The Old Folks Home

[superchemicalgirl]

How terrible that your guests were attacked by those bees! It's a good thing you found the nest and got rid of them!

I am also terrified of bees! But I know we need them!
Here is some very interesting info on a bee keeper who had all his bees stolen by the state he lived in unjustly!

http://www.globalresearch.ca/illino...santos-roundup-kills-remaining-queens/5336210

Real bees are actually really gentle. I was surprised because I've always been slightly terrified of stinging insects. However, I wanted bees. I bought a full body suit and gloves and wear my tall winter boots when I go out to the hive. However, I haven't been stung or even so much as looked at wrong by a honey bee. I actually took my gloves off yesterday while working the hive, and I wore crocs today to go into the hive WITHOUT SMOKING IT FIRST. I did wear the full bee suit... and crocs. Kinda silly, I know. I've mowed the lawn right next to the hive entrance, like 2 inches from it, and they weren't really interested in what I was doing. I will go and sit down within about 5 feet from the hive entrance and watch them come and go, and they don't bother me.

But really, they're gentle. It's wasps and yellow jackets (and apparently Africanized Bumble Bees) that are cross. This is a picture I took yesterday. I know it looks creepy, but think about how nice they have to be for me to stick my ungloved hands and cell phone in there to take a picture. And my dad called during the inspection and they didn't care. I let it go to VM, I do have standards, you know.



I'm not sure if what we're seeing is a bee wasting disease a la CCD or something like starvation due to crappy forage. Other people around here who had established hives had excess honey a few weeks ago and now their hives have started eating it. I'm wondering if the bad weather has caused either less plants to grow or less pollen in the plants.

 

[ozexpat]

How terrible that your guests were attacked by those bees! It's a good thing you found the nest and got rid of them!

I am also terrified of bees! But I know we need them!
Here is some very interesting info on a bee keeper who had all his bees stolen by the state he lived in unjustly!

http://www.globalresearch.ca/illinois-illegally-seizes-bees-resistant-to-monsantos-roundup-kills-remaining-queens/53

Interesting anti-govt conspiracy theory. perhaps to make the article a little less sensational they could have included that the diagnosis of foulbrood was made at an earlier sanctioned inspection and he had received an order to destroy the bees.

I have not researched this deeply but it could be fun. If a famous naturalist had a civil liberties case, one would expect mainstream news or even ACLU commentary

 

[chickadoodles]

I was just trying to find out why I don't have any honey bees to pollinate my fruit trees! I planted them and have nurtured them and three years now and still not fruit, but even the big fruit tree in the pasture that did have fruit has none! But this next year I will pollinate my own trees! I don't know if I will get any more bees or not. But there is nothing around here with all the cows and catfish for them to eat!

 

[ozexpat]

I was just trying to find out why I don't have any honey bees to pollinate my fruit trees! I planted them and have nurtured them and three years now and still not fruit, but even the big fruit tree in the pasture that did have fruit has none! But this next year I will pollinate my own trees! I don't know if I will get any more bees or not. But there is nothing around here with all the cows and catfish for them to eat!

no doubt there are huge problems with bee populations

 

[Arielle]

I was just trying to find out why I don't have any honey bees to pollinate my fruit trees! I planted them and have nurtured them and three years now and still not fruit, but even the big fruit tree in the pasture that did have fruit has none! But this next year I will pollinate my own trees! I don't know if I will get any more bees or not. But there is nothing around here with all the cows and catfish for them to eat!

Sometimes it is a timing issue. I have planted several varieties of fruit trees. ( 5 different peaches) and each bloom at a different time. Just in case. THese also mature at different rates to max imize the season.

Many kinds of bees can do the pollinating. Maybe SCG knows more about this. THere is a solitary bee that is also important; esp as the honey bee is taking a beating.

It is my understanding that the US govt has not banned some of the chemicals that Europe has to keep the honey bees thriving.

 

[ronott1]

I was just trying to find out why I don't have any honey bees to pollinate my fruit trees! I planted them and have nurtured them and three years now and still not fruit, but even the big fruit tree in the pasture that did have fruit has none! But this next year I will pollinate my own trees! I don't know if I will get any more bees or not. But there is nothing around here with all the cows and catfish for them to eat!

It takes longer than three years for fruit trees to set fruit.

One must be patient with fruit trees as they are a long term investment.

You should have some fruit on the fourth year and more each year for several years. Another thing is that most fruit trees decline in the amount of fruit after 20 years.

 

[Bunnylady]

How terrible that your guests were attacked by those bees! It's a good thing you found the nest and got rid of them!

I am also terrified of bees! But I know we need them!
Here is some very interesting info on a bee keeper who had all his bees stolen by the state he lived in unjustly!

http://www.globalresearch.ca/illino...santos-roundup-kills-remaining-queens/5336210

I'm curious why this guy felt a need to do this "research" at all. The active ingredient in Roundup is glyphosate, which is an herbicide. It is intended to kill plants, not insects. It has been demonstrated to have a very low toxicity to fish, amphibians, humans, etc, etc. This statement appears on the Material Safety Data Sheet for Roundup, "Studies with the active ingredient indicate that this product would be practically nontoxic to avian species and honeybees." How (and why) does one breed resistance to something that is virtually harmless?

 

[Arielle]

Quote: YIkes-- really RON? A decline after 20 years??? Geez, another thing to do next year-- more fruit trees. My trees are about 15 years old.

 

[ronott1]

YIkes-- really RON? A decline after 20 years??? Geez, another thing to do next year-- more fruit trees. My trees are about 15 years old.

Yes, In a year or so plant some replacements so that they will be ready when the others fail.

We have kind of lost a lot of this stuff with modern times.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: I love having the internet-- like having a university library. I want to get back to living off the land and really have no clue. I know bits and peices. but even those skills are rusty. SO much information has been lost. Been a long time since anyone in my family were farmers. So I use the internet looking for information.

Canner arrived this week-- will try canning the extra turkeys from last summer.

would like to grow more off the vegies to feed my family and more for the animals. I"m no longer a fan of commercial dog foods, cat foods and that has led me to wonder about all commercial feeds.

We are getting out of horses, to focus on sheep and chickens and other fowl. And rabbits. Trying to have livestock that our land can provide for.

But I often feel lost-- and I have a degree in ANimal Science. THe problem is that at Univeristy they don't teach how to live off the land. It is all commercial production.

SO I am trying my hand a few things and stumble and fall and learn. THe county extension is geared toward commercial production . Finding the old ways and the old varieties are a challenge. Peice by peice, getting there.

THere is an orchard north of me by about 40 minutes that swlls scions in the spring. NEed the root stock to make use of it. BUt at $5 a scion is pricy. But old varieties of apples maybe worth it. No peaches though. Darn.