Flowering trees NO Bees

[nightshade]

I went out for a haircut ( more than 8 weeks without one) I decided to walk and on the way I studied all the trees I could get to and see the sunny side of. So I looked at around a dozen trees, white, pink, blossoms for the most part, a few flies but out of the lot only three honey bees. I know its not a scientific sampling but dismaying all the same. Temperature around 20c. very slight breeze

[paulinemiller10]

I m doing quite well in my garden and have a good many bumblebees visiting Nightshade, but that's only because I have fed them for a few years, I also have quite a few honeybees as they pinch the food, but looking around Parks and small gardens I don't see any. Pauline.

[Deb London]

I worry (well just a bit ) about Forsythia. Loads of it, and not a bee in sight, ever. Beginning to wonder if it's useless for insects. Prunus incisa doing well for them. Viburnum bodnantense usually does well too.

[Matt Smith]

Find a flowering male Sallow or Pussy Willow - always good for spring bees.

[JRsbugs]

I bought a Skimmia 'Rubella' full of flower, I saw my first honey bee on 16th February on a species crocus, on 24th February I had 12 honey bees at once on the Skimmia, they were also feeding on large flowered crocus and have done since but not in numbers. My neighbour has a Mahonia in flower now which is very scented, honey bees are now visiting that. I saw a Bombus lapidarius yesterday and they usually feed on the Mahonia but so far I haven't seen them on it, of course with it not being in my garden I don't look at it for long (I have to get a Mahonia!). Also visiting Mahonia is a male Anthophora plumipes which I have also seen on Pieris japonica Forest Flame, both shrubs are also attractive to Bombus. I saw a female Anthophora plumipes 3 days ago checking out the large flowered crocus but she didn't stay, I have a couple of Pulmonaria in flower which they usually like too.