WE have a bees' nest in the garden, which I'm pretty excited about.

They're bumblebees rather than honey bees and they've made their nest in a birdbox. I don't think any birds are nesting in the box at present - unless there is a very annoyed blue tit sat at the bottom refusing to move while covered in honey.

Despite claims from the kids that they can't put the washing out because they will face a swarm death attack, bumblebees are placid little chaps and they don't mind you stood a few feet from their nest watching their frantic behaviour. Apparently the only thing that riles them are bad bee puns, which is a real shame.

I've tried to identify what kind of bumblebees we have but it's not easy. There are 24 different species of bumblebee in the UK and they keep moving about.

I suspect they are either early bumblebees or red-tailed bumblebees, which are common, although they might be quiet rare blaeberry bumblebees. Sadly they are not great yellow bumblebees which only live at the top of Scotland.

I've done extensive research on the subject and found out that bumblebees wont actually die if they sting you. They can sting you as often as they damn well please. It's just that they choose not to because that's not there thing. Apparently neither is making honey as they only make a little bit which they eat themselves, compared to honey bees, which make themselves sick with honey.

I have found out other interesting bee facts. The queen lives for one year, but the other bumblebees only live for a few months. And bumblebees don't dance like honey bees, or not when anyone is looking anyway.

Of course, bee numbers are on the decline and, given their vital role in the Earth's eco-system as pollinators, some people have suggested the very future of our race depends on their survival.

In many ways that's quite worrying, but I also find it comforting to know that in these days of religious fanaticism and global terrorism, the humble bumblebee is more likely to bring about the end of humanity than angry young men armed with kalashnikovs and unread copies of the Koran.