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, this male keeps trying to stab me with the end of his tail in mock attack. The males don’t last long, after mating they and the last remaining workers die, leaving just the fertilized queens to live through winter, hibernating under loose bark, in log piles

to be any. I'm wondering whether this species has a safety pheromone or not. My pictures show them settled on dead leaves and stems. These are unlikely to be around for another year, so maybe this species finds new hibernation sites from scratch each year.

. They will not last long though. In the next few weeks they will all die off, except for those newly mated queens. These seek out dry hibernation sites in dead wood, loose tree bark, dry stone walls or lofts, pull their wings tight to their bodies and turn off

.Sometimes regarded as a minor nuisance, they buzz lazily about the house when they awake from hibernation, but unlike blowflies and houseflies, they are not attracted to food and are not implicated in the spread of diseases. Gilbert White, in his Natural History

I’m going to plant my bulbs earlier this year, to avoid disturbing any hibernating creatures in colder weather. I've just bought 20 winter aconites, 20 Nectaroscordum siculum, and the Gardeners’ World magazine offers: 100 free alliums and 160

feeding, nesting and hibernation preferences. Tongue lengths determine which flowers the bees can feed on, so grow flowers with long corollas like red clover, honeysuckle and foxgloves to attract long-tongued bumblebees like the commmon carder (Bombus

to birth and raise their young, while cooler sites are used for hibernation. They navigate around using echolocation, so need linear corridors along which to travel. If you have the space, why not a plant long, straight hedge for them?If you do have bats

and there was no sign of a nest (just the usual giant slugs, earwigs and some ant eggs). I'm not sure how I'll feel if it does start a family – my garden isn't big enough to support many – but for now I'm happy. Perhaps it's just a lone mouse scouting for a hibernation

's fast growing and shade tolerant, and provides food, nesting and hibernation opportunities for all sorts of creatures. To me, ivy is a perfect plant, but when I mention wanting to grow it to my partner, parents and friends, I'm met with stern disapproval

, compost heaps, ponds and rockeries (preferably south-facing ones so they can bask in the sun), and they need spaces under fences so they can travel between gardens. They’ll be hibernating now under tree roots or paving slabs, or in compost heaps.So don