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Re: pollinators?

Jack Allen wrote:
> 
> Connie Hoy wrote:
> 
> > Margaret,
> > I have all of the Unbelliferae mentioned thats the rub .....I watch those that are
> > out (collective lot ; bees,hover flies,wasps,etc.)and thats exactly where they
> > are, in PREFERENCE to the squash/melon blossoms that go begging..Darn 'em anyway..
> >
> > Anybody got suggestions how to lure them over to the vine area?Someone once
> > suggested honey placed around the vines..Tried but failed to see improvement
> > ..They just came when they were good and ready,and not before.
> > But I'd be willing to try any ideas given.
> >
> > Thanks Margaret AND Olin for your help.
> > Connie
> >
> > >  You need to grow umbelliferae
> > > such as fennel, dill, queen anne's lace, etc., to attract them.  Also, one
> > > of the best attractants is anise hyssop, which unfortunately also seems to
> > > feed white cabbage moths.
> > > >
> > > >Wasps (paper?)I have aplenty!Not yellow jackets but demure wasps that I
> > > >encourage as we get along just fine.
> > > >Are these the wasps you mention Margaret ,as the hornworm terminators?
> > >
> 
> Probably too late for this year, but I read just a short while ago that blue is the
> only color that bees can see (other than blak and white).  Maybe some Texas bluebells
> next year?
> 
> --
> A caterpillar is just an upholstered worm.
> 
> ICQ: 3219552
> 
> Jack


Honeybees see colors at the higher end of the spectrum, i.e. they see
green, blue, indigo, violet, and ultraviolet.  Many flowers, especially
white ones, have ultraviolet colors that we cannot see, but the
honeybees can.  Honeybees are also strongly attracted by the scent of
flowers.  Other bees (e.g. bumblebees) see lower-spectrum colors such as
red, orange and yellow.  But even these color flowers may have
ultraviolet markings that we cannot see, or a scent that is attractive
to honeybees.

Honeybees are the most vigorous pollinators of curcurbits, and the
recent devastaion of honeybees caused by a mite infestation has reduced
their overall presence to a fraction (40-60%???) of their former
numbers, and most of the surviving bees are concentrated in the hands of
the commercial beekeepers who medicate heavily to protect their charges.

Steve  (Maritime...)
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