RE: Bees

What is the difference between Mason bees and others?  For large
agricultural crops, farmers prefer the European honeybee because it is so
prolific in pollinating whereas our native bee is less.  It seems that the
bumblebees have been in greater number this year in my yard.  And, for the
first time in years, I haven't had to kill a nest of yellowjackets, nor
have any of my neighbors.  I know yellowjackets, for all their trouble, are
great pollinators and one of the few things to kill tent caterpillers.


> [Original Message]
> From: Johnson Cyndi D Civ 95 CG/SCSRT <cyndi.johnson@edwards.af.mil>
> To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
> Date: 10/30/2007 10:53:41 AM
> Subject: RE: [CHAT] Bees
>
> There are still plenty of bees at my house, the rabbitbrush is blooming
> (Chrysothamnus nauseosus) and it is covered with bees. I would bet honey
> made from that pollen is not so good though.
>
> Cyndi
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-gardenchat@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On
> Behalf Of Theresa W
> Sent: Monday, October 29, 2007 5:56 PM
> To: gardenchat@hort.net
> Subject: Re: [CHAT] Bees
>
> My mason bees have been great here- they actually are better pollinators
>
> than honey bees.  Also, i always have a handful of bumbles that take
> care of the tomatoes for me : )
> Theresa
>
> Bonnie Holmes wrote:
> > Besides the drought, another possible reason for reduced crops...(Jim
> must have lots of bees around)...
> >
> > Saw a disturbing program last night on Nature, followed up by an
> article in Organic, about the disappearance of honey bees.  I had seen
> mention of this problem earlier but didn't realize that the problem is
> not resolved.  The PBS program stated that 1/3 of U.S. honey bees have
> disappeared and that the problem is world-wide.  Since most foods are
> pollinated by honey bees, it leaves only wind-pollinated foods, such as
> wheat, corn, and rice relatively safe.  The magazine article pointed out
> that native bees still pollinate squash, tomato, and eggplant but even
> they are being reduced in population.
> >
> > The PBS program also featured bee demise in Sighuan province in
> China...there are NONE due to pesticides...so the farmers hand pollinate
> the pear trees.  Right now, most of our beekeepers are replacing their
> bee stock with Australian bees but some scientists think some may have
> been contaminated by the royal jelly produced in China.
> >
> > Possible causes include poor nutrition, pesticides, virus (especially
> the 1apv found in Israel), fungi and/or a combination of these.  When
> bees get sick, they leave the hive to protect it, which is one reason it
> has been difficult to find the dying and dead ones.  Interesting thing
> is that bee preditors also leave the hives of deminishing bees alone.
> >
> >
> > Bonnie Holmes
> > ETN Zone 7
> >
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