Although the word ‘stress’ is usually applied to human beings, emotionally, or to solid materials in buildings, physically, I have noticed that many articles are now referring to bees being ‘stressed’ by different things: for instance, environmental stresses; and stresses caused by transporting colonies for crop pollination as in the USA; and stresses inside the hive itself which may arise because of residual chemical contamination of their wax combs.

I began to wonder whether there is an exact meaning for this concept of bee stress. The current drought conditions which we are experiencing in Ireland are certainly bringing this question sharply into focus. It is easy to see that many of our wild flowers are under stress as they wilt and quickly go to seed; and in the garden, as we have now a total hose pipe ban for the whole of July, similar sad signs of wilting, loss of buds, and rapid fall of petals from our flowers, show that the bees must also be affected in some ways by this extraordinary summer.

Gardeners will be aware that deep-rooted plants seem best able to cope with