My garden is quiet, too. I have always been proud in the amount of bees, wasps, hornets, butterfles, etc, attracted to my flower and vegetgable garden. (Even though I get stung). We are organic gardeners and I never spray pesticides. Last year we counted more than a dozen different species on my gooseneck loosetrife at the same time. This morning I saw one yellow jacket and one little white moth. I live next to a pond and I don't even have any dragon flies - in the past, there is almost always one perched on every fence post. I haven't even seen a hummingbird and I ususlly see those every day in the summer - dive bombing me if I get too close to the bee balm. We had several cases of EEE last year in our area and I know the towns sprayed last year and the state is offering free spraying for residents this year. Could this be killing off our beneficials too? I have a lot of melon plants waiting for pollenation and I especially miss my big bumble bee buddies. If you listen, you can hear them saying yum, yum yummm! in the hollyhocks. I am worried about the future. What can we do?

They are In my yard, too, but aren't a bother. I hope they are living somewhere else than your personal space. The honey bee population seems to be making a comeback, the population had declined due to a parasite that was causing colony collapse disorder.

How nice! Perhaps someone in the neighborhood has a new hive? I would be very excited to see some bees right now too because that would mean all this horrible snow would be gone and it would be about 60 degrees warmer!! ;)

Honey bees will cover every single flower on holly, making it seem alive with the hard working insects. You can hear them before you see them. YJs aren't so noisy. You should be able to easily tell a honey bee from a yellow jacket by the lack of very bright yellow and black on the bee body and that fact that bees are fuzzier. Both of these insects and many more are nectar and pollen feeders and will be found on holly, which is very attractive to all manner of pollinators, but only honeybees gather and collect nectar and pollen in order to bring back to their hives, for storage and the feeding of larvae. The relationship between bees and hollies is legendary. I would certainly hope that they are allowed to continue their work unmolested. No need to be afraid. Yes, they mind their own business, lol!