Re: Bees

Well- I don't have an orchard at all. I only have 1 apple tree. But, I see my orchard mason bees all over my garden, in perennial flowers, cilantro gone to bloom, etc. And my population increases every year, so they must like something!! 

Theresa

Jesse Bell wrote:

Question...the article says they prefer orchard, fruit tree pollen.  Do you know of a similar type bee that just prefers any pollen?  I would love to start some out on my farm.  My dad used to keep 2 beehive boxes out in our pasture (which I never understood WHY because he is deathly (and I mean deathly) allergic to bee stings and he had to wear a full suit to get around them) and I loved to eat the honeycomb that was drenched in honey.  Nummy stuff.

Theresa W <tchessie1@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
  Here's some info:

http://www.pollinatorparadise.com/Solitary_Bees/Solitar.htm



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megachilidae
And they are great fun to watch! I've had a bee box for years now with just a little started set of bees one year. I get more and more bees each year. 
Theresa

Bonnie Holmes wrote:

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 To: 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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Jesse R. Bell 
"All that we are is a result of what we have thought."  -  Buddha

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