Re: Are you seeing bees?

quiltbea 12/7/2011, 12:33 pm

Sounds like your colony is well and happy. Make sure you shovel away the snow from their doorways after storms so they can breathe. Good luck.

**camprn** 12/7/2011, 4:42 pm

quiltbea wrote:Sounds like your colony is well and happy. Make sure you shovel away the snow from their doorways after storms so they can breathe. Good luck.

Yup, yup! there's a screened bottom board, lower and a top entrance too. Very Happy

**camprn** 12/14/2011, 6:15 pm

Are any of you currently keeping or planning on keeping bees?

Are you seeing bees? - Page 7 Smiley-vault-misc-006

Unmutual 12/15/2011, 9:52 pm

camprn wrote:Are any of you currently keeping or planning on keeping bees?

I've contemplated bee keeping, but my daughter is highly allergic to insect stings. Even if I used European(non-aggressive) honey bees, the risk isn't worth it.

martha 12/15/2011, 10:02 pm

One of these days I want to come to Keene and invite myself to see your bees to see if it is something I thought I could do. I'm pretty sure I could be unafraid of them, but if I killed them, I wouldn't handle it well.

**camprn** 12/16/2011, 10:24 am

Martha you are welcome any time. The bees wont be out again until the temperatures get to 50 and stay somewhat steady.
I know what you mean about not wanting to kill them. When I plunked down my cash for the hive, the tools and the package of bees last year my statement at the time was, "I hope this doesn't end in tears." So far, so good, they need less tending than I thought, but there is quite a bit to know about the journey of keeping bees.

Windsor.Parker 12/16/2011, 12:56 pm

My wife and I spend lots of time in our backyard garden. Our son is eager to keep bees here with us at his childhood home! He built and delivered two hives, one of which is "in use" at a friend's across town, and the other is in our garage.
:scratch:

**camprn** 12/16/2011, 2:42 pm

Windsor.Parker wrote:My wife and I spend lots of time in our backyard garden. Our son is eager to keep bees here with us at his childhood home! He built and delivered two hives, one of which is "in use" at a friend's across town, and the other is in our garage.
:scratch:

Too bad we were not closer together, I am in the market for another hive.

Windsor.Parker 12/16/2011, 9:41 pm

camprn wrote:
Windsor.Parker wrote:My wife and I spend lots of time in our backyard garden. Our son is eager to keep bees here with us at his childhood home! He built and delivered two hives, one of which is "in use" at a friend's across town, and the other is in our garage.
:scratch:

Too bad we were not closer together, I am in the market for another hive.

Yeah, and beekeeping in your region probably differs from what we'd need to do.

**camprn** 12/30/2011, 8:02 pm

I love watching this man's videos. He is so gentle with the fascinating creatures we call apis mellifera, the honey bee.

jkahn2eb 12/31/2011, 8:57 am

Awesome vid, Camprn.

Walking the dogs yesterday I saw a slew of bees on bushes that were blooming small bluish flowers. Was a happy sight two blocks from my home. Temps are back up into the 70's for a week or so.

**camprn** 7/25/2012, 10:12 pm

10 foods that would disappear without bees

moswell 7/25/2012, 10:55 pm

Funny this thread should pop back up again. I don't remember seeing bees at all last year, but this year I've seen many bumblebees hanging around my garden. I got close enough to see the big deposits of pollen on one of them. Matter of fact, one morning I'd gone out to hand pollinate a zucchini flower that had opened, and as I went to pollinate it, I found a bee inside! cheers

I guess the bees have found my garden.

hruten 7/26/2012, 5:50 am

I thought this picture of a pumpkin blossom might be nice for this thread. I'm not sure where the honey bees reside, but I have had lots of them this year. I've also seen some bumble bees, but not as many as Honey (I think) bees.
Are you seeing bees? - Page 7 100_1210

**rowena___.** 7/26/2012, 10:14 am

we have been part of a bee watch group for a few years (ella gets credit for it for homeschool science), and for the past two years there have been precious few bees but this year we are seeing them everywhere! i really believe that planting specific, bee-attracting flowers makes a difference (as opposed to just any flowers, even if they are pretty).

GWN 7/26/2012, 10:24 am

I have a purple flower ( that I got when we took apart my mothers perenial garden) that has taken over my flower garden (someone said something about lambs quarters??) Anyways there are hundreds of them there. The entire area has its own sound this year there are so many of them. They are so gentle too (unlike wasps). They let me garden in there with them and nary a bite.
I have been trying to cut back the purple flowers a bit to allow the new perenials to have a chance, but I feel badly because the bees seem to like the purple flowers the best. Next year I am going to plant these closer to my veggie gardens. They seem extremely hardy, in fact invasive, but..... if the bees like them...

**Turan** 7/26/2012, 11:43 am

What does the flower look like? Is it a campanula with tall spikes of blue?

I am seeing fewer bees this year. There were a lot when the trees were blooming but not now. Could they have been hurt by the very hard freeze (22*F) we had when the trees were blooming? It killed most of the fruit blossoms. I am seeing lots of the tiny hover flys or wasps or what ever they are that love blooming yarrow and cilantro etc. I know they are good in the garden but am not really sure how. But I doubt they care about my squash blossoms. Laughing

**walshevak** 7/26/2012, 9:39 pm

GWN wrote:I have a purple flower ( that I got when we took apart my mothers perenial garden) that has taken over my flower garden (someone said something about lambs quarters??) Anyways there are hundreds of them there. The entire area has its own sound this year there are so many of them. They are so gentle too (unlike wasps). They let me garden in there with them and nary a bite.
I have been trying to cut back the purple flowers a bit to allow the new perenials to have a chance, but I feel badly because the bees seem to like the purple flowers the best. Next year I am going to plant these closer to my veggie gardens. They seem extremely hardy, in fact invasive, but..... if the bees like them...

Picture please. I would like to know what it looks like.

Kay

**camprn** 7/26/2012, 9:42 pm

walshevak wrote:
GWN wrote:I have a purple flower ( that I got when we took apart my mothers perenial garden) that has taken over my flower garden (someone said something about lambs quarters??) Anyways there are hundreds of them there. The entire area has its own sound this year there are so many of them. They are so gentle too (unlike wasps). They let me garden in there with them and nary a bite.
I have been trying to cut back the purple flowers a bit to allow the new perenials to have a chance, but I feel badly because the bees seem to like the purple flowers the best. Next year I am going to plant these closer to my veggie gardens. They seem extremely hardy, in fact invasive, but..... if the bees like them...

Picture please. I would like to know what it looks like.

Kay

Yes, photo please... maybe it's borage, they really love that.

GWN 7/27/2012, 11:22 am

I do not think it is borage, but then again I really have no idea what it is Are you seeing bees? - Page 7 Dsc_0156

Also had to squeeze a picture of my hollyhock in, they do not seem to like it as much Are you seeing bees? - Page 7 Dsc_0157

Sooo what do you think?

GWN 7/27/2012, 11:25 am

I just looked up Lambs quarters and they are definitely NOT that.
We have lambs quarters growing everywhere here, as a weed

**camprn** 7/27/2012, 11:34 am

Yeah, GWN, that is the invasive campanula we were discussing a few days ago in another thread. The bees love it in my yard but I have declared war on that plant and I am being ruthless in pulling it out of the gardens and anywhere I find it. It has a tenacious tap root that doesn't like to be pulled. Mad

GWN 7/27/2012, 11:43 am

The species Campanula rapunculus, commonly known as Rampion Bellflower, Rampion, or Rover Bellflower, is a biennial vegetable which was once widely grown in Europe for its leaves, which were used like spinach, and its parsnip-like root, which was used like a radish.[3] The Brothers Grimm's tale Rapunzel took its name from this plant.

Thanks Camprn
I was thinking of drastically thinning it this fall and planting in other areas where I have worse invasives growing.
All of the perennials I grew from seed this year are being choked out by it....

**Turan** 7/27/2012, 12:15 pm

O, I got that in my yard from some peonie divisions given me. It is really really hard to get rid of. So that is rapunzel a question from my childhood is at last answered Laughing

.
Who wants to try nibbling the roots first?

**camprn** 7/27/2012, 12:21 pm

Turan wrote:O, I got that in my yard from some peonie divisions given me. It is really really hard to get rid of. So that is rapunzel a question from my childhood is at last answered .
Who wants to try nibbling the roots first?

Not me, I am ready to burn it all at the stake. I am going to sow some echinachea seeds today to give my bees a treat next year.

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