I spent the last two hours hand-pollinating ...

[Magicscreen2]

It sounds a little sexy, but it's just sad.

Geebus, where are all the bees?

 

[BotanyBoy]

pesticides...

 

[Magicscreen2]

Right. And mites and drought and loss of botanical diversity.

This is some serious schizz.

 

[SuprSalor]

A couple months ago a swarm set up house in my next door neighbors attic going into one of the vents.. I was actually happy to see a hive despite being severely allergic to stings. Unfortunately, being in the attic, they'll eventually have to be removed unless they decide to move on their own. And according to the bee removal people I've talked to they'll most likely have to be killed to get them out.

 

[Debbie]

They're busy.

I have several bee hives.

I hired them out till the buggers heard of minimum wage.

 

[dolf]

Geebus, where are all the bees?

my garden.

 

[Debbie]

A couple months ago a swarm set up house in my next door neighbors attic going into one of the vents.. I was actually happy to see a hive despite being severely allergic to stings. Unfortunately, being in the attic, they'll eventually have to be removed unless they decide to move on their own. And according to the bee removal people I've talked to they'll most likely have to be killed to get them out.

If you contact an apiarist they might pop out and see if they can help rather than eradicate them.

 

[mark_j]

Seems to be fine here.. Fruit trees all have sets. The rhodies (those that are still in bloom) are buzzing with activity. The bee keeper down the road has 30 hives that are all healthy.

It might help that there isn't a lot of pesticide use in this valley as about half the fields lay fallow in any given year and those that are in production are mostly rapeseed and timothy..

 

[ms_ann_thrope]

Sex with animals is verboten but sex with plants is ok?

Sickos.

 

[Magicscreen2]

It's nice to hear that things seem better elsewhere. It's just so obvious here.

We usually have lots of activity early on a hill covered with Scylla, which bloom in early April here in the midwest. But this year with a exception of a few big bombus bumping around, there's not much.

Maybe I'll have to get my own box of bees.

 

[BabblingBrooke]

Sex with animals is verboten but sex with plants is ok?

Sickos.

This is funny and true.

Verboten is such a great word but it always reminds me of the movie Bring it On.

 

[Wings]

I might have to hand pollinate our apple trees. Thousands of blossoms but I will do it this weekend if new bees don't show.

 

[Magicscreen2]

I might have to hand pollinate our apple trees. Thousands of blossoms but I will do it this weekend if new bees don't show.

This is where I was at with the cherries and plums. I kept waiting and waiting for the bees to show and the flowers were starting to look tired.

I'm not sure how late the buds are still viable, and hope I didn't wait too long.

 

[suckonsimon]

Here are some of mine. Four hives making a good start to the season and certainly out doing their thing busily.

 

[Que]

Pollinating is sexy.

 

[dolf]

this is crazy. and scary. I have multiple species of bees. several types of bumbles, honey bees, etc.

 

[suckonsimon]

Here in the UK we have concerns about the trucking of hives great distances around the US, necessary because of the vast areas of monoculture where forage exists only for a matter of weeks, notably the almond orchards of California.

There is much less of that in these small islands because even in commercially farmed areas there is usually sufficient variety of forage for hives to be based in a stable apiary. There's no question that transportation of hives stresses honey bees. What we don't know for sure yet is whether that stress has long term consequences for them by way of weakening them in their ability to counter other threats of which there are several.

 

[BotanyBoy]

Here are some of mine. Four hives making a good start to the season and certainly out doing their thing busily.

So cool....if I wasn't spread so thin I just might get into bee keeping, maybe some day when I get bored with aquariums that will happen. I wish we had 30 hr days and lived for 200 years so I could check all cool things out.

 

[3fingers]

Here in the UK we have concerns about the trucking of hives great distances around the US, necessary because of the vast areas of monoculture where forage exists only for a matter of weeks, notably the almond orchards of California. .

My great uncles did that for a living from 1937 until they retired in 1978. They followed pollination from the Michigan apple orchards, moving south until they overwintered in the Florida orange groves.

I think it was more a pursuit of both high quality and high quantity of honey, rather than necessity.

 

[suckonsimon]

Hey, cheers BotanyBoy. You like cool? Try this:

 

[suckonsimon]

My great uncles did that for a living from 1937 until they retired in 1978. They followed pollination from the Michigan apple orchards, moving south until they overwintered in the Florida orange groves.

I think it was more a pursuit of both high quality and high quantity of honey, rather than necessity.

Wow I never knew that the transportation of bees went back that far. I wonder if in the early days they were a little more gentle with the loading and trucking than they are these days. The footage I have seen of the current practice is horrendous.

The variety of nectars over a long season gives a superb taste I bet. The 'necessity' is for the growers rather than the beekeepers, as evidence this thread I guess.

 

[Magicscreen2]

Here are some of mine. Four hives making a good start to the season and certainly out doing their thing busily.

What style of hives do you keep, Simon? Top Bar, Langstroth, etc.?

 

[suckonsimon]

What style of hives do you keep, Simon? Top Bar, Langstroth, etc.?

National. That's the most common for non-commercial in the UK. That said I bought two derelict hives and have restored them; told they are old style national but I find they're not compatible with my new boxes. Take the same frames so I'm ok with them.

 

[Magicscreen2]

Good news fruit tree fans!

The cherries and plums all have lots of fruit sets. Either the hand-pollination was a smashing success -- or was never necessary in the first place.

I know you've all been concerned about this, and wanted to put your minds at ease.

Garden on!

 

[suckonsimon]

The cherries and plums all have lots of fruit sets. Either the hand-pollination was a smashing success -- or was never necessary in the first place.

I know you've all been concerned about this, and wanted to put your minds at ease.

Garden on!

Good news, Magic. You have the touch with that little brush of yours!
My plums likewise sets all over. I noticed that is was mostly bumbles and hover flies on the plum trees even though the honey bee hives are some 30 yards from them; they make their choice and there's no influencing that!