OBC
Press Release
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LADYBIRD HOUSES AND BUMBLEBEE NESTS
Ladybirds and bumblebees are not only attractive insects to have in the garden: they are useful too!
Ladybirds (ladybugs) are voracious predators of aphids and as such are invaluable bio-control agents of these major pests.
The new Ladybird House from the Oxford Bee Company provides a safe roosting place for these beneficial insects to spend cold nights and hibernate over winter.
Bumblebees, with their long tongues, are excellent pollinators of a wide range of gardens flowers and culinary herbs; they are particular allies of growers of broad and runner beans.
Through the loss of flower-rich hay meadows and destruction of nest sites, modern agriculture has produced a landscape which is not very bee-friendly. Several of our British and European species are now on the Red Data Book list of endangered species and domestic gardens now provide some of the best habitats for the common six species.
The new Bumblebee Nest Kit from the Oxford Bee Company provides just the right sort of nesting conditions for the common garden species of bumblebee.
Once again, Oxford Bee Company products empower gardeners, enabling them to play an active role not only in managing the ecology of their plots, but also to help with the conservation of beneficial insects.
Both the Ladybird House and Bumblebee Nest Kits come with full instructions and are made from environmentally friendly plastic (polypropylene) and meet all European Union standards.
Two new books from Osmia Publications complement these new products: Ladybirds by Darren Mann and Bumblebees by Christopher O'Toole, both priced at £3.95.
NEWS
UPDATE: Red Mason Bee nests
First released last year, OBC's nest kits for the Red Mason Bee, Osmia
rufa, continue to sell very well and we have had many reports from delighted
customers who have enjoyed the pleasure of watching these docile bees
act out their life cycles and pollinate their garden plants and fruit
trees.
DOWNLOAD
Conserving beneficial insects
in the garden [720KB PDF] Prints to two pages