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Post by lisaann on Jun 27, 2020 18:22:55 GMT -5
and screamed for hubby to come look. They were on the zucchini flowers.
I wish I had lots of bees like some chat about. But, alas, this is not the 60's, where you walk outside in your bare feet and get stung 7 times in half a second.
Yep, it's not a laughing matter. |
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Post by binnylou on Jun 27, 2020 18:25:06 GMT -5
lisaann, do you have Autumn Joy Sedum? If there are bees in your area, they will visit that Sedum.
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Post by lisaann on Jun 27, 2020 18:29:01 GMT -5
binnylou, Yes I do. Since 1990's. Bees are scarce for years here it seems. I hand pollinate zukes. Gave up on watermelon and doubt I'll see a cucumber. Time will tell.
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Post by datgirl on Jun 28, 2020 10:33:35 GMT -5
We have bee hives on our property and so far have not seen honey bees in the garden. They must be finding something else to their liking. There have been Bumble Bees in the garden.
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Post by gardendmpls on Jun 28, 2020 17:39:01 GMT -5
You should get the parthenocarpic cukes. Don't need pollination.
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Post by James on Jun 30, 2020 10:49:41 GMT -5
"I wish I had lots of bees like some chat about. "
Want bees? You could get some beehives and bees and be a beekeeper. The top and bottom boards, hive bodies and frames cost some money getting set up, but this equipment lasts a long time. Bees come and go. I would suggest going for three colonies if you want to start beekeeping. Get a good book and read up about beekeeping. "The Hive and the Honey Bee" by Dadant is a good one. Oh, check local ordinances for rules about beekeeping. Some cities have laws that make beekeeping a no no. Do you know a local beekeeper? Go talk to him. Have fun!
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jun 30, 2020 12:11:17 GMT -5
I've been seeing a lot of honeybees on my herb blossoms, as well as all those tomato and tomatillo blossoms. I've had a lot of bumblebees, before I was seeing them, but they are both out there in large numbers this year. Seems the bumblebees are the ones I see most on cukes. Squash are just beginning to open, and something I see in those and cucumber blossoms frequently are houseflies, which do a lot of pollinating.
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Post by Mumsey on Jul 5, 2020 16:00:40 GMT -5
Lots of honeybees in the catmint. I have 2 large beds of it. They are very happy. Cleaned birdbath today, wasps all around waiting for the water. They were there when I dumped it to clean.
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Post by James on Jul 6, 2020 10:11:03 GMT -5
I am a retired beekeeper. Kept bees for many years. The bees had died in winter. Then decided I was done, so I sold all the equipment.
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Post by datgirl on Jul 6, 2020 13:25:10 GMT -5
We now have 8 hives on our property. We have a beekeeper that comes out and maintains them. We are learning from him and some day will probably just buy the hives from him.
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Post by Wheelgarden on Jul 6, 2020 14:19:50 GMT -5
We've had a nice uptick in the honeybee count lately as many more people nearby have been keeping hives, like there were around here a while back.
About 25 years ago I broadcast Dutch White clover around my garden area. We slack off the mowing somewhat to let it bloom, and the bees love it. So do my vegetables.
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Post by James on Jul 9, 2020 14:23:06 GMT -5
Yes, the bees love White Dutch Clover. Here the farmers plant a lot of alfalfa for the cows. Just as it starts to bloom out come the mowing machines. Seems the hay gets tough if let go into full bloom. On dryfarm the second growth doesn't get very tall and the farmers won't cut it so it blooms. The honey bees really get after it.
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