you for bee-ing so bee friendly... :-)

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  4. I will certainly welcome bees into my garden, though perhaps be a bit more wary of them *inside*. I'd love to plant flowers to attract them into the garden next year, they give us so much in the way of acting as pollinators, and then of course the honey, and well... they need a zone of freedom too! Any thoughts on the best plants to have?

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  5. I loved this so much - I too am "messy" for this valuable ally to my life - awesome! peace for all

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Hello! Thank you for reading my blog and for commenting. I try to reply as quickly as I can and I really appreciate your interest in my life and doings here in The Compost Bin.

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