BEE BAR
Posted on 10/01/2008 1:47:28 PM PDT by Scythian
A moose bit my sister, once.
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=97813
“...They work more than ninety food crops.”
“Bees don't just pollinate your food, they pollinate food for your food. Alfalfa and clover, both cattle feed, need to be pollinated in order to produce seeds for the next year's crop. Bees, then, are an important link in dairy and beef production.”
“Bees get ready for winter by storing food, kicking out male bees, and sealing the hive.”
(LOL! That's what it says. Can any of you men relate?)
Then it goes on to say, “Male bees don't do any work, and so they are a drain on resources.”
(Are male bees voting for Obama?)
But seriously, here is another good article:
“Declining bee population threatens major growers”
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6299480
I personally don't want to have to eat food that tastes like cardboard if the honeybees disappear. I hope they solve it soon.
BEE BAR
Let me know when bees fall dead after visiting a tobacco field.
Moderation, yes, but meanwhile organic stuff plain tastes better, too, and that’s enough to warrant a modest price increment for the chef in me. But each of us is different, with different sensitivities. I have a neurological problem that makes me more sensitive to insecticides than most folks, so there’s another reason. If non-organic works for you, great.
Thanks for the alert on this one.
I cross posted it to the food thread.
This entire issue with this thread and bees, is caused by seed treatments to increase the yields on corn and canola. Two crops.....that don't need bees, yet are affecting bees to make goofy oil that has no cholesterol and methanol for cars.
I think it could be said that we have hurt the Ag sector to make the enviro's happy.
Can we agree on that? perhaps.....Is there a political side to this that we may be missing?
LOL!
Several months later I noticed they were back... but they really challenge me if I get too near the hives. So.... I just watch them do their thing and leave them alone. When I feed them in winter... I wait until after sunset. It's very time-consuming to keep up with them properly....and I can't do that right now with my schedule. I'd love to steal some honey...but I've forgotten what/when/how to do all of that. One of these days I'll break out all the books and try my hand again. :)
I forget to share that there are some really potent garlic sprays that work too. We have tons of humming birds so I am very careful of what I use.
Also...I would never allow the traps to get close to plants I don’t want the beetles on.
bump
The data, if true, certainly suggest it.
In any event, it is certainly unclear whether it is the manufacturer or the end-users who are at fault.
I can agree with all that.
That's the problem. Plants almost everywhere. Or too close to the street, etc. They work best in almost full sun. And you don't want them to fly over any plants they like to get to the traps. The roof might work or high in a tree they don't like, but can't get up there.
Anyway, one lady was so swarmed in central IL she couldn't go outside for awhile, heard them banging against the house. There was a newspaper article about the invasion and her. She claimed to have made a homebrew of lemon juice, vinegar, and dish soap (prob dil w/water). A couple of us tried to call her and find out the proportions but no luck. I thought I might guess and do an experiment, maybe 1/2 cup to a gallon.
I'll freepmail you a copy of the article I saved but the formatting will be bad.
I don't know if garlic would work or not. I've got that liquid fence stuff but think no. Some people blend up dead beetle cocktail and spray that, too gross for me.
If you read anything that sounds easy, fairly safe and promising, please ping me. Even laying down milky spore won't be all that easy for me, terrace, may have to do it twice or more to get it going. They will still come in from neighbors who don't do it.
Not enough people care yet in my community for there to be an effort on that front. One lady in TN trapped enough over the years, she not only helped farmers close by (they like corn silk) but this year she hardly had any. I've got instructions for a modified trap. The bags don't work that great and nasty to empty and change; bait part works several weeks.
Yes, it’s a beautiful day here in Sacramento. The edge is off of the heat, the birds are singing and life is good. — watching the hummingbirds drink out of our backyard fountain, hearing a couple of frogs croaking from my potted plants on the patio and watching the horses run the pasture.
Re the garden, can’t wait to get out and plant my tulip bulbs when it really cools off here. Getting some rain tomorrow, and so the wet season begins.
We are in a rural area of Sacramento, so we can get some nasty bugs — white flies and black widow spiders. My dogs each gotten bitten by a black widow once while sitting out in the orchard, and for one of them it was pretty serious. So, while I look for the natural choice when I can, there are limits. I do have the perimeter of my house sprayed to stop bugs from entering the house.
Usually, when I have a basic garden problem pest, I try to find a natural solution — lady bugs & the like. Second line of defense is my grandmother’s “homemade insecticide” — cooled water from boiled tobacco with a couple drops of dishwashing liquid in it, delivered from a spray bottle. It’s only when all those things have been defeated that I pull out “the big guns” — commercial insecticide. And with those white flies, I would have nuked them if I could!
Hope that all is well with you, too, on our beautiful, beloved coast!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.