Wildlife/nests in gardens - does anybody have any?

Looks like we're going to have quite a good year for wildlife in our garden! Already, we have blackbirds, wrens, sparrows and bees building nests! As well as that, the frogs and mice are starting to wake up and peek out!

Will have to be careful with the bees though, as they're tree bees and can be a little aggressive with dogs. Dempsey got himself stung by one last year and had a big lump on the side of his face! Bless him.

Well, if he hadn't tried to catch them, he'd have been alright!!

This is Dempsey we're talking about - if it's small and it moves, it must be chased and caught!

True.

It's hilarious when he tries to catch frogs - every time they hop he looks quite shocked!

I don't think he knows what to do with them! That time when he was with you and he actually caught the frog must have been hilarious!

Yes, he quickly spit it out, though! At least the frog was ok.  

To be fair, the frog did hop into his mouth. He wouldn't have stood a chance with catching it otherwise!

We always have thrushes nesting. We get a lot of bees too and it's a worry because Gus is always running around making snapping noises with his mouth trying to catch them. I always put him indoors when he does this but I just know he's going to manage to catch one one day and then he'll be sorry. So will I be as we'll likely have to rush off to the vets.

Do you know what type of bees they are? Some are more likely to sting than others, but usually they won't sting unless the nest is attacked.

I'd keep some pet-safe antihistamine available, just in case. Piriton is a good one!

It may seem daunting, but bumble bees can actually sting more than once. The good thing about this is that they don't leave big stingers behind, so there's less chance of infection.

They are Bumble Bees Eleanor.

Ah, but which type? There are several, and some are more aggressive than others.

Caryll wrote:Ah, but which type? There are several, and some are more aggressive than others.

I have no idea!

Nor did I until we started getting them nesting in the garden. It's the tree bees that are a bit more aggressive. But they are quite similar to white tailed bumble bees.

Could you see what colour they were? Sorry for the huge amount of questions - I love bees!

If they have white tails, they could be species such as Tree bees, White-tailed Bumblebees or Buff-tailed Bumblebees. The first one can be slightly more aggressive than others, but the second and third usually keep to themselves.

My Missy is allergic to bee stings. I always have anti histamines around the house.
How did we find out: My mum was baby sitting and she got stung. She started struggling breathing, my mum got a pill down her throat and then had to give her mouth to mouth until she could breathe on her own in some manner then rushed to the vet.
I was at work panicking myself into a state and just praying!

I keep her and Sheba in a bedroom inside when I'm not at home.

Poor thing Is the antihistamine you use Benadryl?

Eleanor wrote:Could you see what colour they were? :DSorry for the huge amount of questions - I love bees!

If they have white tails, they could be species such as Tree bees, White-tailed Bumblebees or Buff-tailed Bumblebees. The first one can be slightly more aggressive than others, but the second and third usually keep to themselves.

Just from memory they don't have white tails and they are large, black and orange.

Sounds like they're possibly Red-tailed Bumblebees. I don't think they're one of the more aggressive types, but they're definitely pretty!

When I lived in the Caribbean we had huge completely black bees called 'Vovol' (that's Patois for 'flyer'.) They are about 3 times the size of our bumble bees and can be nasty. Luckily, they are solitary so you only have them one at a time and they also tend to stay high up. My friend had a really nasty sting from one once because it came into her hut and got her when she was sleeping. It looked more like an open wound than a sting.

That sounds nasty!

I don't recognise the name, but are they also called Caribbean Cicada Killers? If it's what I'm thinking of, they're one of the biggest wasp species and the females are evil little buggers! I wouldn't mess with one!

Eleanor wrote:I don't recognise the name, but are they also called Caribbean Cicada killers? If it's what I'm thinking of, they're one of the biggest wasp species and the females are evil little buggers! I wouldn't mess with one!

It could be - I only know the Patois name for them. I'm going to see if I can find a photo online to see if they are Caribbean Cicada killers or not

I have to be honest - I don't know much about them, if it is the one I'm thinking of. I do know that the females can bite and sting though!

No that's not them and I can't find a photo yet. They are massive and rotund and completely black.

Weird - no idea then!