My husband found a tired and dying bee in the garden and we saved it, so I decided to make a short guide: How to save a tired bee. We acted fast and we gave her some honey. After reading on RSPB’s website, that, although obvious is not the best option as most honey is imported and can have a negative impact on them. A sugary drink made out of 2 parts sugar and 1 part water is a better alternative.
The bee my husband found was very tired, she wasn’t able to stand properly and a few times she was belly up. It was distressing to see her like that. We brought it in the kitchen and gave her honey. I covered the place with a big transparent plastic bowl, that I use for storing food. I didn’t want her to try to fly and end up on the floor.
She drank some honey and was moving around in circles, turning belly up and recovering. I kept her in the kitchen for a couple of hours, checking on her. When the temperature in the conservatory wasn’t as high as it was when hubby found her, I moved her there. I kept the bowl on top as I didn’t want her to fly too soon and end up in the garden. We have a couple of insect-eating birds that come in our garden, a magpies, and a blackbirds. I wanted to protect the bee. I’m not sure if they would eat a bee, but I didn’t want to take any chances. That was the main reason I got her in the house and I didn’t let her stay in the garden. It was hot too and I wasn’t sure it’s good for her.
After moving her in the conservatory, she had another drink. Then she slept for another couple of hours.
I closed the French doors to the living room, I opened both doors to the garden and I lifted the bowl. She stood there for a while. We went out with the dog for his afternoon walk. When we got home we saw that she wasn’t there, so she was able to fly. I was so happy.
So, if you find a tired bee, there are some simple steps to follow:
1. Put the bee in a safe place
2. Give her a sugary drink (1 part water and 2 parts sugar)
3. Leave her to rest for as long as she needs it
4. Make sure she can fly away when she is ready and able to do so
Bees are vital for pollination, due to loss of habitat they need our help in this kind of situation.
Its nice to see so many people doing so much for even the smallest creatures, maybe mankind is not so bad
What a brilliant thing to do! I will definitely do this the next time we get a tired bee in the garden – we seem to get quite a few of them at the moment.
Great that you saved the bee and so good to know what to do when you find a bee in distress
Oh wow! This is amazing! That’s so kind of you guys to do and these are some fab knowledge I never thought I’d gain… Thanks!
Oliver
Oh well done!!!!! It’s good you took the time to help!
Thank you for posting about this. It is vital we look after the bees.
Bees are absolutely vital to our survival – I love the lengths you went to to save her. Well done you. Thank you for sharing the tips too. Kaz x
I used to hate bees until I went to the south of Spain as a part of my degree and visited greenhouses where bees were used to remove any pests. It’s a much more natural solution than using chemical pesticides. Since then I’ve thought of bees in a different light and now I’m trying to make a garden as attractive to bees as possible. Save the bees!
Aww, I had no idea the bees can be used to remove pests, that makes them even more important.
Wow so thoughtful of you to save a bee. Many won’t think of doing so.
People really do underestimate the importance of Bee’s in society and I too have done something similar with bee’s and it is something we can all learn!
That’s so nice that you saved the bee, more people should be saving animals which provide so much for us x