toni
 Administrator
Plants Moderator
Regular Plants Contributor
North Texas, Zone 8a
Posts: 11708
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| Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 1:16 pm Post subject: |
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You can search out info on orchard mason bees to learn ways to bring them into your garden to pollinate your plants. They are not susceptible to the colony collapse disorder that is taking out the honey bee.
They are smaller than honey bees but do not make honey or beeswax, they are solitary so do not have a queen to protect so they only sting when squeezed or stepped on.
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To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with Spring ----
George Santayana
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glasfryn
west Wales UK
Posts: 111
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| Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 2:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Biita wrote: | | I'm happy to report there is no shortage of bees here in the Arctic. Infact it seems like there is more bees than last yr. When you go out you can hear a low hum constantly. In the very beginning of spring its almost deafening the hum. I hope it stays that way too! |
well thats where they are all going is it .....there has definitely been a shortage of them here as well as a shortage of butterflies and ladybirds.
bit disconcerting as Einstein said that when the bee's disappear it will be the beginning of the end.......sorry to end on that thought.
G
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toni
Administrator
Plants Moderator
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North Texas, Zone 8a
Posts: 11708
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| Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:10 pm Post subject: |
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| glasfryn wrote: |
bit disconcerting as Einstein said that when the bee's disappear it will be the beginning of the end.......sorry to end on that thought.
G |
Before this quote makes others uncomfortable...there is no proof that Einstein ever said it. Any quote sounds so much more authentic and in this case creates more fear, if it can be attributed to a famous and intelligent person, but his biographers have never found any writings of his or transcripts of his lectures where he even mentions anything like that quote.
So you make up something that fits your own agenda, but a famous name on it and it spreads around the world as fact.
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To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with Spring ----
George Santayana
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mary02
lowcountry SC and Northeast Pa.
Posts: 26
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| Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 12:28 am Post subject: when things fall out of the sky - can't be good... |
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i would imagine pesticides cause large numbers of wasps and bees to just drop from the sky. and it's never a good thing... one year we had little bats falling dead out of the sky in the daytime or crashing into the house. this type of abnormal event can't be a good thing.
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toni
Administrator
Plants Moderator
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North Texas, Zone 8a
Posts: 11708
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| Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 1:24 am Post subject: |
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Heat kills bats too, especially if they are out during the day in the summer when they should be hold up in a dark cave somewhere....especially the smaller ones.
Plus bats that are out during the day are far more likely to be rabid than the ones hanging in a dark place during the day, rabies could be their killer.
My part of north Texas had an epidemic of dead birds falling out of trees a few years ago. So many died that the health departments finally told people to just throw the bodies in the trash instead of calling them to come pick them up. Turned out to be West Nile Virus from mosqitoes.
Parasites and viruses also cause the death of bees and wasps in and out of the hive.
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To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with Spring ----
George Santayana
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kuntrygal
Texas ~ Zone 8
Posts: 3436
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| Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 2:18 am Post subject: |
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I have wasps a plenty  and a mild amount of honey bees. Haven't seen any bumble bees.  And don't want to either. The red wasps are bad enough!
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bailey
south east texas
Posts: 88
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| Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 3:42 am Post subject: |
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I definitely have wasps around here! The other day I found a wad of dead bees floating on the surface of the pool water when the kids and I went out for a swim. I think they probably drowned trying to get a drink maybe?
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toni
Administrator
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North Texas, Zone 8a
Posts: 11708
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| Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 3:59 am Post subject: |
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| bailey wrote: | | I definitely have wasps around here! The other day I found a wad of dead bees floating on the surface of the pool water when the kids and I went out for a swim. I think they probably drowned trying to get a drink maybe? |
Yes they will drown in birdbaths, ponds, pools.
They are so small they need really shallow pans of water to get drinks from.
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