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Saving seed from your favourite tomatoes is a simple process and could save you money on buying seeds next year. If you grow more than one variety it's likely bees will have cross-pollinated them, so you could be growing your own brand new variety

AphidsLeaf cutter beesScale insects

with purple stripes.Pick off the adult beetles and larvae by hand and destroy.Spray with an insecticide - thiocloprid or imidacloprid - between late summer and spring. Avoid using insecticide when the plants are in flower as bees may also be killed

by seeds from its flowers (June to November) which are loved by butterflies and bees. However, it is an aggressive weed in lawns and will quickly establish itself and compete with the grass. Plant spreads by seed in late summer/autumn, restricting growth

of nectar for bees. However, once it is established in your garden it will quickly spread, causing particular problems when it appears in the lawn. Plant spreads by underground stems and seeds and produces large drought-resistant patches in lawns, so grass

It feels like spring is on its way down here in the balmy southern slopes of Bath. The daffodils are in full bud, the birds are twittering away and there are more than a few dozy bumble bees blundering about. It's bound to go horribly wrong

moments our gardens they don't last for long; like blooms that open for just one day; scent filling the air; the antics of a bee quenching its thirst on a nectar-rich flower.You just need to be there and treasure that moment. Sometimes others are around

.Types to sow now include crimson clover, fenugreek, field lupins - even broad beans. They germinate and grow quickly and reduce weed growth. Flowering varieties even attract bees and beneficial insects.Nothing could be simpler, and the green manures help break

planted in my children's plots, complete with home-made plant supports. According to my children "when the beans grow they can use the wigwams too", because "you did say that sweet peas help to encourage the bees to pollinate them".The wigwams are both

for all the bumble bees in the area. Given that they're endangered, that must be a good thing.