RE: More weather, and other stuff

Lots of newspaper articles about the honeybee die-off claim avocados as
one of the fruits that would be hard hit by the loss of bees. I have
seen avocado honey for sale too, at the Carpenteria avocado festival (I
didn't buy it). But where you are there must be a different pollinator,
interesting. 
We have bumblebees, honeybees, and a couple other little bee-like
creatures I haven't tried to identify. We have leaf-cutter bees,
probably I shouldn't like them but I do, they rarely cause a lot of
damage and I like the little circles they leave - makes a sort of
art-deco look. There are a couple kinds of wasps, yellowjackets are
common, paper wasps not so common, and mud daubers also not so common. 

Cyndi


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-gardenchat@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On
Behalf Of james singer
Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2007 11:25 AM
To: gardenchat@hort.net
Subject: Re: [CHAT] More weather, and other stuff

Guess I need to make and keep a bug census. Honeybees are irrelevant to
mangos, avocados, black sapotes, and annonas [sugar apples and
atemoyas]. Major pollinators for these are wasps--small ones, maybe more
than one kind--bumblebees, and flies.  I think ants may be involved in
some plants; papaya comes to mind. Of course honeybees are pollinators
of citrus; I don't know what other insects [if any] are involved, but we
seem to have had a normal year for setting here.

On May 5, 2007, at 12:43 PM, Daryl wrote:

> I have no honey bees. No tiny pollinators, few bumbles, a normal bunch

> of carpenter bees, no Mason Bees. Even without the freeze, I don't 
> think we would have had apples or holly berries.  I only saw one 
> honeybee near the apple trees, and it wasn't working the flowers, it 
> was just banging into things like a drunk.
>
> Normally the honeybees work the hollies, since they bloom so early. I 
> usually hear them through the open window even though the Holly is 
> several feet away. Just a couple of mason bees on it this year. The 
> masons seem to have gone away now, too.
>
> In the last few years, since the varroa and tracheal mite problems, 
> we've had fewer honeybees, but lots of native bees. Nada.
>
> Another scary thing is the lack of the tiny pollinators/beneficials 
> that normally visit the Giant Red Mustard that I allow to flower. I 
> didn't see them on the blooming Kales and Cabbages at client gardens, 
> either.
>
> I fear for our planet.
>
> d
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Pam Evans" <gardenqueen@gmail.com>
> To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
> Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2007 10:48 AM
> Subject: Re: [CHAT] More weather, and other stuff
>
>
>> I have tons of bees, honey, bumble and leafcutters.  I think they 
>> appreciate the organic wildlife habitat and the abundance of herbs, 
>> flowers and such.
>> I haven't seen any decline and would be very sad to see it.
>>
>> On 5/4/07, Zemuly Sanders <zemuly@comcast.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> I seem to have a lot of honeybees in my yard, and I surely do hope 
>>> they stay there.  The ones around here live mostly in hives of their

>>> own design.
>>> zem
>>> zone 7
>>> West TN
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Bonnie Holmes" <holmesbm@usit.net>
>>> To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
>>> Sent: Friday, May 04, 2007 3:18 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [CHAT] More weather, and other stuff
>>>
>>>
>>> > Glad to hear that some are doing well...we are having enough
>>> trouble
>>> with
>>> > food without losing a major pollinator.  We used to have a number
>>> in my
>>> > neighborhood but for the past couple of years, I've only seen
>>> yellow
>>> > jackets and sweat bees.
>>> >
>>> > Bonnie Zone 7/7 ETN
>>> > Remember:  The River Raisin, The Alamo, The Maine, Pearl Harbor,
>>> 9/11
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >> [Original Message]
>>> >> From: james singer <islandjim1@verizon.net>
>>> >> To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
>>> >> Date: 5/4/2007 4:45:17 PM
>>> >> Subject: Re: [CHAT] More weather, and other stuff
>>> >>
>>> >> Honeybees kept in artificial--that is, man made--hives have been 
>>> >> victims of various fungi, predators, and whatever, off and on
>>> since
>>> >> whoever brought them here from Europe originally. Asked to guess,
>>> I
>>> >> would venture that feral bees have a much greater chance of
>>> survival,
>>> >> if only because the invasive little critters live in hives of
>>> their >> own
>>> >> design and choosing once they escape the wicker baskets and 
>>> >> wooden boxes of husbandry.
>>> >>
>>> >> On May 4, 2007, at 3:38 PM, Johnson Cyndi D Civ 95 CG/SCSRT
wrote:
>>> >>
>>> >> > They are honeybees. I have heard about the colony collapse
>>> disorder
>>> >> > (they are suspecting a particular fungus now), but these bees
>>> appear
>>> to
>>> >> > be pretty active. Haven't seen any dead ones yet.
>>> >> >
>>> >> > Cyndi
>>> >> >
>>> >> >
>>> >> > -----Original Message-----
>>> >> > From: owner-gardenchat@hort.net
>>> [o*@hort.net] >> > On
>>> >> > Behalf Of Bonnie Holmes
>>> >> > Sent: Friday, May 04, 2007 11:51 AM
>>> >> > To: gardenchat@hort.net
>>> >> > Subject: RE: [CHAT] More weather, and other stuff
>>> >> >
>>> >> > I'm surprised about the bees...are you sure they are bees and
>>> not
>>> >> > yellow
>>> >> > jackets?  Bees have been dying in the US...many beekeepers have
>>> lost
>>> >> > most of their hives and no one knows the answer...referred to
>>> as the
>>> >> > AIDS of bees...they just disappear...no dead remains to help ID
>>> the
>>> >> > cause.  Maybe they have all migrated to your state?
>>> >> >
>>> >> > Bonnie Zone 7/7 ETN
>>> >> > Remember:  The River Raisin, The Alamo, The Maine, Pearl
>>> Harbor, >> > 9/11
>>> >> >
>>> >> >
>>> >> >> [Original Message]
>>> >> >> From: Johnson Cyndi D Civ 95 CG/SCSRT >> >>
>>> <cyndi.johnson@edwards.af.mil>
>>> >> >> To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
>>> >> >> Date: 5/4/2007 2:20:13 PM
>>> >> >> Subject: [CHAT] More weather, and other stuff
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> I guess we are back to Dirt Days - the forecast is calling for

>>> >> >> winds greater than 50mph today. It has been building up for a 
>>> >> >> couple
>>> days
>>> >> >> now, I drove through the dirt clouds last night going home. 
>>> >> >> I'm
>>> trying
>>> >> >
>>> >> >> to decide which is hardest on my spring garden - the howling
>>> winds
>>> or
>>> >> >> the 90F unseasonable temps we had last weekend. What a choice!

>>> At
>>> >> >> least with the high temps I could enjoy being outside even if
>>> the
>>> >> >> garden was cooking.
>>> >> >> When it was hot I was noticing all the bees. My spanish
>>> lavender >> >> was
>>> >> >> covered with them, I think every blossom had a bee on it,
>>> hundreds
>>> and
>>> >> >
>>> >> >> hundreds of them. Many more than I usually see. I don't know
>>> if we
>>> >> >> have more bees than usual or if I have more food for them than
>>> >> > anywhere else.
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> On the plus side, I am now able to sit on the ground to weed, 
>>> >> >> I
>>> still
>>> >> >> need my chair to help me get up again, but I can see normal >>
>>> >> movement
>>> >> >> will be possible before too long. Woohoo! I won't be riding
>>> for a
>>> >> >> while because we have some weekend commitments coming up, but 
>>> >> >> I suppose that gives everything a chance to heal up really 
>>> >> >> well before
>>> I
>>> >> > get on again.
>>> >> >> There's still ground squirrels in the garden, and way too many
>>> >> > rabbits.
>>> >> >> There is a small patch of grass out by the horse corrals,
>>> maybe 4
>>> feet
>>> >> >
>>> >> >> square, it's where we toss the hose after filling horse
>>> troughs so
>>> it
>>> >> >> gets water splashed. I went out to feed the other night and
>>> there
>>> were
>>> >> >
>>> >> >> 5 rabbits munching away. They didn't even move till I got very
>>> close.
>>> >> >> Grrrr, I told husband he had better start taking the pellet
>>> gun >> >> with
>>> >> >> him. If they stopped with the grass all would be well but they
>>> are
>>> >> >> going after my pea plants (of course) and soon they'll notice
>>> the
>>> >> >> lettuce. I wish I could see them getting in, I keep plugging
>>> holes
>>> in
>>> >> >> the fence but they are amazing at finding new ones.
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> Cyndi
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >>
>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
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>>> >> >
>>> >> Island Jim
>>> >> Southwest Florida
>>> >> 27.1 N, 82.4 W
>>> >> Hardiness Zone 10
>>> >> Heat Zone 10
>>> >> Sunset Zone 25
>>> >> Minimum 30 F [-1 C]
>>> >> Maximum 100 F [38 C]
>>> >>
>>> >>  
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>>> >  
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Pam Evans
>> Kemp TX
>> zone 8A
>>
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>
Island Jim
Southwest Florida
27.1 N, 82.4 W
Hardiness Zone 10
Heat Zone 10
Sunset Zone 25
Minimum 30 F [-1 C]
Maximum 100 F [38 C]

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