Bee Nice

                                       

Not Marcellus Explosions this Time

There have been reports of exploding watermelons in China because of a chemical fertilizer and or wet conditions. I seen some watermelons at the grocery store the other day but didn't buy them because there was no country of origin listed.

Gas wells can explode but I never heard of exploding veggies!

Watermelons are a favorite and I have my own planted in flats and if it ever stops raining they'll be in the ground by Memorial Day. Need another reason why a home vegetable garden is important?

One of the most popular spring treats are strawberries. However, it is best to grow your own considering some of the harmful chemicals used in growing them on commercial farms. Need another reason why a home vegetable garden is important?

And to think politicians and insurance folks argue over health insurance and allow this chemical poisoning to go on unfettered.

Watermelons and strawberries are two crops which rely on the bees. It's up to gardeners to take some steps to help the bees which have been having some problems lately. Bee populations are in a serious decline.

Honeybees and other Pollinators

Honeybees, first introduced by the early colonists in America in the early 1600's are vital to agriculture. Nearly 80 percent of the foods we eat are on the table because of the work of the honeybee. The bees are also largely responsible for pollinating wild food crops for our native wildlife.

In Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania State beekeepers Association, the bees are responsible for an estimated $60,000,000 in agricultural goods every year. The figures are much the same and even higher in some other states.

Hopefully, it is common knowledge by now that the honeybees are in serious decline. Researchers point to a number of reasons: the bees are malnourished because of the lack of food sources, pesticide use, invasive mites, and what is called Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD for short; a mysterious and fatal disease.

The number of beekeepers has dwindled dramatically in the last several decades because of the difficulties in keeping the bees alive. In addition, new Queen Bee replacements are expensive. In Pennsylvania in 1980 there were 80,000 registered hives, this year the number is 30,000 or less.

I spoke with Ben and Rose Johns, who have a small farm with blueberries, apples and a vegetable garden. They are an elderly couple who supplement their social security with what they can sell from home and at farmers Markets. They had 10 hives but lost them all this past winter. They can't afford to replace them this year, maybe next year.

Charles Vorisek of the Linesville, PA area had 100 hives. This past winter he lost upwards of 70 percent. Vorisek is vice president of the PA State Beekeepers Association; the bees are his source of income and he had to purchase a lot of new Queen Bees. He takes his hives to the orchards near Lake Erie so the bees can pollinate the cherry trees, apples, and peaches; during the summer months the bees travel further south to help pollinate squash and pumpkin patches.

John Glaspell, a neighbor and a beekeeper had to replace all of his hives this spring.

It is a similar story wherever you seem to look. And it's not getting any better.

What You Can Do

Support your local beekeepers, Buy their honey, it is one big step forward. Buy local honey.

Try to avoid using chemical pesticides. If they have to be used, follow the directions closely and avoid spraying anything in bloom.

Plant native flowers which will bloom throughout the season.

Leave natural areas on the property where possible, construct a brush pile.

Patches of clover can be used in under-used lawn areas. This will actually help save time and money on mowing.

Plant herbs in the vegetable garden in a designated space. Many herbs are nutritious for the bees.

Some BEE Facts

According to many estimates, the bees must visit 2 million or more flowers to produce a 16 oz jar of honey. In Pennsylvania, the average amount of honey per hive is 37 pounds (leaving about 60 some pounds for the bees in the hive to get them through winter). The number of flowers those bees in one hive have to visit is somewhat staggering.

Early blooming flowers, such as the dandelion and marsh marigold, in the spring are an important source of food for the bees. So are the late fall blooming flowers such as the golden rods and asters.

Honeybees are the only insect that produces food for humans.

And here is an interesting fact: Honeybees never sleep!

Check This Out

Raincross Motor Bikes - Go Green - Looking for a special graduation special? A less expensive means of transportation? Check the Web site and learn more Raincross Motor Bikes. Pictured are the two owners and if you get a chance watch their video.
Tweet

Good Blogs

Corning New York Step by Step

Urban Veggie Garden

ProPublica

Marcellus Money – see whose getting the money

Good Bee Sources

Pennsylvania State Beekeepers

MAAREC

May: The Real Good, the Bad and the Very Stupid

   

I suspect Memorial Day at the end of the month will be a little more patriotic following the successful Navy SEALS operation and bin Laden's demise. President Obama, the Intelligence Services and our military deserve high praise.

The President made the right choice in not releasing the gory death photos. A release would have been like throwing gasoline on a fire. His approach was intelligent and professional.

Besides there no reason to view and gawk; there's plenty of violence in our culture, from games, to movies and television. Bin Laden, like all of us, at least in the Christian viewpoint, was still born as a man in God's Image and Likeness; what sense is there in demeaning a dead body?

As for what happens next, we need to remain vigilant and prayerful. The SEALS were able to seize valuable information from the garbage strewn “mansion”.

And an additional word of caution: do not open any emails which claim to be photographs of bin Ladan dead. They very well could contain a nasty virus which will obtain much of your personal and private information. The warning comes from the FBI.

Some Native Americans were rightfully upset with use of Geronimo. Hopefully, a lesson was learned.

While the Native American concerns represent a serious issue, the political debate over who should get mre credit Bush 43 or the President, sounds like grade school playground nonsense. Let's face it; Obama changed the course of action from Iraq to Afganastan and the ultimate elimination of the world's most wanted terrorist.

Now perhaps, the end of two very costly wars is somewhat closer.

Spring

Where are you? At least we had two nice days lately and I was able to overturn a raised bed for the onion. But the ground is still to soupy to plant. However, the weather forecasts are indicating warmer and drier weather for the upcoming week. Peas and lettuce will be the next adventure; the tomatoes inside are doing nicely but peppers need to get into flats.

Beware A Word of Caution – the weather is perfect for the appearance of late tomato blight which has already made an early appearance in some areas such as North Carolina. If purchasing plants, shop at a reputable garden center or grow your own.

There are several products available to spray on the plants (the late blight can also devastate potatoes). But the sprays need to be frequent and a spray program needs to be in place before the blight arrives. Even after a rainstorm, the spray should be used.

There are claims that a baking powder spray as well as manure tea sprays are effective.

Yard Clean-Up

Winter brought down numerous branches and even trees; it is making for some harder than usual clean up efforts. There is no sense to hauling the debris to a landfill or paying to have it hauled away. Think about building a brush pile somewhere on the property. It is a project that can be done despite the soggy conditions.

There are many benefits. It provides an area of protection for small animals such as chipmunks, and rabbits, some birds will also nest or seek protection in a brush pile. It also can become a good habitat area for insects.

The brush pile doesn't have to look like a messy pile of old sticks. A few vines crops can be planted around the pile (if there is enough sunlight morning glory seeds can be used effectively) or other native wildflowers can be used.

Marcellus Politics and Money

Certainly, the large deposits of Marcellus gas underneath Pennsylvania are an economic resources for many workers. However, Pennsylvania still has not taxed the drilling companies similar to every other state. Instead, to help ease the economic hard times of the Great Recession, Republican Gov. Corbett, has decided to cut funding for many programs, including health insurance and education funding despite huge profits made by the tax exempt industry. Many politicians are also enjoying the bonanza and getting some large contributions which can be viewed at MarcellusMoney.Org

There been many other problems concerning public safety issues and water quality. PennEnviroment and other groups are concerned about the short 200 foot distance between schools, hospitals and nursing homes. Fracking is a dangerous process and there have been explosions and underground water has been seriously contaminated by the toxic chemicals used in the process.

In another twist, the Pennsylvania Game Commission will now allow some wells on our public state game lands, unless it is deemed the area is environmentally sensitive. Sorry, hunters. Gas first.

In one of the latest developments, gas drillers are allowed to drill in historic burial sites and ancient villages used by the Native Americans. Whatever clues which could be discovered about our past and insights into the future, are being quickly destroyed for mere profit.

It is a weird situation in Pennsylvania nowadays; citizens are asked to bow and worship and pay more money to the new “oil barons”.

For the Heck of It:

Get ready for the next doomsday scenario. Coming in November, from the Toronto Star.

Good Blogs

Corning NY Step by Step

Urban Veggie Garden

PennEnvironment

Pro Publica