There would'nt be much of a future without the bees to polinate flowers, trees, fruit, and veg plants. A bit like no trees no oxygen.
Friends: Honeybee deaths reaching crisis point (by Alison Benjamin) The Guardian tells it like it is: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/aug/12/conservation.wildlife1 Please don't miss the references to habitat degradation via profit maximizing monoculture to provide biofuel raw stock (wheat in Britain, soy in Argentina). dino
Some hope: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/09/12/bee-native-plants.html In my small subdivision, nestled in Tsawwassen, BC, we have to sign a covenant (that most people ignore) that asks us to make a sincere effort to incorporate native plants in our landscaping. This has been really fun for me, although native plants are often hard to find (except at the UBC Botanical Garden's annual native plant sale!). I have noticed that the Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium) varieties are a big favourite with the bees, ditto the Centranthus ruber (Red Valerian). Other huge favourites with the bees are catmint and Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata I think). Across the street is a small (1-2 acre) park that is to be left in its wild state. The wide margin that borders the street is alas mown by a nice neighbour who prefers order and says the high grass bothers his small dog. Nonetheless, he is cooperating with me in quietly "donating" native plants to that strip. So far I had limited myself to trees (yellow cedar, Arbutus menziesii), but I will now look into bee-friendly native flowering plants. Any suggestions??
Ah! Is a genus of the Aster family. Native of Eastern North America..hmm...I am always looking out for plants that bees love due to a shortage. I went onto a small field accross from me because I saw a Thistle in bloom and a few days later I dug some up for my garden...ahahahaha
WesternWilson: "bee-friendly native flowering plants. Suggestions?" Perhaps this, WW? http://www.foxleas.com/PDF/Wildflowers in the ga.pdf If not, lots more can be Googled: bees + "favourite wild flowers". Notice the page on preferred flower colours. Don't forget herbs (thyme, for example, which (I think) Virgil included in his list of faves. dino
its weird maybe the honey bees themselves are geneticly modified. there a so many wild bees and flying insects in my garden its rediculous, even with resident humming birds and other predatory insects (dragonflys). whats the difference between the wild bees and the domestic ones???? what ever that is, is whats causing this problem.
We have had several years of decline in the bee population in Seattle. This has been documented and discussed in technical papers. This summer was the first break in the decline and there was a noticable increase in the population.
Here is a link to a PDF of imformation and images of wild bees dusty.. http://www.foxleas.com/PDF/wild%20bees.pdf
bee drought? Here in Oregon, we're suffering from a serious lack of honeybees for pollination. Most folks don't leave "hedgerows" anymore (except - oh, those wise English!), so the pre-imports, the true "natural" pollinators have mostly died out for lack of their weedy support plants. We have an awful percentage of hive disease, among the honeybees which have been owned and rented out to orchard owners in season. How is the honeybee incidence where you live?
How about fire weed? I'm sure the bees would go for it. When I lived in delta, other side of ladner from u, I had it in the garden. it was there when I arrived. Can be invasive with roots going down 4 ft.! I never saw hummingbirds there then but a friend who was living in the old Burr house at the old location had a mummified hummy trapped in a window and was forever chasing them out of the house in the '70's. (1 cat same in a wall!) Interesting to hear her remember that, as another friend who lives on River road toward Reifel thru Ladner, has no hummies at all now and remembers none being there. D
Oh yes, I do know this thread is about bees who pollinate our flowers for foods but hummies also pollinate my sour cherries, plums, apples , beans........dunno what else in the way of food plants. More is the pity that not all of us have hummies in the garden. D
