BEE-WARE KILLER BEES!

"How doth the little busy bee improve each shining hour, And gather honey all the day from every opening flower." Isaac Watts, Against Idleness

TODAY'S SEEDS OF WISDOM

• JUST BLOOMED TODAY
• LEAPIN' LIZARDS!
• BEE-WARE KILLER BEES!
• GARDEN GIGGLE
• FAUNA
• FEEDBACK

Tulip

JUST BLOOMED TODAY

Daffodil

LEAPIN' LIZARDS!
Every four years we are treated to an extra day on our calendar, that helps keep things running smoothly time wise.  Julius Caesar was the first to figure this out, which was very important in that time. Precision was important because if you planted seeds at the wrong time, you might have a famine on your hands!

Leap Year 1916 Newspaper

 Here are some fun facts about Leap Day/Year:

• There is a one in 1,461 chance that a person is born on Leap Day.
• Leapsters will never have a 'golden birthday'. Leap Day babies would have to be 116 before they turn 29 on the 29th.
• Some people believe it gives a woman the right to propose to a man on a Leap Day/Year.
• When a baby is born on Leap Day, physicians will ask the parents to choose either February 28 or March 1 for the birth certificate.

BEE-WARE KILLER BEES!

Yesterday we learned about the life cycle of a bee. We also learned the difference between a queen, worker and a drone. But how can you tell the difference between a gentle honeybee and a killer bee?


'Killer bees' or Africanized honeybees originally came from 26 Tanzanian queen bees accidentally released in 1957 in Brazil. They were an experimental hybrid by a biologist,Warwick E. Kerr, who interbred bees from Europe and southern Africa. He was attempting to breed a strain of bees that would produce more honey and be more productive. The African queens and drones mated with local queens and drones and their descendants have since spread through the Americas. 


The sting of the Africanized Honey Bee is no more potent than a garden variety honey bee, and they have a similar appearance. What makes Africanized honey bees more dangerous is that they are more easily provoked, quick to swarm, attack in great numbers, and pursue their victims for greater distances. An Africanized bee colony can remain agitated longer and may attack up to a quarter of a mile away from the hive.

Is it possible to tell an Africanized honey bee from a regular honey bee just by looking at it? The answer is no, because the size difference is very subtle. Africanized honey bees are about 10% smaller, but the only way to be sure is by laboratory testing. The most notable differences are the Africanized honey bee trait to nest almost anywhere, including close proximity to humans and their increased defensiveness. All honey bees are defensive; that means, if a colony is disturbed, guard bees will come out of the hive to defend against the possible intruder. Regular honey bees will send out 5-10 bees to defend an area about 20 feet around the colony but Africanized honey bees may send out several hundred bees to defend an area up to 40 yards around the colony.

How many times can the Africanized honey bee sting? All female worker bees can sting only once. A portion of their abdomen remains with the stinger when she flies away and she dies soon afterwards. Male honey bees or drones do not sting, as they have no stinger. If you swat at a bee and crush its body by swatting, it produces an odor or pheromone that tells other bees to attack you. Swatting agitates the bee and causes it to sting more readily.


Keep pets and children indoors when using weed eaters, hedge clippers, tractors, power mowers, chain saws or other power equipment until you are certain no bee colonies are in the area. Honey bees are sensitive to unusual odors and loud vibrations. Attacks frequently occur when a person is mowing the lawn or pruning shrubs and trees and disturbs a colony. Leave the area quickly if you are attacked. The attack could last until the victim leaves the area. Cover your face using your hands and arms to protect your eyes and mouth.Seek shelter inside enclosures where the bees cannot enter such as a car, house, tent or other building.


Tomorrow we explore everyone's favorite~honey!


  

GARDEN GIGGLE

  BEE JOKES!

What did the bee cross the road?

Just bee-cause

What kind of cars do bees drive?

a Bee-mer

What sort of vehicle does a bee drive?

an automobeel

Where do baby bees sleep?

in apricots (apiary cots)

What is the hives favorite Beatles song?

Let It Bee

FAUNA

 

FEEDBACK

 

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THE BUZZ ON BEES PART II

"The careful insect 'midst his works I view, now from the flowers exhaust the fragrant dew, with golden treasures load his little thighs, and steer his distant journey through the skies. " 

John Gay, Rural Sports(canto1,1.82)

One of our bees exploring our apple blossom

 TODAY'S SEEDS OF WISDOM

• JUST BLOOMED TODAY
• GARDEN UPDATE
• THE BUZZ ON BEES PART II
• GARDEN GIGGLE
• FAUNA
• FEEDBACK

JUST BLOOMED TODAY

Window View of A Rainy Cold Garden

GARDEN UPDATE
Sitting in front of a cracklin' and poppin' fire with two puppies glued to my sides, and another one snoring under a blankie in the chair next to me. We are keeping a close eye on the thermometer outside so we can rush and put on heaters in the greenhouse and the chicken area once it hits freezing;Getting close as we are at 35F right now and it's raining.The snow level is supposed to be down to the 2000ft level (we are at 4000ft).


Everything is all nice and covered up, if the wind will keep cooperating. We get asked a lot how we have such a beautiful garden when it freezes and snows! We protect the leaves and young sprouts from frost each night with a simple sheet or tarp, which is removed during the day, except for a day like today. There is too much of a chance that, although it SAYS 35F, it might be colder with the wind chill, so the plants will stay all covered up today and tonight.

THE BUZZ ON BEES PART II
Yesterday we left our bees telling us how they pollinate flowers. Today we learn one reason WHY they are compelled to gather pollen! Pollen and nectar are usually combined together to form a provision mass, which is kinda soupy but firm. It is formed into various shapes and stored in a small chamber or cell with the egg laid gently on the mass. The cell is then fed and then sealed.

A honey bee queen may lay 2000 eggs per day during spring buildup, but she must also lay 1000 to 1500 eggs per day during the foraging season, mostly to replace daily casualities, most of which are workers dying of old age, or loss to other predators.It is common for females to produce fewer than 25 offspring when all is said and done.


From 1972-2006, there was a dramatic reduction in the number of feral honey bees in the U.S., which are now almost absent. However, in late 2006 and early 2007, loss of bees reached new proportions and the term colony collapse disorder was coined to describe the sudden disappearances. Research seems to suggest a DNA-based virus and a fungus combination could be the deadly cause.In 2009, some reports from the U.S. suggest that 1/3 of the honey bee colonies did not survive the winter, though normal winter losses are known to be around 25%.  


There are three castes of honey bees: queens, which produce eggs; drones or males, which mate with new queens and have no stinger; and workers, which are all non-reproducing females. The queen lays eggs singly in cells of the comb. Larvae hatch from eggs in three to four days. They are then fed by worker bees and develop through several stages in the cells. Cells are sealed by worker bees when the larvae pupates or grows. Queens and drones are larger then workers and so require larger cells to develop. A colony may typically consist of tens or thousands of individuals.

Queens emerge from their cells in 16 days, workers in 21 days and drones in 24 days. Only one queen is usually present in a hive. New virgin queens develop in enlarged cells by themselves fed by workers. When the existing queen dies or the colony grows too large, a virgin queen is 'awakened', takes a flight and once she is established starts laying eggs in the hive.

 

The average lifespan of a queen is 3-4 years; drones usually die upon mating or are kicked out of the hive before winter; workers may live for a few weeks in the summer and several months in areas with an extended winter.

So I guess in the bee world, it majorly sucks to be born a drone! Tomorrow, how to tell the difference between a regular bee and a killer bee!

GARDEN GIGGLE

BEE JOKES

Why did the queen bee kick out all the other bees?

Because they kept droning on and on

What do you call a bee born in May?

A maybe!

What kind of bee can't be understood?

A mumble bee!

Can bees fly in the rain?

Not without their little yellow jackets!

What bee is good for your health?

Vitamin bee!

FAUNA

FEEDBACK

 

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The Buzz on Bees Part I

"Like all of us in this storm between birth and death, I can wreak no great changes on the world, only small changes for the better, I hope, in the lives of those I love." Dean Koontz

Poppy Birth

TODAY'S SEEDS OF WISDOM

• JUST BLOOMED TODAY
• THE BUZZ ON BEES
• GARDEN GIGGLE
• FAUNA
• FEEDBACK

JUST BLOOMED TODAY

Showy Daffodil

Pretty Pansy

Sunny Daffodils

THE BUZZ ON BEES

I have really bee-n looking forward to this subject! We have a hive of very active bees in our front wall. Just a hint- learn from my experience. When your husband wakes you up at 4 a.m. and whispers softly to you, "Honey, where is the fire extinguisher?" WAKE UP. Your husband could have accidentally set the fence on fire trying to smoke out bees!


Of course, that didn't work and we read with trepidation about 'killer bees' and how they have killed two dogs in our town. When we still had horses I wanted to get into beekeeping and have a hive, but Jim was worried about them attacking the horses in their stalls, where they couldn't get away.But we know how important bees are to our fruit and flowers, and also how bees are disappearing from the world so we are looking forward to learning about them.It is estimated that one third of the human food supply depends on insect pollination, most of which is accomplished by bees, especially the domesticated European Honey Bee. It's a huge subject so we may spend a few days on it.

 

FASCINATING BEE FACTS

there are about 4,000 bees to one pound
the average flight speed of a bee is 12.5 mph	A honey bee has five eyes
there are over 20,000 known species of bees	the honey bee was brought to this country by early colonists
honeybees are never more gentle than when they are swarming	Bees must visit two million flowers to make one pound of honey
the average worker honeybee makes 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in their lifetime	the drone or male bee has a grandfather but no father

Yesterday we learned about bees role in pollination of the flower. Bees are adapted for feeding on nectar (as an energy source) and pollen (for protein and other nutrients). Most pollen is used for larvae.


Bees have a long complex tongue called a proboscis that enables them to get to the nectar from flowers. They have antennae (13 segments in males and 12 in females). Bees have two pairs of wings, the hind pair being the smaller of the two.

The smallest bee in the world is TRIGONA MINIMA at 5/64" long, and the largest is MEGACHILE PLUTO at 1.5". The best known species of bee is the EUROPEAN HONEY BEE, which as its name suggests, produces honey.


Most bees are fuzzy and carry an electrostatic charge, which helps the pollen stick. Female bees often stop foraging and groom themselves to pack the pollen into the scopa, which is on the legs in most bees, or on the abdomen on others, and modified into specialized pollen baskets on the legs of honey bees and their relatives.


Tomorrow-How does a bee grow?

GARDEN GIGGLE

 

What did the bee say to the flower?

Hello, honey!

What does a worker bee do when they forget where they are?

They 'wing' it

How does a queen bee get around her hive?

She's throne! 

What does a bee sit on?

Its bee-hind!

What does the drone call the queen bee?

Bee-loved

FAUNA

FEEDBACK

 

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Angels in the Garden

"In the garden I tend to drop my thoughts here and there. To the flowers I whisper the secrets I keep and the hopes I breathe. I know they are there to eavesdrop for the angels." Dodinsky

TODAY'S SEEDS OF WISDOM

• JUST BLOOMED TODAY
• GARDEN UPDATE
• GARDEN GIGGLE
• FAUNA
• FEEDBACK

JUST BLOOMED TODAY

  

GARDEN UPDATE

Just a wee note to let you all know how the garden is faring. We are seeing many new blooms each day and lots more to come. Today the weather was a gorgeous sunny 78F.

Of course, since I just bought tomatoes in pony packs, it is going to SNOW tomorrow <sigh>. Good thing I didn't plant them yet. Gotta love the California desert! One day it is t-shirt and shorts weather and the next you are making snowballs!

  

The 'experiment' with the lettuce being inside that I had shared with you previously, worked so swimmingly that I added more thyme and some lemon thyme as well. I was also encouraged enough to add another strawberry pot and planted sugar snap peas (the squirrel eats those, too). So far so good and I have been misting them as well. They are thriving, so fingers crossed.

Once I plant the tomatoes, I will be planting them topsy-turvy style and I will be doing an entire post on how to do that, with DIY photos, so stay tuned!

GARDEN GIGGLE

   the Gardeners

 

We dug the plot on Monday –

the soil was rich and fine,

We forgot to thaw out dinner –

so we went out to dine...

We planted roses Tuesday –

we think they are a must,

They really are quite lovely

but we quite forgot to dust.

On Wednesday it was daisies –

they opened up with the sun,

All whites and pinks and yellows –

but the laundry wasn’t done...

The poppies came on Thursday -

a bright and cherry red,

I guess we really were engrossed –

we never made the bed...

It was violets on Friday –

in colors we adore,

It never bothered us at all –

all crumbs upon the floor.

We hired a maid on Saturday 

our week is now complete,

We can garden all we want –

the house will still be neat!

It’s nearly lunchtime Sunday –

and we cannot find the maid,

Oh no! I don’t believe it!

She’s out there WITH THE SPADE!

FAUNA

FEEDBACK

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Daffodil, Narcissus and Jonquils, Oh My!

"The flower that follows the sun does so even in cloudy days"  Robert Leighton

TODAY'S SEEDS OF WISDOM

• JUST BLOOMED TODAY
• DAFFODIL,NARCISSUS & JONQUILS, OH MY!
• GARDEN GIGGLE
• FAUNA
• FEEDBACK

JUST BLOOMED TODAY

 

DAFFODIL, NARCISSUS & JONQUILS, OH MY!
Had a question from the reader mailbag about how to tell the difference between Daffodils, Narcissus and Jonquils. Checking our 'bible', I found that all of them fall under the category of NARCISSUS. It serves as a catch-all of new flower forms, with size and color being a denominator.They are broken down into 13 divisions. For example, jonquils are smaller and have clusters of 2-4 rather small, fragrant flowers. Daffodils come in many varieties and can be small-cupped or large-cupped. Also in this group are hybrids, miniatures and polyanthus, or bunch-flowered with small-cupped white and yellow flowers in clusters.They are actually in the amaryllis family. Flowers of the tazetta-group species are commonly called paperwhites.

 

Narcissus bulbs are permanent, increasing from year to year, and hardy in cold and heat. The best things to know about this group is that flowers usually face the sun; keep that in mind when selecting a planting place; And, gophers hate them and will not eat them. They will grow in all zones.They are poisonous to eat.


The name NARCISSUS has a fascinating history. There are a few variations, but mostly they center on a vain youth of Greek mythology named Narcissus. In one version, he became so obsessed with his own reflection as he kneeled and gazed into a pool that he fell into the water and drowned. In another version, he died of starvation and thirst from just sitting by the edge of the pool until he gave out, gazing at his reflection until he died. In both versions, the Narcissus plant sprang from where he died. The Greeks say that the gods turned his remains into the Narcissus flower.

 'Narcissus' by Michaelangelo Caravaggio 1599

 The Daffodil is the national flower of Wales, where it is traditional to wear the flower on St. David's Day (March 1). The Narcissus is the national flower symbolizing the New Year in Kurdish culture.If the Narcissus blooms on Chinese New Year, it is said to bring extra wealth and good fortune throughout the year.
Harry Potter character Narcissa Malfoy, the mother of Draco Malfoy, was named after Narcissus and was described as being incredibly vain and arrogant. Her sister, Bellatrix Lestrange and cousin Sirius Black were described being incredibly beautiful, as were all members of the Black family.


There! That was all you wanted to know (hopefully) about daffodils, narcissus and jonquils~and probably more!

GARDEN GIGGLE

You MIGHT be a Redneck Gardener If:

• You mow your lawn and find a wheelbarrow
• You think a chain saw is a musical instrument
• You move your refrigerator and the grass underneath it is yellow
• You don't water your front yard rather than mow it.
• You know how many bags of fertilizer your car can hold
• You've ever cleaned your house with a leaf blower
• You empty the trash when you have enough to fill up the pickup.
• You can amuse yourself for more than an hour with the hose
• You've been cited for reckless driving on a riding lawn mower.
• You move your weed-eater to take a bath

FAUNA

FEEDBACK

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Flower Porn

"The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life."
Jean Giraudoux

 Our pansies smile!

TODAY'S SEEDS OF WISDOM

• JUST BLOOMED TODAY
• FLOWER PORN
• GARDEN GIGGLE
• FAUNA
• FEEDBACK

JUST BLOOMED TODAY

  

FLOWER PORN
CAUTION: This post contains material of a sex-y NATURE!!!!!
Ahh, time for the show-offs-the flowers! Everybody's (with the exception of Morticia Addams) favorite.Most flowering plants bear 'perfect' flowers in which the flower has both male and female parts.


When the female flower parts are pollinated by pollen(the male sexual parts), the flower produces a fruit of some sort which contains seeds.. On edible fruit, it will become large, fleshy and edible. But in most cases of  flowers, it produces a papery, dry enclosure for the seeds. These are designed to distribute the seeds faraway from the parent plant. Or, in some cases, the seeds stay on the plant.

 

A complete flower contains all the parts needed to reproduce a plant from seed. You will find the receptacle, the point where the flower attaches to the stem; Sepals are those small leaf-like green supporters of the flower; Petals form the next ring just inside the sepals; Stamens, inside the petals are the male sex parts.Typically a stamen consists of a slender stalk or filament topped by an anther (usually a yellow color) which contains the pollen needed for fertilization of the flower to produce seeds; Pistils, found in the very center, are the female sex parts, with an ovary at the base in which seeds will form following pollination, and a stalk-like tube called a style, which rises from the ovary, and topped by a stigma which receives the pollen.

The transfer of pollen from stamens (the guy parts) to pistils (the girl parts) completes pollination, which leads to seed formation and a new generation of plants. Note: there are exceptions where the plant produces only a male flower or only a female flower and then you must have a companion plant to achieve pollination. Pollination occurs when the pollen is transferred from the male to the female parts by wind, birds, insects, bees, etc.


So, all this background work is quietly going on in your garden while you are doing other things!PLUS the fact that they are beautiful, flowers work hard!!!

GARDEN GIGGLE

What does the letter "A" have in common with a flower?

They both have Bees coming after them

FAUNA

FEEDBACK 

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Don't 'LEAVE' me!

"Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf." Rabindranath Tagore, Indian Poet, Playwright and Essayist, Won the Nobel prize for Literature in 1913.

TODAY'S SEEDS OF WISDOM

• JUST BLOOMED TODAY
• DON'T 'LEAVE' ME!
• GARDEN GIGGLE

JUST BLOOMED TODAY

DON"T 'LEAVE' ME!
Continuing with our garden education, we find that the leaves of the plant are the workers. The basic function of the leaves is to make sugars and other carbohydrates. We have all heard of photosynthesis, where the green material (chlorophyll) uses energy from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil to carbohydrates and oxygen.


Photosynthesis requires large quantities of water, drawn up through the stem from the roots and into the leaf tissue.There it meets the carbon dioxide through the air, which is sucked in by tiny holes (stomata) located mostly in the leaves' undersides.

 

Stomatas are pretty cool as they can do tricks! As the interior leaf tissues must be moist but outside air can be dry, the stomatas can close when they need to, to prevent dehydration. Plus the stomata also permits the excess water and oxygen to leave. How cool is that?


 The leaf is further protected by an outer skin or coat, which, according to the plant, can be waxy, hairy, or scaly. Soot, grime or dust on leaves can interfere with free air circulation through the pores and reduce the amount of light available to the leaves. So, keep your leaves clean. I have heard of people using mayonnaise on a damp rag to add shine to a plant's leaves. There are commercial leaf wipes on the market. Just make sure you don't clog those pores!!!


GARDEN GIGGLE

What kind of socks does a gardener wear?

Garden hose.

 As always, we would love to hear from you! Please share here. Or visit us on Facebook!