Posts Tagged ‘Gardening’

Blue Pollen in Early Spring? Plant Now!

Posted in Bee to Flower relationship, Bee-loving flowers, Gardening, Natural Beekeeping, tagged , , , , , on November 8, 2013| 2 Comments »

Siberian Squill, that is.

“An excellent source of blue pollen,” says BBHB, who has graciously given me permission to use his photo of Siberian Squill.

Planting instructions according to Wisconsin Master Gardening Program:  Plant the small bulbs in the fall, placing them 2 to 3 inches deep and 2 to 4 inches apart.  Because of the ephemeral nature of the foliage, this small bulb can easily be grown in sunny lawns. To plant Siberian squill in turf, scatter the bulbs randomly in the area you want them. Then punch or auger a hole in the sod, using a dibble or other implement (some people suggest a cordless drill with a large bit), wherever a bulb has fallen. Place the bulb (pointed side up) at the bottom of the hole and fill in with additional soil. Wait until the bulb’s foliage has started to die down in spring before resuming mowing the lawn.

That sounds easy enough.  I’m planting them tomorrow.

One of the first spring-flowering bulbs, easy to grow, cold hardy,  blue pollen for the bees..what’s not to like?  It’s considered invasive.

Discussion about Siberian Squill on beesource.com  Why is it that so many of the plants that bees like are considered invasive???  I’m planting anyway because it’s an early food source, good for the bees,  can grow in my lawn, is deer resistant, and will go dormant by mid May.

The cordless drill worked well. I planted 50 bulbs hoping it would be enough to get videos of bees carrying blue pollen in March.

November 9, 2013…The cordless drill worked well. I planted 50 bulbs of Siberian Squill hoping it would be enough to get videos of bees carrying blue pollen in March.  Snowdrops will be going in as soon as I can find a source.

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Plum tree protection

Posted in Raccoon protection on plum tree, Uncategorized, tagged , , , on July 12, 2013| 2 Comments »

March 23, 2013...Lots of blossoms, hope the bees find them.

March 23, 2013…Lots of blossoms, hope the bees find them.

We’ve got plums!!!  Yes, we’ve had plums before, but not like this.  Our honey bees and Mason bees have contributed to the success…but now I’ve got to protect them.  I’ve also seen evidence of raccoons.  I won’t show the photo of raccoon scat, just trust me on this.  Raccoons can climb fences (in my case, deer cages that surround the trees.)  Last year we had counted about 40 to 50 plums almost ready to harvest, which disappeared overnight from raccoons climbing the wire deer proof cage.

6-1-13...Plums getting bigger.

6-1-13…Plums getting bigger…Hummm, I better start preparing raccoon protection.

I had noticed the sheet metal wrapped around Hal's plum tree every time we looked at his bee hives. One day I asked about it. "It's to prevent the raccoons from getting a foot hold on the plum tree."

I had noticed the sheet metal wrapped around Hal’s plum tree every time we looked at his bee hives. One day I asked about it. “It’s to prevent the raccoons from getting a foot hold on the plum tree.”

Hal's plum tree supports protected with sheet metal.

Even Hal’s plum tree supports are protected with sheet metal.

I removed the wire deer cage and bought a roll of sheet metal to prevent the raccoons from climbing the trunk. This little trick I learned from Hal.

I removed the wire deer cage and bought a roll of sheet metal to prevent the raccoons from climbing the trunk.  I figured if Hal had success with it, so would I.

June 3, 2013...After removing the wire cage (protection from deer) which served as a ladder for the raccoons last year, I wrapped sheet metal around the trunk to prevent the raccoons from climbing up.

July 7, 2013  These branches were starting to break  under the weight of all those plums.

I also copied Hal's method of holding up the branches. Hope the can't climb 2x4's.

I  copied Hal’s method of holding up the branches.  These supports also serve to keep the branches higher off the ground so the raccoons can’t pull on them.  Hope they can’t climb 2×4’s. Footnote:   I traded the 2×4’s for 2×2’s the next day…I didn’t want to take any chances.

This young tree even has plums. I didn't want to pull off the deer fence so I hung the sheet metal on it, hoping the height is up far enough that the raccoons can't climb it. The plums are getting ripe so we'll soon find out.

Even this young tree has plums. I didn’t want to pull off the deer fence so I hung the sheet metal on it, hoping the height is up far enough that the raccoons can’t climb it. The plums are getting ripe so we’ll soon find out.

My sweetheart has enough plums for the first batch of plum jam.

July 19, 2013,,,My sweetheart has enough plums for the first batch of plum jam.  Carmen approves.

The deer help themselves to the dropped plums. We're happy to share.

The deer help themselves to the dropped plums. We’re happy to share.

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Hugelkulture update

Posted in Bee-loving flowers, Gardening, Hugelkulture, tagged , , , , on June 21, 2013| 17 Comments »

We've got a good start, though some sunflower seedlings got chewed down by the slugs

6-3-13 We’ve got a good start, though some sunflower seedlings got chewed down by the slugs

Lots of self-seeded borage. The bees like it, but I'm going to have to thin it. I want the other plants to grow and I'm especially excited about the meadowfoam.

6-18-13 Lots of self-seeded borage. The bees like it, but I’m going to have to thin it. I want the other plants to grow and I’m especially excited about the meadowfoam which also is a self-seeding bee-loving flower.  The bee hives and the new bee flower garden are in the background.

My new motto is..."If the bees love it, leave it.

August 19, 2013…My new slogan is…”If the bees love it, leave it.”  The bees LOVE borage.  I let it grow in the Hugelkulture bed even though it’s not real pretty.  The pretty flower, Poached Egg Meadowfoam was also well liked by the bees, then the deer spotted it, now it’s gone.

Looking at the north side. Clearly I should have listened to my wife when she warned me that squash wouldn't do very well the first year.

Looking at the north side. Clearly I should have listened to my wife when she warned me that squash wouldn’t do very well the first year.  In that regard, it’s a failure…but the main goal was to grow plants that the bees love.  Nasturtiums never made the list.  Don’t let anyone tell you they are deer proof.  They are not and I never saw a bee get close to one.  The borage self-seeded itself and the bees love it, so rather than pull it, I’ll just let it grow.  The bees will sip nectar until late in the evening, so in that regard, it’s a success.  We also added 3 echium ‘trees’, which seem to be doing well.  We hope they will all shoot up to be “Towers of Jewels.”

The beginning of this project…

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Hal and Patti’s Log Hives and Garden

Posted in Bee-loving flowers, Gardening, Hives, Log hives, Natural Beekeeping, Swarms, Videos, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on May 15, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I just love standing on this bridge and seeing all the work Hal and Patti have done. It's so beautiful.

I just love standing on this bridge and seeing all the work Hal and Patti have done. It’s so beautiful.

Hal called me up last week to say he took some video of a bee swarm flying INTO his unoccupied bee log.  I’m thinking “Well, that’s a first.  Whenever I see a swarm, they are flying OUT of something…like a hive.”  I had to see this.  While I was there I shot some photos of all the work they have done.  I draw inspiration every time I visit.  It was here that I learned about sedum and what a wonderful bee loving flower that is. There is so much color here, so many flowers.  It surely takes hard work and dedication to keep everything looking so good.

When I first saw all the bees sipping nectar on these sedum, I knew I wanted a bunch. It's clear it's nectar they are after...I didn't see a speck of pollen in their pollen baskets.

When I first saw all the bees sipping nectar on these sedum, I knew I wanted a bunch. It’s clear it’s nectar they are after…I didn’t see a speck of pollen in their pollen baskets.  This photo was shot at Patti’s garden in September 2012

It didn't take long for the bees to set up home. They swarmed INTO this log, April 18.

It didn’t take long for the bees to set up home. They swarmed INTO this log, April 18.

Patti's gunnera growing under the bridge

Patti’s gunnera is growing under the bridge

Hal and Patti on bridge, May 10, 2013

Hal and Patti on bridge, May 10, 2013

This video shows the swarm of bees moving INTO the  vacated log hive.  Hal explains what is going on as he shoots the video on his iPhone.

All this is natural comb, built in less than two months from when the bees swarmed INTO the log hive.

All this is natural comb, built in less than two months from when the bees swarmed INTO the log hive.

Hal’s first log hives

Hal talks about his log hive

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New Raised Bed for Tomatoes

Posted in Drip watering, Raised beds, tagged , , , , , , , on May 8, 2013| 8 Comments »

This is how the garden looked in August 1998. All those beautiful raised beds are rotting into the ground after 15 years and need to be replaced.

This is how the garden looked in August 1997. All those beautiful raised beds are now rotting into the ground after 16 years and need to be replaced.

Trex-built raised bed 5-5-13

Trex-built raised bed 5-5-13  Don’t look at the background…it’s messy.  I’m linear.  I can only work on one bed at a time!

We built most of our raised beds in 1996 and ’97.  The lumber came from a small sawmill using white cedar that had been passed over by the big timber companies.  It was sawn to a full 2 x 10 x 16′ (5.08 cm x 25.4 cm x 4.87 m)  It was beautiful wood.  We had less personal time then but more energy…lots more.  As good as that wood was, it still rots when in contact with the soil.  So after 17 years all those 16 beds have got to be replaced.  We found this decking material on close-out.  It’s not cheap but is supposed to outlast wood.  It’s a little wobbly so I had to set the corners in concrete, but if it outlasts wood, it’ll be worth it.  We’re trying to replace ONE raised bed a year now.  The green one was built last year out of old siding…much cheaper than this one, but won’t last as long.

Soil leveled, drip water grid laid out, tires centered over drip holes in pvc.

Soil leveled, drip water grid laid out, tires centered over drip holes. The tires extend the warm temps into the cool evening.

Hoops added with 1x2x8 re-enforcement.

Hoops added with 1 x2x 8 re-enforcement.  I use this to hold the tent open  too.

Don't glue any of the pvc like I did for many years. That way you can have more options like this swing-away hose connection

Don’t glue any of the pvc like I did for many years. That way you can have more options like this swing-away hose connection

Clear plastic over hoops, held up rope and the re-enforcement wood.

Clear plastic over hoops, held up by rope and the re-enforcement wood.  Why have ‘tents?’  Our night time temperatures will dip to 45 deg. F (7 deg. c)  even in the middle of summer.  Use 6 mil UV stable greenhouse film. It’ll last for years of opening and closing every day.  We like our tomatoes to be warm and happy.

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Flowers blooming mid-winter

Posted in Bee-loving flowers, Log hives, Natural Beekeeping, Uncategorized, Videos, Warre Hive, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 22, 2013| 8 Comments »

Could this be pollen from the laurel bush? It's been blooming since Jan. 22.

Could this be pollen from the laurel bush? It’s been blooming since Jan. 22. I know that you can’t tell by color alone, but at this time I don’t have the microscope or capability to properly identify pollen.

This is the first year I’ve had bees into winter.  I was curious about all the types of pollen showing up on the bees entering the hive.  I was sure some of it was gorse since we seem to have so much of it growing thanks to Lord Bennett of Ireland.

I made a 9 minute movie showing the bees on different types of flowers and Shigeo of the local bee association demonstrates how to transplant an Echium.  I realize that some people can’t spare the time, so I’m offering ‘screen saves,’ as well.

Laurel blooming by Bonnie's house

Laurel blooming by Bonnie’s house

Bee on laurel, tannish-colored pollen

Bee on laurel, tannish-colored pollen…January 22, 2013

Bees on rosemary, at City Hall, February 8, 2013

Bees on rosemary, at City Hall, February 8, 2013

Pussy Willows blooming near our hives...sun comes out...bees love it.

Willow catkins blooming near our hives…sun comes out…bees love it.  February 8,2013

Gorse pollen is orange...I had been hoping it was the yellow pollen I had seen going into the hive. February 13, 2013

Gorse pollen is orange…I had been hoping it was the yellow pollen I had seen going into the hive. February 13, 2013

The video shows this bee in slow motion working the pollen back to it's pollen sac. I didn't see it at first until a more experience bee keeper showed me. February 13, 2013

The video shows this bee in slow motion working the pollen back to it’s pollen sac. I didn’t see it at first until a more experience bee keeper showed me. February 13, 2013

Bee on heather, 2-14-13, right up the street from Tom and Karen's house.

Bee on heather, 2-14-13, right up the street from Joe and Karen’s house.

Bee on acacia, 2-15-13...Shigeo showed me this place to get some video. By the time we got to it, the bees were returning to home so I only got a short clip of it.

Bee on acacia, 2-15-13…Shigeo showed me this place to get some video. By the time we got to it, the bees were returning to home so I only got a short clip of it.

Shigeo shows how to transplant an Echium Tree.

Shigeo shows how to transplant an Echium Tree.

Echium for 2013...I'm hoping this plant will shoot up 10 feet (3 m) starting about April or May.

Echium for 2013…I’m hoping this plant will shoot up 10 feet (3 m) starting about April or May. The tarp protects against freezing weather.

These are the plants that Shigeo demonstrated in the video, how to transplant. They are my hope for 2014

These are the plants that Shigeo demonstrated in the video, how to transplant. They are my hope for 2014

We planted this in late October 2011. It just stared blankly at us for several months. April or May we noticed it had grown about 10 feet. The bees worked it for 3 solid months.

We planted this echium in late October 2011. It just stood still for several months. About April or May we noticed it had grown to about 10 feet. The bees worked it for 3 solid months.

The video shows the bees in action on the flowers.  I used the Canon SX-50 (50x optical zoom) on the laurel as well as the willow catkins.  My little pocket camera, a Sanyo Xacti performed admirably for the rest of the close ups…I love the ‘super macro’ feature.

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Grow Garlic for Good Health and a Bee Sting Remedy

Posted in Gardening, Growing garlic, Raised beds, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on December 1, 2012| 7 Comments »

It’s a quick job to shred the leaves with the mower.

We always follow tomatoes with garlic.  One of the few winter crops, it grows from Halloween to the July 4th harvest.   After  the tomato vines have been pulled out, we add our soil enhancers…

Shredded leaves ready to be added to coffee grounds and crab shell as soil enhancers

Shredded leaves ready to be added to coffee grounds and crab shell.

I get as much crab shell as I want from Tony's Crab Shack in town. It's only about 4 miles (6.4 km) round trip by bicycle, my transportation of choice.

I get as much crab shell as I want from Tony’s Crab Shack in town. It’s only about 4 miles (6.4 km) round trip by bicycle, my transportation of choice.

All these things are trench composted into the soil along with kitchen garbage and the odd sunflower stem or comfrey leaves.

Smooth the soil level and hook the hose to water grid.

Smooth the soil level and hook the hose to water grid.

Break apart the garlic bulb into individual cloves...

Break apart the garlic bulb into individual cloves…

Push garlic clove into soil to just below soil surface, "hair" end down.

Push garlic clove into soil about 3 inches deep, “hair” end down.  This one should be pushed down a little more, but we were just posing it and wanted a ‘handle’ to pull it back out.

Garlic planted almost a month ago is just starting to show.

Garlic planted almost a month ago is just starting to show.

What is garlic good for?  GOOD HEALTH and BEE STINGS!

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Bamboo Attracts Wasps

Posted in Hives, Log hives, Natural Beekeeping, Videos, Wasps, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 4, 2012| 3 Comments »

Bee Beard Log Hive in front of Bamboo

When I decided to place my new Bee Beard Log Hive I considered many things.  I wanted it placed where it would get the morning sun shining into the entrance, well beyond the long reach of the tree shadows in winter, and protected from the raging winter winds that blast from the southwest.  Also I wanted the hive to be visible if possible, on the edge of the garden, so we could observe the bees whenever we worked outside. The placement of the hive in front of the bamboo satisfied all the requirements.  What I didn’t know is that bamboo attracts wasps.  When I started seeing all the wasps on the bamboo I started to panic.  What are they doing around my log hive?  I started recalling the stories at the bee meeting about all the hives that are lost to wasps.  How did I know bamboo attracts wasps?  Is that common knowledge?

Wasp on Bamboo leaf over Bee Beard log hive.

The bamboo was leaning over the log hive…are the wasps going to attack my bees?  What to do?

I plugged the last gap by stuffing the inner tube into it.  Wasps won’t  get in here

Found a piece of bamboo that fit the 1 1/2″ (3.81 cm) hole. This reduces the hole making it easier to guard against wasps.

After  consulting the internet about bamboo I found out that wasps gather fibers from the bamboo for their paper nests.  That’s what they are doing on the bamboo, not attacking the log hive,

Wasps are scary because they can sting again and again, but they also are beneficial because they prey on other pests like spiders, flies, bug, and caterpillers.

We feel that wasps have a place in our garden.  We won’t kill them because they really aren’t bothering us or the bees,   The ground hive is almost never used the next year and once the cold weather hits, it will be inactive.

I shot a short video showing the wasps on the bamboo as well as the very active ground hive.,,

Spider captures wasp.

Chainsaw artist Brian Vorwaller, carving the face on the log here.

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Wasp on (in) Web

Posted in Garden spider, Videos, Wasps, tagged , , , , , , on October 27, 2012| 6 Comments »

Web Design, Bee Beard Log Hive in background

When I first saw the insect in this web, I thought it was one of my bees because it’s in the flight path to the Bee Beard Log Hive.  I was much relieved when I realized it was a wasp.  Over the next few days of checking her web I was able to capture some very close up video of  “Fang” wrapping her victims and injecting them with her venom.  Here’s a creepy video accompanied by some creepy music provided by my brother, Elliott.

If you hate wasps, you’ll love this video…if you hate spiders, you’ll be happy they are smaller than we are.

Hmmmm…I wonder what the male is up to.

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Sunflower Shot

Posted in Bee-loving flowers, Uncategorized, tagged , , on September 27, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Pat proudly displays his trophy on his return from a successful vegetarian hunting trip. “This goes on the wall.”

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