Welcome to Planet Bee

We all know that there is no Planet B (surely the most important thing that the human race now recognises), but wildlife-friendly gardens at this time of year are certainly Planet Bee. When flower borders are filled with the right kind of plants - those with nectar and pollen aplenty - bees of all sorts of species can be everywhere.

Here is one of the bee-favourite plants in my garden at the moment - the Round-headed Leek Allium sphaerocephalon.

It is a great looking plant for dotting through borders where it will gently multiple over the seasons into a mass of cerise drumsticks.

It is Teasel flowering season, too. We tend to think of it as a plant to feed Goldfinches once the seedheads have turned brown, but at this time of year the horizontal whorls of pink flowers can be great for pollinators (if surely a little painful underfoot).

However, some bees aren't quite what they seem. A number are imposters, such as this cheeky scoundrel (below).

This is one of a number of hoverflies which are bumblebee mimics. The overall shape and coloration of this one is not a bad impersonation, but those puny little antennae sticking out of the middle of its face give it away as a member of the fly family.

This is the Greater Bulb-fly. Instead of its larvae chomping on aphids (and hence getting the plaudits of gardeners), the young of this species chew their way through your prize bulbs, underground, (and so get gardeners' wrath instead).

We can't even let it off as a native insect, as it is thought to have been accidentally introduced in Victorian times.

However, there are also some true bees in gardens that hardly look like a bee at all, and here is one that looks more like a little ant.

It is TINY, less than a centimetre long. And it is no accident that is sat on the gorgeous flowers of my native Nettle-leaved Bellflowers, for the females collect nectar and pollen almost entirely from plants in the bellflower family (also known as the campanulas).

This is the Small Scissor Bee, and if you have any campanulas in your garden, native or otherwise, then there is a very good chance that you will have this bee visit, or at least if you live in the southern half of the UK.

My photograph shows a Small Scissor Bee sat still, but this is not how you will normally see them. Instead, groups of males buzz endlessly around the mouths of the flowers in a  loose swarm, indulging in a frenetic game of chase, jockeying for position, each in the hope that it is the one in the right position should a female come to visit. It is exhausting to watch!

Small Scissor Bees nest in tiny holes, such as those bored by small beetles in tree trunks. However, you can also encourage them to breed in Bee Hotels but only if you include the slimmest of tubes, such as reed stems.

It is a reminder that wildlife-friendly gardening is all about fulfilling what I call the Home Needs of different creatures. In the case of this miniature bee, it is all about providing the right holes AND the right nectar plants AND in the right area of the country. But get those right and your chances of hosting them are very high indeed.

And if you currently live a little too far north for the Small Scissor Bee, then there are still plenty of other garden bees to cater for and enjoy as you too create your own Planet Bee.