Posted in Bee to Flower relationship, Bee Video, Bee-loving flowers, Music video, Natural Beekeeping, tagged bee-loving flowers, Bees pollinating poppies, honey bees, macro nature video, macro photography, pink poppies and bees, Pink Princess Poppy, Red poppies and bees, Wild pollinators on June 2, 2014| 5 Comments »
…and gets it from the honeybees!
June 2, 2014…This pink poppy (Pink Princess) just opened up this morning. The honeybees seem to favor it over the red poppies..
By contrast, there is only one bee at a time on the red poppies. Maybe they think it’s more dignified. 🙂
Posted in Bee to Flower relationship, Bee-loving flowers, Bumblebees, Music video, Natural Beekeeping, Poached Egg Meadowfoam, Videos, tagged bee-loving flowers, beekeeping, bees and borage, bees and Cascara Buckthorn, bees and Cotoneaster, Bees and Hidcote Hypericum, Bees and Huckleberry blossoms, bees and lavender, Bees and Meadowfoam, Bees and New Zealand Cabbage blossoms, Bees and Pink Chintz Thyme, Bees and St. John's Wort, bees on Oregon Coast, bombus flavifrons video, bombus melanopygus video, Bombus vosnesenskii, growing flowers for the bees and butterflies, honey bees, macro nature video, natural beekeeping, pollinators, Wild pollinators, Yellow-faced Bumble Bee on May 31, 2014| 2 Comments »
May 29, 2014…My wife said there were five bees on this earlier, but when I grabbed the camera, I only caught one bee.
May 28, 2014…My neighbor’s New Zealand Cabbage trees are blooming. I’m glad it’s on someone else’s property because there is a strong odor associated with it. Our bees love it.
May 28, 2014…New Zealand Cabbage has been blooming awhile. Our bees are all over it, all day.
May 27, 2014…A skipper is probing the depths of this Pink Chintz Thyme for nectar. In the video, you can see it try several spots before finally succeeding. The bees love this plant as well.
Posted in Bee to Flower relationship, Bee-loving flowers, Natural Beekeeping, Poached Egg Meadowfoam, Swarms, Videos, Warre Hive, tagged bee-loving flowers, beekeeping, bees on Oregon Coast, honey bees, macro nature video, Mary Schamehorn, Mayor of Bandon, natural beekeeping, nature photography, poached egg meadowfoam, swarm, Warre hive, Wild pollinators on May 16, 2014| 10 Comments »
…that’s when she called me.
May 1, 2014 mid afternoon…Photo by Mary Schamehorn. I’m glad Mary got a shot of this. When I got there, they were relatively peaceful.
4:38 pm…By the time I got there, the bees had settled within the birdhouse. I looked at it, determined I could remove it from the post, and got my tools together. Ha ha, the screws were rusty I couldn’t get them to budge before stripping them out. I had to remove the post too.
I placed it next to the newly assembled and baited Warre hive in my bee garden. I was hoping the bees would recognize a 4 star lodging with ample room to grow…they didn’t. I gave them plenty of time to reconsider, but they weren’t having it. I couldn’t leave them there, like that. I didn’t want to grind the brackets off or pry the birdhouse floor off because it would have been too stressful. “Dramatic and traumatic” are words I like to avoid in beekeeping.
Okay, I’ve got to move the birdhouse out of the bee garden because, well, we’ve got to be able to weed and water without the bees buzzing us. After two days, I pre-dug a post hole, waited til night and ‘posted’ the birdhouse among the ferns about 20 feet away. (Something most beekeepers would tell you NOT to do because the bees might not be able to find their way back to the hive.) I stuffed tissue paper into the entrance hole so the bees would notice something was different. They would have to make orientation flights all over again. I’m thinking that maybe the Warre was too close to the birdhouse…if I move it away, maybe they will want it more. My wife said I was crazy to think that. I says, ‘maybe,’ but we’ve got to get it out of the way.
Next day, the birdhouse/hive is in it’s new location. The bees are aware something is different because of the tissue paper stuffed in the entrance hole.
As my wife bicycled to town, I noticed a bunch of activity between the birdhouse and the Warre hive. I got my camera to document my findings…I was going to have it on camera so I could show her I knew what I was doing. They are fanning from the nasonov gland to indicate the queen is within. Wow, that didn’t take long. My wife is going to have to admit I was right, but I’ll be humble and admit it’s just a stroke of luck. But it was too good to be true. By the time she returned the crowd at the entrance was thinning and the bees rejected this hive once again.
Here is where they will stay. It’s the house they chose and while the location has changed a few times, the house is the same. I just wish I could have fastened it to a taller post.
Mary’s bees have settled in now. They have discovered the Poached egg meadowfoam.
Mary’s bee cleaning off her antennae. How do I know they are Mary’s bees? The abdomen colors are different. I’m happy to get new genetics in my bee yard.
Mayor Mary’s side of the story…Â Â (Scroll towards the bottom til you see the birdhouse swarm)
Posted in Mason Bees, Videos, tagged Carolyn Prola, mason bee blocks, mason bees, natural beekeeping, solitary bees, Wild pollinators on April 2, 2014| 17 Comments »
March 6, 2014…Cocoons transferred from refrigerator to this “Launch Box,” ready for action. There should be about 100…
Launch box complete with about 100 cocoons.
March 6, 2014…first set of Mason bee blocks set up on new shelf.
March 30, 2014…We have lift-off. After 24 days of anxious waiting, we see a bee emerge.
HB says this is a male. You can see a little yellow fuzz on the face and it has long antenna. I’m soooo relieved to see bees, because after pulling them out of their tubes last year, I wondered if I had handled them too roughly.
March 30, 2014…I’m guessing this is a male mason bee. (“Not so fast, Pat”. HB says this is a FEMALE) The males live but a few days. After they mate with the female, they die.
A female has already chosen her first tube.
Carolyn Prola, author and historian who lives in Myrtle Point, Oregon, shows off her Mason bees. Her bees are ahead of mine by a week or two. Carolyn is responsible for getting me back into Mason bees after a couple of false starts.
Last year’s Mason bee beginnings
Posted in Bumblebees, Music video, Natural Beekeeping, Videos, tagged bees on Oregon Coast, bombus melanopygus, bumblebees, macro nature video, mites on a bumblebee, nature photography, pollinators, Wild pollinators on February 13, 2014| 15 Comments »
February 13, 2014…This bumble bee (bombus Melanopygus, I believe) was sipping honey when we noticed all the mites on her back. We would like to try to remove them…Does anyone have any ideas of how to accomplish that?
Posted in Bee to Flower relationship, Bee-loving flowers, Natural Beekeeping, Poached Egg Meadowfoam, tagged Bee on gaillardia, bee pollinating penstemon, bee-loving flowers, bees on Oregon Coast, bumblebee on Penstemon, bumblebees, bumblebees on Penstemon video, butterfly on pincushion flower, butterflyweed, Gardening, Limnanthus alba, Limnanthus Douglasii, macro nature video, meadowfoam, Meadowfoam bees, Oregon Coast bees, Outsidepride.com, penstemon, S, Salvia attracts bees, Scabiosa pollinator, Wild pollinators on February 4, 2014| 12 Comments »
Last year in June, before the deer discovered it, the bees were on the Meadowfoam everyday.
If you’ve ever watched the bees on a Poached Egg Meadowfoam (Limnanthes Douglasii), you will want to grow some for your bees.   Last year I bought 12 plants from my friendly nursery (101 Plants). The bees were on them everyday. Unfortunately, the deer discovered them, and mowed them down. This year I’m happy to say I found a source for seeds. I’m buying 1000 seeds for under $5.00 from Outside Pride in Oregon. With that many seeds, I can scatter them in quite a few areas (fenced in, this time). The bees will love them and so will I.
Another photo taken shortly before the deer decided to sample it last year.
I was under the mistaken impression that Meadowfoam was grown mostly in Oregon and Northern California, but I see the Royal Horticultural Society in Great Britain has a listing for it as a Poached Egg Plant.
The oil from Limnanthes Alba is valuable…According to Oregon Meadowfoam Growers, meadowfoam oil is 20 times more stable than soybean oil, which means it does not deteriorate as readily when exposed to air. A gallon of meadowfoam oil is worth about $200 retail.
February 2, 2014…the salvia is looking strong. Footnote…we replaced some bulbs in the light stand with the full spectrum bulbs this year hoping to lessen the legginess. These look good.
June 28, 2013…Penstemon is a great bumblebee attraction.
June 9, 2013…Honeybees are getting nectar from the Pincushion Flowers (Scabiosa)
Don’t forget the butterflies!
February 3, 2014…received my Butterflyweed seed package today. These bright flowers attract honeybees also.
One of the beekeeping blogs I follow, written by Emma Sarah Tennant, featured a TED talk by Marla Spivak, showing the reasons why bees are disappearing and how we can help them by planting habitat. We are proud to be a small part of a growing movement to help our wild pollinators.
Posted in Bee to Flower relationship, Bee-loving flowers, Log hives, Music video, Natural Beekeeping, Videos, Warre Hive, tagged bees on Oregon Coast, bombus melanopygus, bumblebees on heather, honey bees, Log hive wood carving, Log hives, macro nature video, macro photography, natural beekeeping, natural comb, nature photography, pollen shower, Verticle log hive, Warre hive, Wild pollinators, wood carving on January 17, 2014| 19 Comments »
Here you can see the pollen release. When the bee gets the nectar, the pollen shoots out.
As she grooms herself with her front legs, you can see what looks to be a static electricity charge on her bee fuzz…it shows up better on the video.
This short video shows a bumblebee (bombus Melanopygus) sipping nectar from heather in mid January. As she sips, pollen can be seen shooting out. Later she grooms herself. I noticed what looked to be a static electricity charge when her front legs combed her fuzzy head.
I didn’t want to interrupt the music so I added some video of my Bee-atrice log hive which didn’t make it through the sub freezing weather.  I looked at a comb which had some capped honey as well as uncapped cells. I replaced the comb in the hopes that this hive will attract a swarm in spring.
It should be raining sideways this month. It’s not. After our cold snap, we’ve been enjoying daytime temperatures in the 50’s and 60’s F. (10’s and 20’s C) When I filmed this it was 71 F. (22 C). Our honeybees love it. They are bringing back yellow and orange pollen. I can’t figure where they’re getting it because the pussy willows aren’t blooming yet, but traffic is heavy as can bee seen on the video.
This is my second winter with bees. They don’t fly when it’s raining of course, but we do get breaks in the rain, the sun pops out and the bees are flying. I feel bad for the beekeepers that must tuck their charges to bed in the autumn and trust they will emerge when the weather warms up sometimes months later. I’m talking about people like Emily Heath among others in cold far away places. 🙂 I guess you could say I’m spoiled to be able to see them active during the winter.  I don’t know what will happen in spring. It’s possible we’ll get our rain then…given the choice, I’d rather get it now. In any case the bees are making use of the warm weather.
How are your bees?
Posted in Hives, Log hives, Natural Beekeeping, Videos, Warre Hive, tagged beekeeping, bees on Oregon Coast, honey bees, Honeybees packing pollen, Log hive wood carving, Log hives, natural beekeeping, pollinators, Warre hive, Wild pollinators on December 27, 2013| 6 Comments »
December 27…Bees in Bee Beard Log Hive have found a pollen source late in the year. Natural comb can be seen in the rear. In the video, the bees can be seen entering the hive and moving downward in front of the comb.
December 27…Warre Hive is being fed with a dry sugar mix consisting of green tea, chamomile tea, nettle leaf extract oil, cane sugar, and a few other little gems. The sugar was placed on a 2″ x 2″ frame and positioned between the brood box and the quilt box, then sealed with red tape. I’m not real excited about feeding sugar to the bees. It’s possible that I won’t do that next year, but that’s what I said last year too. It’s the only hive that is being fed this year.
December 27…Even this little hive was flying today. The pink insulation is meant to cut the cold wind, but it still lets the hive breathe through the quilt box on top.
This short video shows the bees bringing in gobs of orange pollen.
Posted in Bee-loving flowers, Bumblebees, Hummingbirds, Music video, Natural Beekeeping, Oregon Grape-Holly, Videos, tagged bee-loving flowers, bees on Oregon Coast, bumblebees, honey bees, macro nature video, Mahonia aquifolium, natural beekeeping, Oregon Grape-Holly, Wild pollinators, Yellow-faced Bumble Bee on November 27, 2013| 12 Comments »
Oregon Grape-Holly blooming in late November
Most visitors to the post office go to get their mail. These visitors go to get nectar. The Oregon Grape Holly is in full bloom, offering nectar and nectar is what they got. Honeybees, bumblebees, even a couple of green hummingbirds partake in the feast.
What is the importance of nectar?  My Biodiversity Garden states “Nectar is the fuel for our pollinators such as solitary bees, bumblebees, honeybees, butterflies, moths and bats. It is the only source of energy and without it, the pollinators cannot fly. Nectar is secreted by nectaries within the flower.”
According to Dave’s Gardens Mahonia Aquifolium blooms in mid spring. This is late November! The plant is growing against a brick wall, facing south, during an unseasonably dry autumn. In any case, the wild pollinators love it.
November 24th…This honeybee is getting nectar from an early blooming Oregon Grape Holly (Mahonia Aquifolium)
Posted in Bee-loving flowers, Bumblebees, Natural Beekeeping, Tower of Jewels, tagged Allium, bee-loving flowers, beekeeping, bees on Oregon Coast, Gardening, grape hyacinth, honey bees, natural beekeeping, Siberian Squill, Snowdrops, Tower of Jewels, Wild pollinators on November 19, 2013| 10 Comments »
Some of the bulbs being planted for the bees. I was able to purchase these locally from my favorite nursery, 101 Plants and Gifts.
It’s possible that everyone already knows certain bulbs provide an early nectar source for bees. I might be new to the game because, well, I’ve never really been overly appreciative of growing flowers. “They take up space and use precious water.” Being on a shallow well makes you a water miser. But these grow during the rainy season. Some can even be planted in the front lawn, not taking up space or using extra water as in the Siberian Squill. Being a beekeeper has changed my attitude towards flowers. Now my motto is, ” You can never have too many (bee-loving) flowers.”
Since I recently broke up a new patch of ground for the Towers of Jewel ‘trees’, I have some extra space I can dedicate to bulbs. Che Guebuddha, a blogger from Sweden, mentioned even more bulbs like the white Snow Drops and the yellow Eranthis. A quick call to find out I can’t get them locally, but I CAN get them from John Scheepers on the east coast. I order another 150 more. Looks like I’ll have to break more ground. As an after thought I wonder if I have to worry about poisons on the bulbs. Alicia at the customer service desk of John Scheepers, Inc. assures me “there are no sprays, poisons, or toxins associated with these bulbs.” Good! They are going in next weekend.
Newly planted “Tower of Jewel ‘trees. I’m counting on these plants to grow about 10 feet (3 meters) this spring. With the addition of bulbs, we’ll be able to provide an early nectar source as well as mid summer nourishment for the honeybees and bumblebees.
12-26-13…Drumstick Alliums are up already. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not! I’m protecting this patch because the sub freezing temps are bad for the echium (Tower of Jewels)…something I didn’t think about when I planted the bulbs. 😦
February 5, 2014…Grape Hyacinth and 15 Drumstick Allium are up. Giant Snowdrops just breaking.
February 5, 2014…close up of Grape Hyacinth. My wife says I planted them too close together. She might be right.
Adventures in Natural Beekeeping 