Where have all the Bees gone?

Our neighbor across the scenic creek moved a couple of years ago and he gave away his bee hives.  Needless to say, we have not seen any bees since he moved.  His bee hives were visible to us and his bees regularly came to visit our garden.

One time some of his bees swarmed away and set up their own hive in our Cassia bush near the creek.  We didn't mind the bees but we felt that the city workers could come and exterminate them because they had to mow the grass on the right away.  So we hollered at him to come and get his bees.  He suited up and did.

I have heard it said several times that the reason we don't have any cucumbers is because we don't have any bees.  I read in the garden section in Sunday's paper that the first cucumber flowers to appear are female and the guys are a bit slower; but with no bees it doesn't make any difference.

Every season, I have let a few broccoli heads go to seed.  They put out lots of small yellow flowers  which are quite edible, too.   The bees like them.  I also let the mustard greens go to seed.  They also put out a lot of small yellow flowers.  These yellow flowers last a long time and attract the bees and other pollinators as well.

In the spring, the citrus trees generate a mass of fragrant flowers and so does the azaleas.  The roses are also providing blooms for the bees throughout the summer.  The lambago are producing an abundance of blue flowers in the summer time and well into fall.

In addition, the Canna with its immensely red flowers should attract the bees and so should the Crepe Myrtle that is full of red blooms.  It that isn't enough, there is the honeysuckle along the wood side along the Back Forty.

I have planted sunflowers on the edges of the two garden plots but they are not blooming yet.  We usually have sun flowers along the borders and they do attract the bees.  I have also heard that the Marigolds attract bees and deter mosquitos from visiting.  Zinnias are also easy to grow.  They are colorful and keep blooming a long time.

But where have all the bees gone?