If you go down in our woods today...

YOU WON'T FIND ANY WILD BEES' NESTS 

All gone. Dug up and smashed to bits - together with their occupants.

We had four nests along the side of the river in old tree roots. One was home to bumblebees, two housed wild bees and the last one, tiny little wood wasps. They'd been there several years, and the bumblebee one was fascinating to watch. These huge bodied insects which defy scientific logic in flying at all,  homing into  their huge, old nest.

Now they are gone. Badgers have rooted out the nests and smashed them to get at the honeycombs.
All four of them.
This overgrown rat has aquired so many 'rights' that there are none left for anything else - especially my bumblebees. Anything that chooses to live at +/- ground level is fair game for omnivourous badgers. 

Our delightful Minister of Conservation and Fisheries, Mr. Bradshaw recommends farmers protect their farms from  badgers with electric fencing. Wishful thinking when they can chomp their way through occupied and active bees' nests. 

Is there a society to protect bumblebees?
I may start one.