Tillandsia House Air Plants Lichens

[kg5]

Nice to hear from you wisdomseeker.

Would very much like to see your images. Especially your Tillandsia streptophylla. Looking forward to seeing mine flower.

Tillandsia streptophylla is the only tilly that have needed to spray for fungus. It really looked like it would never recover but it did with just one mild spray.

Photobucket really did a job on us all. There is a way around it now if you have posted your images. It should still be available. If you use a browser called "brave" it change the code so you can see your image no worries. Just save as and your image comes back to you. So PB wanted us all to pay $499 as ransom back then to get your images back. Now it is like $8. Will never use them again. That is twice now that they have said never and they did.

Our Australia Native bees are Tetragonula carbonaria and they are native to where we live. The hive is very busy and they look ready to do an induction (the bee people want to call it eduction). Which is basically you hook up with a "T" piece from the hive to a new hive box with the one entrance that leads into both hives. The new hive will have a viewing window so it can be opened to see how the new hive is coming along. It is easier on the bees than splitting the hive manually. Spilt honey that takes place with a split attracts predictors on the down side as well.

It has taken me most of the growing season to get the waterlilies placed so they can get enough sunlight to grow properly. Have got 6 that flowered. Out of the 16 different we will end up with about 9 to 10 waterlilies that will grow here. Have the best one that will grow in difficult areas like on a high rise building balcony. About 6 really look like they are truly miniatures.

[wisdomseeker]

Thanks for the updates. Sounds like you have a very nice selection of water lilies. You sparked my interest last year about native Australian bees. If I recall correctly, I remember reading something about T. carbonaria placing a sticky mix of resin around their entrance.

I found it interesting that this resin acts as a deterrent to any predatory insects (enemies of the bee), and has antibacterial properties that clean pathogens & parasites from their feet as they enter.

Tracheal and Varroa mites are a huge problem over here with bee keepers. Varroa mites really screw with a hive because the females lay their eggs in brood cells (with developing larvae) just before the cell is capped. A lot of different "natural" ideas have been used at hive entrances to help reduce the mites, mainly to avoid having to use chemicals such as Apistan (e.g., entrance board reducers, screened boards, grease patties, crisco, etc.), but all are of limited value and not 100% effective. The only 'sure-fire' cure is by using mite-tolerant bee stock (such as VSH or Russian bees).

I like the eduction/induction concept you mentioned for splitting the hive. Especially like the "viewing window" to see how the hive is progressing. Picture of T. streptophylla below (fully hydrated). After about a week without water it gets very tight and curly, almost like a small symmetrical ball.

[kg5]

That is a beautiful plant wisdomseeker.

Mine do not get curly very often because of out high humidity here I believe.

In winter when the humidity is low and not obvious they seem to curl up a bit like yours then.

---------- Post added at 04:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:49 PM ----------

The native bees here have wasp predators that lay eggs in the brood and in bees. A vinegar/water trap placed 4 to 5 yards away works a treat. The native bees will bite the leg off a European bee and then it can no longer function.

Yes the entrance to their hive has a smell that protects against predators entering the hive. When you split a hive the spilt honey attracts pests wasps etc

We have so far have not had any trouble. Most of the European bees issue are not the same for our native bees here.

[DirtyCoconuts]

this thread is terrific and i am so glad to have found it...very cool work kg5! thanks for sharing,

I find various tillys all over the place in south florida and i'll pick up a cool one if i find it laying on the floor

i'll put up a few pics later

[kg5]

Thank you for the kind words.

It would be great to see your Tillandsia's. -

[DirtyCoconuts]

here are some (poor) pics of my air plants


Blooms by J Solo, on Flickr

and from farther away for scale- this is in an urn shaped pot about 20" high, it just keeps making babies and growing

Blooms by J Solo, on Flickr

a different one

Blooms by J Solo, on Flickr

and this alien looking fellow
Blooms by J Solo, on Flickr


and of course, tons of Spanish moss

[kg5]

Thank you very much for posting your images.

The 1st 2 images look a bit like Tillandsia rodrieuziana

Tillandsia rodrieuziana, catalogue of Bromeliad plants

---------- Post added at 06:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:44 PM ----------

4th image bottom plant T. bulbosa.

Nice flower, it is good to see it is positioned so the water can drain way.

[DirtyCoconuts]

Sweet! Thanks for the ID info

I have a ton more growing in the trees all around and I’ll grab you some pics of those too. Wider leaves but similar shape plant to pics 1&2

[DirtyCoconuts]

hey kg5!

two pics for you...

can you id the tilly in the first pic

and this is the bottlebrush tree on my south side...i cant count the tillys

Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr



Quarantine zone by J Solo, on Flickr

thanks and cheers!

[kg5]

That 1st image DC is very attractive. It is a plant that I would very much like to grow. It looks a bit like T. negelcta or T. edithae. Really nice looking clump.

Will have to wait till it flowers before we can get a true idea of its name. Thank you for posting.