looks like the bees may be recovering some in this area....

[Ray]

FWIW, I have captured and released several honey bees from my home in the last couple of weeks. Glad to see them, too.

[Gin]

I have a lot in bloom all spring and summer, & don't spray outside .. no bees at all. I see a bumble bee off and on that is it .. Signed Bee less in Mo .

[johnblagg]

Whoooo Hooo the company I ordered my new hive and foundation wax from has shipped the order .....now thats quick service and they even consolidated two orders for me so I only had one shipping charge ....and when I called today about that even switched part of the order for a differnt part so they could send it out today when I told them I had captured a swarm yesterday ....

Brushy Mountain Bee Farm is a good company ....

[Paul]

Originally Posted by johnblagg

GM corn surup made from bt corn...the verdict is out on that one yet but BT toxin is Bt toxin ....

Irrespective of the bees, there has been accumulating evidence that the pollen from the bt corn is likely responsible for the death of many moth and butterfly caterpillars, including the monarch butterfly. Because corn pollen is windborne, the pollen can contaminate nonfood crops as well.

Originally Posted by RobS

I share the observation of Rosie that where the honeybee is less present wild solitary and bumblebees fill the gap.

The solitary bees are actually far more efficient than honeybees in pollinating. Honeybees get "all the publicity" largely because of the honey industry.

Originally Posted by RobS

A simple log with different sized holes drilled into them is a great nesting site (3-8mm, 50mm deep) or a bundle of reet / bamboo.

In creating such a nesting site, it can also be beneficial to orient the holes so that they are not easily accessible to birds.


I recently read an article that was discussing the theory that neonicotinoids like Imidacloprid may be a contributing factor to CCD.

[johnblagg]

Originally Posted by Paul

I recently read an article that was discussing the theory that neonicotinoids like Imidacloprid may be a contributing factor to CCD.

I have read the same thing ...but they have discoverd the ccd is actually the effect of a virus and a fungus infecting the colony at the same time...either alone will not have much effect but together they are deadly...

[Amanda L]

YAY!!!! I really worry about the plight of the bees.

[Ray]

Even though most of my spraying is in the greenhouse, I am concerned about the use of pesticides and their residues in the environment.

That is why I was thrilled to come upon an insecticide/miticide called SucraShield. Made from sugar, it breaks down the waxy coatings on eggs, larvae, pupae and adults to kill them, rather than being a toxin. I does not affect bees at all. In fact, it is registered for use in killing the mites that can infect and wipe out whole hives of bees.

As is typical, having tried it and found it to be very effective, I have become a wholesale and retail distributor of the stuff. (Hint, hint)

Sorry for the ad content - but this stuff is good and good for bees and other beneficial insects too, especially if stuff like it supplants more classic toxins.

[johnblagg]

Originally Posted by Ray

Even though most of my spraying is in the greenhouse, I am concerned about the use of pesticides and their residues in the environment.

That is why I was thrilled to come upon an insecticide/miticide called SucraShield. Made from sugar, it breaks down the waxy coatings on eggs, larvae, pupae and adults to kill them, rather than being a toxin. I does not affect bees at all. In fact, it is registered for use in killing the mites that can infect and wipe out whole hives of bees.

As is typical, having tried it and found it to be very effective, I have become a wholesale and retail distributor of the stuff. (Hint, hint)




Sorry for the ad content - but this stuff is good and good for bees and other beneficial insects too, especially if stuff like it supplants more classic toxins.

YOU GO RAY .....I was pretty happy with bayer three in one but having read up on the bees it seems that even in amounts so small that it cant be dected it affects bees so I am now not so happy ...and I just found out they use it on edible crops as well that we consume and it is systemic so cant be washed off.....that is just crazy,if it can affect bees in amounts you cant dectect how do they know what it does long term to people?

[johnblagg]

well the bees have done realy good this summer ...and I did a pretty good job of managing them too and managed to split the one swarm 3 times over the summer and now have 3 nice hives 2 sections deep full and ready for winter ....plus I managed to remove a wild hive from a tree in its natural state as well and built a box around it to protect it for the winter ....next year I will work on getting a start from it into a box ,but realy want to keep it natural if possible

[Leafmite]

Thank you for helping the bees! We have a bunch of fruit trees and some years, our trees are covered in blossoms and all we get is a couple of bumble bees. We never start spraying the trees until the blossoms fall off because of the bees, even though it is recommended to spray when they are in bloom. We try to have things blooming from early spring to fall for the bees (and butterflies) as well, including butterfly plants like milkweed and queen annie's lace (even if it looks messy). We definitely do not treat our lawn with anything (we have a pet bunny who grazes, anyway). The favorite plants for bees seem to be the milkweed and mints, especially grapefruit mint. Bees are responsible for more than we imagine. Scientific American had a great article a while back on how very important they are to our food supply. Thanks again,
Leafmite