droughted pollinators?
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Frederick W. Schueler
May 19, 2026, 2:16:42 PMMay 19
to Eastern Ontario Natural History listserve
Everyone,
Our lawn is golden with Dandelion blooms, but just now the only
pollinator on any of them is a Polistes Paper Wasp. Yesterday at our
Duchess Apple tree, the only largish pollinator was a Polistes, with a
few small flies. Yesterday we had a medium-size solitary Bee and a
Polistes on the Dandelions.
The only Bumble Bees I've seen have been 2 on the Canada Plum blooms
about a week ago, and one road-killed in the village intersection just now.
This sure looks like last summer's drought knocked back populations of a
lot of non-Polistes species - I wonder what others are seeing?
fred.
------------------------------------------------------------
---------Frederick W. Schueler & Aleta Karstad ------------
Fragile Inheritance Natural History - https://fragileinheritance.ca/
6 St-Lawrence Street Bishops Mills, RR#2 Oxford Station, Ontario K0G 1T0
on the Smiths Falls Limestone Plain 44.87156° N 75.70095° W
------------------------------------------------------------
Our lawn is golden with Dandelion blooms, but just now the only
pollinator on any of them is a Polistes Paper Wasp. Yesterday at our
Duchess Apple tree, the only largish pollinator was a Polistes, with a
few small flies. Yesterday we had a medium-size solitary Bee and a
Polistes on the Dandelions.
The only Bumble Bees I've seen have been 2 on the Canada Plum blooms
about a week ago, and one road-killed in the village intersection just now.
This sure looks like last summer's drought knocked back populations of a
lot of non-Polistes species - I wonder what others are seeing?
fred.
------------------------------------------------------------
---------Frederick W. Schueler & Aleta Karstad ------------
Fragile Inheritance Natural History - https://fragileinheritance.ca/
6 St-Lawrence Street Bishops Mills, RR#2 Oxford Station, Ontario K0G 1T0
on the Smiths Falls Limestone Plain 44.87156° N 75.70095° W
------------------------------------------------------------
Bev Wigney
May 19, 2026, 2:21:27 PMMay 19
to natur...@googlegroups.com
fred and all,
Speaking for my area of Nova Scotia (Annapolis Valley near Annapolis Royal), I think all the insect numbers seem down, but definitely bees. Seeing a fair number of Paper Wasps around, but not much else so far. Hoping things are just late, but as you know, we had a pretty awful drought in 2025 and also 2023. There was a lot of smoke from fires, which is also believed to be detrimental to insects. Will know more as I begin photographing moths -- tonight will probably be my first night of the season to do so.
bev
Round Hill, NS
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Tana McDaniel
May 19, 2026, 2:46:45 PMMay 19
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The larger carpenter bees, Xylocopa sp, are certainly out in numbers and busy doing battle with each other or anything else that flies by.
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Fred Schueler
May 19, 2026, 8:22:35 PMMay 19
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On 5/19/2026 2:16 PM, Frederick W. Schueler wrote:
> Yesterday at our Duchess Apple tree, the only largish pollinator was a Polistes, with a few small flies.
* but just now the tree is bussing with many Bumble Bees, and there are
> Yesterday at our Duchess Apple tree, the only largish pollinator was a Polistes, with a few small flies.
many in the one blooming Apple tree across the street, so their earlier
scarcity was behavioural rather than a depleted population.
fred.
------------------------------------------------------------
Frederick W. Schueler & Aleta Karstad
Fragile Inheritance Natural History - https://fragileinheritance.ca/
2024 annual letter: https://clt1233162.bmeurl.co/11E63979
Frederick W. Schueler
Jun 3, 2026, 12:40:07 PMJun 3
to natur...@googlegroups.com
On 5/19/2026 8:22 PM, Fred Schueler wrote:
> On 5/19/2026 2:16 PM, Frederick W. Schueler wrote:
>
>> Yesterday at our Duchess Apple tree, the only largish pollinator was a Polistes, with a few small flies.
>
> but just now the tree is buzzing with many Bumble Bees, and there are
> On 5/19/2026 2:16 PM, Frederick W. Schueler wrote:
>
>> Yesterday at our Duchess Apple tree, the only largish pollinator was a Polistes, with a few small flies.
>
> many in the one blooming Apple tree across the street, so their earlier
> scarcity was behavioural rather than a depleted population.
* and here's an article on how drought affects prairie Bumble Bee
> scarcity was behavioural rather than a depleted population.
populations -
https://entomologytoday.org/2026/06/03/rangeland-drought-long-recovery-bumble-bees/
- I've really got to learn to recognize the species.
fred.
------------------------------------------------------------
---------Frederick W. Schueler & Aleta Karstad ------------
Fragile Inheritance Natural History - https://fragileinheritance.ca/
rmb...@istar.ca
Jun 3, 2026, 2:18:04 PMJun 3
to natur...@googlegroups.com
I have no way of knowing if it is last summer's drought or this year's
yo-yo weather, but there was definitely a decrease in the numbers of
moths this year. I should be keeping better records of temperatures,
but during the month of May there were many cool nights that would
only get coldly as night wore on where I didn't even bother to put the
moth lights on, and on cool nights when I did put them on there were
only one or two of the commonest moths, if any at all.
As for bumblebees, there were plenty buzzing about in the honeysuckle
and lilac bushes. Only one per day of the Canadian swallowtails where
there are usually 3 to 5, and only one red admiral per day as well. I
usually see pine elfin and spring azure butterflies in my parking
area, there were only one or two of those on the sunniest days, and
not a single photograph of these little guys was taken.
And speaking of wasps getting in the house, I am being regaled at the
windowsill by a yellow jacket. There must be a nest around here
somewhere close to the house. Let me get my new Lee Valley bug
catcher and round it up before the puppy tries to eat it.
Rose-Marie, north of Perth Road Village
>
yo-yo weather, but there was definitely a decrease in the numbers of
moths this year. I should be keeping better records of temperatures,
but during the month of May there were many cool nights that would
only get coldly as night wore on where I didn't even bother to put the
moth lights on, and on cool nights when I did put them on there were
only one or two of the commonest moths, if any at all.
As for bumblebees, there were plenty buzzing about in the honeysuckle
and lilac bushes. Only one per day of the Canadian swallowtails where
there are usually 3 to 5, and only one red admiral per day as well. I
usually see pine elfin and spring azure butterflies in my parking
area, there were only one or two of those on the sunniest days, and
not a single photograph of these little guys was taken.
And speaking of wasps getting in the house, I am being regaled at the
windowsill by a yellow jacket. There must be a nest around here
somewhere close to the house. Let me get my new Lee Valley bug
catcher and round it up before the puppy tries to eat it.
Rose-Marie, north of Perth Road Village
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