April 01, 2012

Helping Hand


We've still not been to pick up the hedgehog, she's enjoying a bit of a lie in as the weather is expected to turn cold over the next week or so. But, in the mean time, we've been doing our bit to give some of the local wildlife a helping hand.

Since making a garden pond the local frogs have found it a place to lay spawn, not much, but I always feel a weird sort of 'parental responsibility' for any tadpoles that emerge and have been lacking in that responsibility over the last couple of years as the fish have made short work of the little wrigglers. You cannot blame the fish, all fish love tadpoles and I am sure that they gain great nourishment from them but the humble frog is becoming something of a rarity nowadays so this year I decided to get more involved. It is, of course, against the law to take frog spawn or to interfere with it but hey, sue me, I am doing this for the good of the species and not just dumping some in a jam jar to face an uncertain future.

We bought a small tank with a filter etc, filled it with pond water and placed a small dollop of the spawn in it. Within no time at all the tadpoles were moving about and hatching. Once out of their egg they digest the spawn and do very little for several days but soon, very soon in their case, there is movement and their heads form into that classic tadpole shape and the fins grow around the tail. Its years since I watched the development of juvenile frogs and the magic is as strong now as when I was a kid and we had some in school or at home.

Within a week our taddies had grown incredibly quickly seeming to double in weight day by day, when compared to those that were developing naturally in the weed at the edge of the pond, they had become monsters due no doubt to the warmer conditions and the regular meals of goldfish flake.


So there we have it, a bunch of strong, healthy tadpoles that have avoided the ravishes of greedy carp. Over the next week or two their little legs will develop then their tales will shrink until you have that most endearing of creatures, a frog in miniature. During their latter stages of development they will be returned to the pond where they will spread out and take their chances in the world and hopefully, in a year or two, we shall see more adults return and the process will continue.

Whilst I'm 'helping' the creatures of the world, here's one that we can all do but so many seem oblivious to it. Bumble bees, those great big, hairy beasties that buzz loudly and get stuck in my porch with monotonous regularity. At this time of the year they are emerging from their winter sleep to do what the birds and bees do best, the trouble is that due to their being cold blooded, the bumble bee regularly runs out of energy and becomes vulnerable, even die if it cannot get sustenance which is a shame.

Bumble bees are harmless and have no sting, sure they will buzz aggressively if you pick them up but that is all they can do. So, if you find one trapped in your house don't kill it, if it has plenty of energy then let it out of the window, pick it up if you have to. Trust me, this is not and April Fool, they have no sting (Google it if you don't believe me).


If you find one that is on the ground and is obviously lacking energy - again, don't stand on the poor thing, rescue it. I found one yesterday and simply put it onto the garden table (there was precious little sunlight yesterday) and gave it some food in the shape of a dollop of honey. Have a look at the picture, as soon as it found the honey its proboscis dipped in and it drank the lot! Suitable refreshed, another bee was saved and it is now pollenating the plants of Herefordshire, now isn't that better than squashing them?

16 comments:

  1. I remember being stung a long time ago as a child, whilst out for a days fishing/picnic with family at Runnymede and everyone till this day tells me the culprit was a Bumble bee, which I guess it could still have been if it was a female. I had no idea that the males don't sting though.

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  2. Honey bees sting but not the big fluffy bumble bees Mark - honest. I've picked loads of them up and lived to tell the tale.

    Your blog's been quiet of late mate, self enforced close season?

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    1. Alas not quite self imposed Dave, the family car has needed parts of late (which we are still waiting for), that combined with trying to gain brownie points among other things has restricted me to getting out at the moment mate, really wanting to as well.

      I must admit I had a red tailed Bumble bee in the house yesterday whilst decorating and did what I normally do, a plastic cup placed over it and a sheet of paper slid under it, if I had known otherwise I would have gladly cupped it by hand instead.

      Wasps are another matter, the amount of times I have been stung by those are countless, including accidentally piercing a nest with a bank stick a few seasons ago, I was lucky to get away with 5 stings only. That brings back some painful but amusing memories.

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    2. I'd love to have watched that little event unfold - from a distance :-) Bloody wasps, who needs 'em?

      Sorry to hear that you are grounded, hope that all gets sorted soon.

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  3. Au contraire mon ami. Bumblebee queens and workers sting with a barbless sting and therefore unlike honeybees or jaspers (pronounced waasps in somerset) can sting repeatedly! Interestingly enough, that "dollop" represents the quantity a bee produces in its whole lifetime(fact). By giving back its lifetime achievements, you have in someway insulted it and is probably sulking somewhere now and no doubt suicidal, rendering your rescue mission futile (jest). I personally like bees but can't bring myself to imbibe their vomit but happily eat eggs(!?!)
    Nice read sweetie ;-)

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    1. Okay, I stand corrected but they are extremely docile and I've picked loads of them up - perhaps they just know I'm a cool guy.

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  4. http://www.bumblebee.org/bodySting.htm

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  5. http://www.bumblebee.org/bodySting.htm

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  6. Oops! Don't ask :-)
    Male bumble bees don't are without stings, however sexing them first is tricky!

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  7. The Great Burr gets everyone stung on April 1st joke eh.

    Nice one Dave.

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    1. Its no joke Mr Twoofeverything, I posted it after 12 to cover that assumption - so there :-p

      Save the bees, I'm serious.

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  8. I think you are a cool guy, and animals sense those things. I've been stung by wasps, but never Bumbles, and so I also leave them alone too. These small worker-pollinators are so important for our ecosystem...we can all afford to suffer a few stings. :) This post made me very happy today....thanks, Dave!

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  9. The humble bumble bee, i read somewhere that there are over 250 different species of bee and most of them are solitary.

    I have seen a couple of enormous wasps recently, these things are at least 30-40mm in length and sound really pissed!

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  10. They could be queens Tom but I recall reading that there's been an influx from Europe of a larger species coming to our shores. Just stand still, they'll buzz around you, get their bearings and hopefully sod off. :-)

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  11. 19 in UK Tom, 66 in Europe.

    Dont encourage him Erin.

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