Hi BEE-Lers,

I'm not involved in beekeeping -- my involvement is that I work on the conservation of pollinators, especially native bees -- but read BEE-L discussions with interest, as they keep me informed of beekeeping and commercial pollination issues. However, I now have a question that I would like to have the combined wisdom of BEE-L's correspondents respond to...

I'm originally from England, where on several occasions I have seen the ground beneath Tilia trees (in England, known as lime or pry, in the U.S., linden or basswood) scattered with dead bees. I have seen this under both small-leaf lime (Tilia cordata) and hybrid European lime (Tilia europea). The dead bees certainly included both honey bees and bumble bees, and may have included other species. I have been told that the bees find Tilia nectar irresistible, and fall to the ground intoxicated after a feeding frenzy.

I would be interested in hearing whether this is a wide-spread phenomena. I've mentioned this to a couple of people, but don't want to be responsible for spreading misinformation if it really doesn't happen very often! Can bee keepers in England confirm that this happens? Does anyone in the U.S. know of similar occurrences here? Does any one know why this might happen? (Tilia is used in homeopathic medicines, and is thought to be a muscle relaxant.)

Your insight would be much appreciated.
    Matthew
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Matthew Shepherd
Director, Pollinator Program and Publications

The Xerces Society
4828 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97215
Tel: 503-232 6639   Fax: 503-233 6794
Email: [log in to unmask]
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The Xerces Society is an international nonprofit organization
dedicated to protecting biological diversity through the
conservation of invertebrates.
For information and membership details, see our website:
http://www.xerces.org/
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