Like the illusion of Wall Street, with its vast and powerful investment banks, now shuttered, China too is an illusion perpetuated by the Globalists that gave us the 15,000 mile Caesar salad, poisoned cat food and lead based paint on babies' pacifiers. Like the illusion that money would come from thin air to always push housing prices higher, China has spent a generation pursuing its illusion. Pursuing an unattainable dream to be like the West, while 6000 years of its carefully shepherded top soil blows into the sea.
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 11:52 am Post subject: Local Bee Populations
link Hi all, So, the above article got me thinking: are disappearing bees happening in some local areas and not others? There do seem to be less of them in my area, but what about yours? Just curious as to whether it truly is a national or global problem or whether its just happening to commercial bee keepers but only local pockets of wild honey bees. What have you seen going on in your yard??
Have a good one!
Abbie
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:50 pm Post subject: Re: Local Bee Populations
Since my garden has started coming up, I've had a lot more insects in my yard, besides the usual red wasps and fire ants. I've seen one that looks like a bee except it's a weird cranberry color, but it did have pollen on its legs, and two butterflies. I haven't seen butterflies in five years.
Bees and butterflies are definitely a rare sight here, except in my sister's house where a hive of honey bees sets up shop in her attic every few years. (She had a local beekeeper remove them.)
Joined: Apr 07, 2005 Posts: 225 Location: West of Chicago
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 2:35 pm Post subject: Re: Local Bee Populations
I built a hive this year and am learning how to wrangle bees. So far, I suck. My hive is thriving (so say my expert friends) and if I don't screw it all up to hell should get a good amount of beeswax and honey. The weird thing is this: there are no bees in my yard. I don't mow over the clover (much to Mrs. Lupus' dismay) and we have bee balm and and a big flower garden -- and my own bees don't pollinate them.
This can only lead me to believe that there are WAY less honey bees in the wild than there used to be. Mrs. Lupus and I have the Bug Out Escape Compound in SW Wisconsin and there aren't any bees there at all. I've looked and saw none. If you see black bees in your flowers, those are carpenter bees, not honey bees.
So, to sum: no honey bees in the town where I live except mine who don't pollinate my own yard.
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 2:37 pm Post subject: Re: Local Bee Populations
About 10 years ago, a huge swarm of honey bees decended on our forest and swarmed in our yard for about 3 nights. On the third day, they decided to move into the awning above one of our bay windows. We let them live there for about 8 years after that, and the hive eventually spread to another awning. The seemed very productive and healthy, and spawned colonies that swarmed and left every spring. Then one day they were just gone from one awning. The bees in the other colony businly began moving honey from the other side to the newer colony and after about a month, they too dissapeared. At first we were afraid the honey would rot and stink up the house, but a pest expert informed us we didn't really have to worry about the honey as much as the bodies from the colonies. Supprisingly though, there was never a rotten smell - the bees had just dissapeared in the middle of their harvest season leaving all their honey behind.
A few months later, yellow jackets moved in and began raiding the food source. The colony literally exploded and there were thousands of them around our house constantly. We didn't want to spray them (again, rotting smelling dead bodies), but we didn't want them living in the awning either. A sustained effort with a shop-vac and lots of protective clothing eventually got them out.
About two years later our neighbors got a bee hive and eventually they discovered the abandoned hive in our awnings, left their hive and moved into ours that was still chock full of honey. We've had two thriving colonies ever since. I always wondered if they suffered from CCD - or if perhapse they just found a better place to live - much like my neighbor's bees.
Zel wrote:
Since my garden has started coming up, I've had a lot more insects in my yard, besides the usual red wasps and fire ants. I've seen one that looks like a bee except it's a weird cranberry color, but it did have pollen on its legs, and two butterflies. I haven't seen butterflies in five years.
Bees and butterflies are definitely a rare sight here, except in my sister's house where a hive of honey bees sets up shop in her attic every few years. (She had a local beekeeper remove them.)
Joined: Sep 03, 2007 Posts: 639 Location: Sunny Virginia, USA
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 3:13 pm Post subject: Re: Local Bee Populations
I've never really had a reason for bees to stop in my yard until I planted my garden this year. A few honey bees, fewer wasps and yellow jackets, some butterflies and a virtual cloud of other types of polinating bees, mostly small black but other small colorful types as well. _________________ When somebody makes a statement you don't understand, don't tell him he's crazy. Ask him what he means. -- Otto Harkaman, Space Viking
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 3:43 pm Post subject: Re: Local Bee Populations
Hi Everyone, Thanks for the interesting responses! I have a question for canis_lupus how does someone go about building their own hive and how do you attract bees to it?? Thanks!
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 4:04 pm Post subject: Re: Local Bee Populations
canis_lupus wrote:
The weird thing is this: there are no bees in my yard. I don't mow over the clover (much to Mrs. Lupus' dismay) and we have bee balm and and a big flower garden -- and my own bees don't pollinate them.
This can only lead me to believe that there are WAY less honey bees in the wild than there used to be.
Bees work about a one mile radius from the hive, which is roughly 4000 acres. It is not unusual for them to completely ignore the area immediately surrounding the hive, because they fly straight up about 20 feet when they leave the hive to join the bee-lines. You can have great bee plants in your yard and never see one of your own bees on them. My bees fly right over my yard and then diverge into different bee-lines into the forests and fields near my house. _________________ With a farewell scream of escaping steam, the boiler bows to the Diesel;
The Iron Horse has run its course and we ride a chromium weasel
-Ogden Nash
Joined: Jun 13, 2007 Posts: 3904 Location: Minniesotuh
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 4:30 pm Post subject: Re: Local Bee Populations
The buzz: Most bees captured after truck overturns with 12M bees
1 July--A truck overturned yesterday while carrying 12 million bees along the Trans-Canada Highway in New Brunswick.
"There are quite a few bee stings happening up there at the highway," Sgt. Derek Strong, a police spokesman, told CTV after the crash. "In an unfortunate incident a journalist who was trying to get some bee noises on her microphone suffered a dozen or more stings. All in the name of journalism I guess, but it's best to stay away from that area. Twelve million bees can do a lot of damage."
Now, more than 24 hours later, the Mounties say most of the honey bees are back in their hives. …
USAToday
The bees had been loaned to pollinate someone's blueberry fields. Can you imagine the loss if the truck had caught fire? Wonder if the owner will loan the bees out anymore? _________________ "RRrrruuuunnnn!!!" ~Apocalypto
Joined: Sep 16, 2004 Posts: 4909 Location: Southwest WI
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 6:47 pm Post subject: Re: Local Bee Populations
I'll add my bee story. Last weekend while i was out in the yard i noticed a bee, then another, then i noticed they were EVERYWHERE! So i went and grabbed the camera. They still are around today. They love the clover in my grass and these 3 foot tall weed looking things with purple flowers. I bet on Sunday there was easily a 1000 bees or more in my yard, with some bumblebees (smaller ones) and some really tiny bees. I guess i got lucky or something. There must be a hive in a tree somewhere by my house. I took a bunch of pics.
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 7:01 pm Post subject: Re: Local Bee Populations
GREAT pic, Frank
Our bed of oregano is in full bloom (I didn't get around to cutting it back when I should have, and now it's going to seed ). Anyway, today when I was walking past it, I commented to Carlin about the bees.... I bet there were 50 bumble bees all OVER the bed. I was glad to see them. Earlier today in the heat of the day, the same bed was covered with little orange butterflies Nice.
Joined: Sep 16, 2004 Posts: 4909 Location: Southwest WI
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 7:34 pm Post subject: Re: Local Bee Populations
After all the horror stories i've read about them disappearing i was happy to see them in my yard. I need to get a picture of the really tiny bees. Not sure what they are called, but they love hanging around the blossoms of my cantaloupe. _________________ Clothing should be optional.
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). Anyway, today when I was walking past it, I commented to Carlin about the bees.... I bet there were 50 bumble bees all OVER the bed. I was glad to see them. Earlier today in the heat of the day, the same bed was covered with little orange butterflies 
