Comments on: Air pollution jams bees’ radar http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/freshloaf/2008/05/05/air-pollution-jams-bees-radar/ Atlanta news and views, one slice at a time Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:28:56 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: decaturite http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/freshloaf/2008/05/05/air-pollution-jams-bees-radar/comment-page-1/#comment-71435 decaturite Tue, 06 May 2008 15:27:46 +0000 http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/freshloaf/2008/05/05/air-pollution-jams-bees-radar/#comment-71435 It's interesting research and certainly sounds like a stress on bee populations, but doesn't really explain the 2006 colony collapse. As I recall, we were polluting a few years prior to 2006. Also, if pollution was the lynch pin, wouldn't you find that collapses occurred more frequently in urban areas than rural? It’s interesting research and certainly sounds like a stress on bee populations, but doesn’t really explain the 2006 colony collapse. As I recall, we were polluting a few years prior to 2006.

Also, if pollution was the lynch pin, wouldn’t you find that collapses occurred more frequently in urban areas than rural?

]]> By: Victor Jones http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/freshloaf/2008/05/05/air-pollution-jams-bees-radar/comment-page-1/#comment-71419 Victor Jones Tue, 06 May 2008 12:33:28 +0000 http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/freshloaf/2008/05/05/air-pollution-jams-bees-radar/#comment-71419 Here is one for the Bees: From Marsha & Darryl at Olive Forge Herb Farm Newsletter May 2008 Haddock, Georgia (Between Milledgeville & Gray) http://my.georgia.org/net/content/go.aspx?s=22583.0.26.3011 "Seven years ago we were talking about the drastic decline in the wild population of honey bees. This honey bee decline has not turned around. By some estimates almost 90% of our wild populations are gone. This is getting scary. There are lots of theories, none yet proven, but some new pest/disease/environmental factor is decimating the honey bee population and even causing some long-time beekeepers to abandon their business. (Drumroll) Enter the Mason Bee; less than half the size of a honey bee, this bee lives out its life within 100 yards of its birth place and almost never stings. You’ve probably seen this solitary bee’s nest and didn’t recognize it. In your workshop or garage, any tool that has a hole in the handle or even a deeply recessed screw hole can be a nesting cell for this little bee. The female bee will put her egg in the hole along with a ball of pollen and seal it with mud. Houses for these little fellows are easy to make. A 4 X 4 piece of non-treated wood or 2 glued-up 2 X 4’s with 5/16 inch holes drilled to about 3 ¼ inches deep is all they need for nesting. We have 3 “Bee Condos” at our place and every hole is occupied. Without proper pollination most of our garden vegetables will not set fruit. If you enjoy growing blueberries as we do, know that the mason bee will pollinate blueberries much better than honey bees, wasps or any other insect. Don’t confuse the mason bee with the large drilling bumble bee-the Carpenter Bee who is busy as we write, loudly drilling into our cedar siding. This little pollinator, the Mason bee, does not make any holes but will readily take a hole. We’re pretty sure that re-zoning is not necessary in order to have several bee condos around your yard." Here is one for the Bees:

From Marsha & Darryl at Olive Forge Herb Farm Newsletter May 2008 Haddock, Georgia (Between Milledgeville & Gray)
http://my.georgia.org/net/content/go.aspx?s=22583.0.26.3011

“Seven years ago we were talking about the drastic decline in the wild population of honey bees. This honey bee decline has not turned around. By some estimates almost 90% of our wild populations are gone. This is getting scary. There are lots of theories, none yet proven, but some new pest/disease/environmental factor is decimating the honey bee population and even causing some long-time beekeepers to abandon their business.

(Drumroll) Enter the Mason Bee; less than half the size of a honey bee, this bee lives out its life within 100 yards of its birth place and almost never stings. You’ve probably seen this solitary bee’s nest and didn’t recognize it. In your workshop or garage, any tool that has a hole in the handle or even a deeply recessed screw hole can be a nesting cell for this little bee. The female bee will put her egg in the hole along with a ball of pollen and seal it with mud.

Houses for these little fellows are easy to make. A 4 X 4 piece of non-treated wood or 2 glued-up 2 X 4’s with 5/16 inch holes drilled to about 3 ¼ inches deep is all they need for nesting. We have 3 “Bee Condos” at our place and every hole is occupied.

Without proper pollination most of our garden vegetables will not set fruit. If you enjoy growing blueberries as we do, know that the mason bee will pollinate blueberries much better than honey bees, wasps or any other insect. Don’t confuse the mason bee with the large drilling bumble bee-the Carpenter Bee who is busy as we write, loudly drilling into our cedar siding. This little pollinator, the Mason bee, does not make any holes but will readily take a hole.

We’re pretty sure that re-zoning is not necessary in order to have several bee condos around your yard.”

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