Re: More weather, and other stuff

These are tiny wasps--predator size wasps, smaller and more fragile looking than house flies. And they must not be colonizers because they are not in the least hostile. They are paper wasps; they build flute-shaped nests of about five cells, often in unlikely spots, like the bottom of a plastic hanging basket. 

On May 7, 2007, at 11:35 AM, Johnson Cyndi D Civ 95 CG/SCSRT wrote:


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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--
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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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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