tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121288141677007319.post7437447802359090893..comments2021-09-29T20:40:35.264-04:00Comments on MooseBoots: Life Bee GoodDeus Ex Machinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05425336387322313716noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121288141677007319.post-55859457788976454422011-07-17T21:49:29.827-04:002011-07-17T21:49:29.827-04:00Julie, you are welcome. We do not intend to harve...Julie, you are welcome. We do not intend to harvest much, if any honey this year. We want to make sure they have enough for winter. We plan to let them have it all until next spring, unless they have a lot of it stored by September 1st. If the hive is full, we may take a single bar of comb.Deus Ex Machinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05425336387322313716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121288141677007319.post-43831833116053295232011-07-17T21:44:20.951-04:002011-07-17T21:44:20.951-04:00Thanks for the info, Deus Ex Machina...I did not k...Thanks for the info, Deus Ex Machina...I did not know about honey bees not bee-ing native before the 1600's - interesting...I try to have alot of pollinator-friendly plants in our gardens (flower and veggie), as well as healthy environments for wasps, ladybugs and dragonflies, to help with the problem pests.<br /><br />As for non-native plants, I try not to have too many of those - they don't do as well, anyways. We are trying to switch back to non-hybrids for our veggies, too. Getting back to as basic as we can, keeping it simple and good. <br /><br />Hope you can harvest some nice honey this year!Julie Baumlisbergerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00491044461309571172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121288141677007319.post-12898355931971596912011-07-17T20:51:09.716-04:002011-07-17T20:51:09.716-04:00Julie, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Th...Julie, I wouldn't worry about it too much. There are no honey bee species native to North America. They were an introduced species in the 1600s. <br /><br />I know that pollination was happening before this. In our area, mason bees and bumble bees come to mind immediately as native pollinators. There are others, I am sure. I would not worry too much unless you are trying to grow non-native, very exotic plants that may not be serviced by native pollinators.<br /><br />I, of course, am hoping mine help pollinate, but I would also like to be able to collect some honey in the bargain. We'll see.Deus Ex Machinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05425336387322313716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121288141677007319.post-52605336034832894612011-07-17T13:03:02.304-04:002011-07-17T13:03:02.304-04:00So good to hear that you are much more successful ...So good to hear that you are much more successful with your bees this year! Great pictures...This spring we had many, many bumblebees, but I have only seen maybe four or five honey bees - unheard of on our property. Our neighbour down the road no longer keeps bees, so maybe that's why ours have disappeared, but I would still think that there would be natural colonies living in trees, etc. Our property is a haven for many other creatures, I am slightly concerned about not having the honey bees around. Plants are still getting pollinated because of the many other insects, but still... any thoughts?Julie Baumlisbergerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00491044461309571172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121288141677007319.post-10656465290770930232011-07-17T06:24:27.322-04:002011-07-17T06:24:27.322-04:00Rachel, I am glad to have 'giggled' you. ...Rachel, I am glad to have 'giggled' you. In the words of Uncle Albert of Mary Poppins fame, "I love to laugh." <br /><br />The beetles seem to contain themselve to the grapes and black raspberries here. The girls will pick them off and feed them to the chickens from time to time, but, for the most part, we leave them alone. The black raspberries have been very generous this year, so I guess it is not too much of a problem letting them share.Deus Ex Machinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05425336387322313716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121288141677007319.post-8192905315708896142011-07-16T21:33:40.908-04:002011-07-16T21:33:40.908-04:00"The Japanese Beetles have established someth..."The Japanese Beetles have established something of a spa on the grape leaves."<br />This giggled me, way more than it should. Those beetles are not funny at all, destroying our roses and raspberries and grapes! But the thought they might be at a spa.... well, that's an image I'll take with me when I see them chillin' on our rosebush...The Buck Shoots Herehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07220730771112188313noreply@blogger.com