2013 has been a rather unusual growing
year in northwestern Pennsylvania. Some events were early, while
others were later than usual. Following a relatively mild winter for
this region, the spring was cool and wet. Those conditions persisted
until last week when a heat wave settled in the area – finally.
Perhaps, the weather influenced the
honeybee swarms which normally begin in May. Many beekeepers
expressed concern over the lack of May swarms. What happened to the
bees?
However, with June, the swarms began
and beekeepers throughout the region were busy chasing bees. A swarm
is a natural division of a bee hive. A beekeeper can control the
swarming instinct in a domesticated hive. However, control over a
feral hive is a whole other story.
Swarms, contrary to popular folk lore
is actually a very peaceful gathering of bees. The bees are not
aggressive whatsoever, unless they are provoked.
If your lucky enough to see a swarm,
you are witnessing a yearly, natural ritual not seen by many folks.If
the bees land in an unwanted area or pose a safety hazard, simply
call your local beekeeper, don't reach for a poisonous can of spray.
Most respectable beekeepers will take care of the bees and get them
to safe quarters.
Sometimes the bees decide to settle in
an area where it's hard to capture them. Many beekeepers have a
special vacuum sweeper, like the one pictured below.
The special vacuum sweeper will not
harm the bees and they can be safely re-located.. For more
information and details on honeybee swarms,
Silver Spoon.
Little Brown Bats
One of the plagues of the wet
conditions and soaring temperatures, are the mosquitoes. The insects
seem to be enjoying the weather much to everyone's dismay. Worse than
being a plain and simple nuisance, is the fact that mosquitoes can
carry any number of serious diseases such as West Nile Virus. For some ideas on mosquito control instead of reaching for a can of pesticides,
Mosquito Free.
Normally, the bats would help to keep
the mosquito population under control. However, this past winter,
White-nose Syndrome (WNS) appeared in northwestern Pennsylvania and
many bats were lost to the fatal disease. No bats, more mosquitoes.
There are some actions homeowners and
property owners can take to help the bats. A good bat house is one of
the most important steps to take while researchers study the
mysterious fungus.
Consider erecting a bat house to help.
For some details and an overview of WNS,
little brown bats.
Home Garden – Get Ready to Plant.
While the heavy rains caused some
problems, most everything in home vegetable gardens seem to have
recovered.. Tomatoes and peppers seem to be doing well, although
there are some cases of early blight being reported. Beans,
watermelons, and the squashes all seem to be doing just fine.
In late July, the garlic should be
ready to dig. Garlic is rather easy to grow and, in case you haven't
planted any in the past, October is generally the month to
plant the garlic cloves. August – September are the months to get an area
prepared for the fall planting. If a hardneck variety is planted, the
first garlic harvest happens in mid-June when the scapes develop on
the top of the plants; the garlic bulbs underground will be ready
in a about four weeks or the end of July. Keep the largest cloves
from the garlic bulb to plant in October.
There are other greens and vegetables
which can be planting now and into August. Lettuce does just fine, as
do
peas,
red beets and
broccoli.
Get the Blues – It is Blueberry
Season
Blueberry season is here. Try to buy
local if you don't have any of the healthy berries growing in the
yard. Consider planting several of the bushes this fall or next
spring. They are hardy and attractive bushes, For some more
information:
Get the Blues.
A Sad and Strange Political Week
There was an uproar this week from
some folks over the picture of Boston Bomber Dzhokhar Tsamaev on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. I'm
not too sure I can understand or agree with the complaints.
Personally, I wonder how many bothered to read the
accompanying article which was very well done. It is a tragic story
about a very horrible action and innocent lives lost. Justice will
prevail.
The Photo.
Justice will also prevail in the
ongoing tagic saga regarding George Zimmerman and the shooting death
of Trayvon Martin. A jury last week acquited Zimmerman, however,
federal charges may be filed. But the incident did raise, once again,
racial issues in the USA. It is a crucial debate which, both urban
and rural citizens, should re-examine. It is time to move forward.
Good Blogs to Consider:
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