We seem to have the normal number of bees. The eucalyptus trees are full of them. Ditto my flower beds. A google news search found several links.
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NYTimes 4/28/10
http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/28/whats-behind-the-honeybee-decline-perhaps-not-what-youve-heard/
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http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL33938.pdf
See link to Honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder
...snip....In September 2007, a research team that included USDA published the results of a genetic screening of CCD-affected honey bee colonies and non-CCD-affected hives.42 The only pathogen found in nearly all samples (96.1%)from CCD-affected colonies, but not in non-CCD colonies, was the Israeli acute paralysis virus(IAPV), a dicistrovirus that can be transmitted by the Varroa mite.43 USDA considers this research to have identified IAPV as a marker of CCD, since it is found in affected bees, but not to have identified IAPV as the cause of CCD; however, this research indicates there is a strong
correlation of the appearance of IAPV and CCD together.44
High levels of bacteria, viruses, and fungi have been found in the guts of the recoverable dead bees. Early evidence does suggest the possible presence of a pathogen, given that some bee colonies have recovered once their bee boxes were irradiated.
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A report that summarizes research progress on CCD can be found at http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/br/ccd/ccd_progressreport.pdf
CCD Progress Report June 2009

Here is a link that might be useful: Pathogen Loads Higher in Bee Colonies Suffering from CCD

I'm not sure if I have. Lots of bumble and carpenter bees, and the little ones, the sweat bees.

denno, I've noticed the same thing!!!!! Usually this time of year, they are everywhere...floating from clover flower to flower. I haven't seen any this year and I'm concerned.
This is a good post.
I wonder if anyone else has noticed this, and if it's only in certain areas?

I have seen no honeybees in our yard, so far, this spring. However, I have seen several native bees, mainly bumblebees, and our blueberry shrubs are now covered with small green berries, so the local bees got the job done. I am still hoping to see some honeybees, other years I have seen these as well.

Just saw a flat bed semi load heading north through Grand Island, NE today, does that count? The truck had, Kee Bee on the side of it.

I see plenty of honey bees in my yard here in Orange County, California. But I feed them year round with lavender and rosemary flowers and blossoms on my fruit trees plus whatever I am growing in my garden, plus various weeds like oxalis.

Thanks for the replies. Seems like some of the eastern areas are having the bee problems this year. Maybe they'll show up later in the season, or maybe something has changed to threaten their survival here.

I have seen numerous species of wild bees around feeding on the fruit trees and shrubs when they were in blossom and now that the dandelions are. Many bees also visiting the For Get Me Nots. I did not see any bees around the Forsythia, however.

Usually, when my apple trees are in bloom, they hum from all the honeybees that are in the blossoms. In the last two years, I have noticed the lack of humming trees. I did get a normal looking crop of apples, so I'm not worried about that, but I am concerned about the missing bees.

we have bumblebees here, but not a lot of others yet. i've read that honeybees are not native to the U.S., but hundreds of other types of pollinating bees are. maybe commercial growers depend on big hives of honeybees, but backyard gardeners should be ok.

We have lots of them all over the neighborhood, domestic and wild species.

I could be wrong but aren't most of the honeybees in California the very domesticated type shipped around the country in tractor trailers?

I doubt that 'most' would be the correct word to use, but maybe. Many orchard crops rely on heavily on rented bees, that's for sure.

There's quite a bit of work being done on creating self-pollinating varieties of important fruit and nut trees. I was told sometime recently that they've been testing self-pollinating almonds in California. That's the biggest bee crop in the country.

Honey bees and others appear to be plentiful in my neck of the woods.

I've never seen a spring with so few honeybees around. We have three beautiful cherry apple trees and normally, in full bloom, they are alive with bees. They were very few bees around this year and I wonder how this will affect our summer garden.

If you have "orchard bees", "alkali bees", "digger bees", "miner bees", and other native wild species, they usually aren't as noisy as the European import honeybees. The only time I hear them in my garden is when they are "buzz pollinating" in the tomatoes.

http://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/ic/buzzpol/buzzpol.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Buzz Pollination

Around here they were first on the crocus and then on the fruit trees.

Overall it seems like bees are in declining. Along with the amphibians rapidly declining it isn't a good sign for the ecosystems of our Earth.

Besides bees we are living in one of Earth's massive extinction periods. I have little doubt that it's caused by human exploitation of the planet.

Lots of honeybees around here. They are all over my garden.

But saw something strange this morning and I wonder if any of you can identify this insect for me?

It had a body that somewhat resembled a bee, mostly black and some yellow. The body was fuzzy like a honeybee. But the legs looked like a mosquito's legs, long and angled. It also had a very long "snout" like a mosquito's stinger only longer. And it's wings moved fast, like a hummingbird. In fact it moved like a hummingbird, hovering in place, flying backward and forward, going from flower to flower. it was visiting the yellow flowers, like the honeybees. They seem to prefer the small yellow flowers over the purple ones.

I wish I had a picture of it, but I don't.

Anyone have an inkling as to what I was looking at?

I have more than an inkling! It was one of the clear winged moth species. Some are called Hummingbird moths. There are many similar moth species, but all come from one of the hornworms.

Attached is a link to some Hummingbird Moths images. If you look up Sphinx Moth, you'll see a wider variety.

Here is a link that might be useful: Click here

Thanks rhizo!

The ones under the clearwing moth captions are exactly what I saw.

You know, I've seen a lot of polinators in my garden in the past couple of years, but this was the first time I've seen one like that.

Short on bees here too. I saw one yesterday and I've seen Bumble Bees, but the past few years it's been quite a change. Viburnum maresii just stopped flowering and so far I'm not seeing many berries forming. I usually see some. I put up a mason house this year, but so far no takers.

As an update, I have seen a very few this past week, so that's a plus. And maybe it signifies they had a problem with our more than severe winter for this area. At least I can hope they will return to normal population, and keep me company while I pick my veggies.

Havent seen a one this year...we had to rent some for a couple of weeks to help out our fruiting trees...extremely sad to have to rent bees.

I wonder if a part of the reason for scant bees in your garden has anything to do with this big hwy accident?

Whatever the reason for the low bee population, it doesn't seem to be here in SoCal. Lots of bees in my flower beds and fruit trees.

Here is a link that might be useful: 17 million bees in hwy accident

I have seen honey bees in my central mass garden. I also grow a wide variety of annuals, perennials, and shrubs with some weedy areas that provide pollen through the snow free season.

I have seen bees. They are swarming my lavender plants like mad. They love the color blue and purple and I have those colors in my yard. They seem to go for that instead of the reds, peaches, or burgundy plants.

Today was the first time I've seen a honeybee. It was buzzing around the strawberries I'm sure there must've been a few others before today but I didn't see them.

See:

http://www.bulletinofinsectology.org/pdfarticles/vol63-2010-153-160maini.pdf

Here is a link that might be useful: The puzzle of honey bee losses: a brief review

Lots of honey bees in our area......they love the lemon tree and all the other flowers in our yard.

Got plenty of white dutch clover but the honey bees are working Tulip pouplar trees right now.More bang for the buck they'll start working the clover in about two more weeks.Thats what one of the girls sunning herself at the front of my bottom board told me the other day.

Not One. I went for about 3 years without seeing a honeybee then last year there were a few and I was hoping that they were making a comeback. This year not one!

Luke

My herb bed just started blooming and it's already full of bees. Nothing unusual in my part of CO at least.

We also have lots of Honey Bees right now. They are all over the white Clovers that are growing ALL OVER our lawn that we mulched with hay last year over the new grass seed...silly us. I was told not to use hay,,,but when I needed straw, they didn't have any. Anyhow, atleast it serves a good purpose for the Honey Bees. Yay !!!

I'm in northeast Pennsylvania. The last few years we rarely saw one. We would go find one another for a "look-see" when we did because it was so rare. This spring we had numerous sightings though not at normal numbers. I haven't seen many lately but it was very encouraging.

What we don't know is whether they were here on their own or if someone is keeping a hive somewhere nearby.

In our garden, we have seen bumble bees and a few honeybees, but not in the numbers we had 5 years ago. I keep offering a chemical free garden and hope that will help. I tried a mason bee house this year but it hasn't had any occupants. I'm going to try a different kind next year.

New year same question, where are the bees? My green beans are hit and miss. one plant will have beans the next one won't. But there will be dry blossoms laying under the plant. Tomatos and peppers have fruit. Do they self-pollinate? I have lots of white clover in the yard, but only saw one bee in the whole yard. and none in the garden. I live in central Indiana. How is every one else doing this year

This year has seemed like a slight improvement for the amount of honeybees, but still seems less than a few years ago. Since I spread flowers, and grow plants that I let flower like basil, buckwheat, etc., throughout the garden, there are plenty of the other types that are doing the job, I assume.

Some here might be interested in Join The Hunt for Bees! .

Had a swarm earlier this year on my front porch--fine with me--and was unable to find anyone to help me set up a hive. Most of the swarm left and because of the drought and heatwave even my white clover looks sad. I water constantly but there is still not much for the bees though I still have many less than I did. Sad.

I've got tons of bees. Many different kinds, including honeybees. I have large gardens and grow lots of pollinator-friendly plants, neighbors have gardens, and there are several farms in the neighborhood. At least one of the farm has bee hives, which are about 1/2 mile away, and I wouldn't be surprised if they all did. Across the street is a certified organic field growing squash. There is also plenty of natural habitat in my back yard and the neighborhood for them to make nests. My town doesn't spray insecticides for mosquitoes. So conditions are good in this area to support healthy populations of bees.

Albert135, I started some nice Lemon Queen and Mammoth sunflowers, planted them, spread slug bait and Critter ridder, and then a dumb Robin pulled them all up! (Perhaps, from the Robin's point of view, this wasn't dumb?) So no bee-counting on those or sunflower seeds for me (or the birdies).

New research. "Pathogens and Insecticides: A Lethal Cocktail for Honeybees"

Here is a link that might be useful: link for above

terrene I am with you.
I do not know anyone near the farm that has tame bees, but for the last 5 years I have had honeybees & wild native bee in my garden.

I'm on the western edge of the Denver suburbs and bees were scarce early in the summer, but now with the oregano and Russian sage blooming, I have probably a thousand of them out there every day. I keep the herb bed next to my raised beds and see them flit around my veggies now and then, but man they love the flowers.

I don't know of any commercial operations around here, but we're very near open space in three directions so I'm probably seeing wild bees.

I finally saw (heard) bees today. I went to pick crookneck squash and there was such a buzz coming out from under all those leaves that I decided to wait until this evening before I stuck my head in there to see if there is any squash. Definitely making plans for flowers in with veggies next year