Bees in North Austin...

[Javaman]

I'm delighted and relieved to report that the two giant sweet orange bushes in our year are being bombarded by honey bee! :)

I was really sweating it regarding all the reports of honey bees vanishing. I was worried about my cantaloupe plants being pollinated.

Whew!

[patrice]

1. I saw on this board the other day that organice bee keepers are

not reporting these problems.

But, Thom Hartmann, on Air America Radio, who stays seriously well informed and follows things that are happening responsibly, said the other day that his readings in the scientific community about the possible causes, indicate that they are nearly in a state of panic.

[NJCher]

2. I'm organic, too

And the other day I was trying to tell my also-organic-growing neighbor about the disappearing honeybees. Trouble is, we had them flying around us at the time!



Cher

[jumpoffdaplanet]

4. What would a non-organic bee be?

I don't think I've ever heard there was a difference?

[skids]

8. Good explanation here...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=752492&mesg_id=757791

[NJCher]

9. when I heard about the bee's disappearance

I spent a full day depressed. The thought of living without honeybees was just too awful.

It sure cheered me up when I saw some around here.



Cher

[Warpy]

3. I recently read that nearly 25% of colonies

have collapsed. That means that three quarters of them are still alive and busy pollinating.

In other words, no famine yet.

If they can find a way to deliver a fungicide (I've got a silly vision of Tinactin foot baths at the entrance to the hive), then all will be saved.

[ninkasi]

5. My yard is full of them, too

I'm just north of Spring, Tx., and they are all over my antique roses. I never use pesticides, and have a composter that provides a lot of the fertilizer I use. My daughter lives across the street from a neighbor who has several horses, and I'm going to get some horse manure this year to speed up the composting.

It gave me a great deal of happiness to see the honey bees on all of my flowering plants.

[ashling]

6. So THAT'S where they are!!!

thanks for finding the bees, Javaman ... now everybody go back to what you were doing. LOL

[MissWaverly]

7. I had a honey bee annoying me as I was clipping yesterday

which I take as a good sign, esp. as we have had extremely cold weather here lately in Maryland, this is the first spring like weather we have had.

:-)