Where are the bees?

[backhoeboogie]

Wild flowers are nuts this year. My boysenberry plants are in bloom but I am seeing very few bees. The ones I see are on wild flowers. Usually fruit trees are buzzing. You go up to a fruit tree and you may see a half dozen bees.

 

[Jogeephus]

They are at my house. Already had two swarms lite on my house. One swarm was massive.

 

[M-5]

Plenty Here too!

 

[M.Magis]

See a lot here too, even while temps were still cold. I've had two swarms in the yard in the last three years.

 

[cow pollinater]

I just came back in from checking swarm traps and have two new swarms. That puts me at six new hives of freebees for the year. Much more economical and fun that buying bees.

 

[Jogeephus]

Co tell me about the swarm traps. Swarms come to my house every year and I'd rather someone catch them than me have to deal with them. Would a trap intercept the bees?

 

[skyhightree1]

None here.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Usually by now I have plenty of honeybees, bumble bees and wood-boring bees by now........none. The only bees I have found have been dead wood-boring/carpenter bees. Weird. Especially since my peach and pear trees are blooming. Nothing. I am concerned.

 

[cow pollinater]

Co tell me about the swarm traps. Swarms come to my house every year and I'd rather someone catch them than me have to deal with them. Would a trap intercept the bees?

It's not a sure thing but you can catch most swarms before they choose to set up shop somewhere you don't want them. I just use old brood boxes with at least two frames of drawn black comb and the rest of the frames can be in any condition. Put a couple of drops of lemon grass oil on the top bars and set it up about six to ten feet off the ground facing away from the direction your storms usually come from.
They do sell commercial swarm lures but the ones I've seen are to small to catch big swarms and hold them long enough for someone to make use of them.

 

[Nesikep]

We had a spell of cold weather, but today was really nice.. you can hear the willow tree buzzing from 100 feet away, cherries are blooming and they've got bees in them too.. We have some gooseberry bushes in bloom and the wild bees are in there... a bit early for the carpenter bees to wake up though, they really like HOT weather

 

[Bez__]

Wild flowers are nuts this year. My boysenberry plants are in bloom but I am seeing very few bees. The ones I see are on wild flowers. Usually fruit trees are buzzing. You go up to a fruit tree and you may see a half dozen bees.

Becoming a big deal around here and has been for some time - not pointing just giving a few urls as to what is being said - lots more if you look for it:

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/CropNe ... odgson.htm

http://www.torontosun.com/2014/10/07/be ... ro-commish

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/what-s-ki ... -1.1312511

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/bee-r ... -1.2644354

http://www.globalresearch.ca/death-of-t ... rica/25950

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-o ... e19330959/

 

[greybeard]

My pear trees were covered with honey bees over a week ago.
No shortage of dang bumble bees here either.

 

[backhoeboogie]

BEZ that took a while to read. It's making me think. Wondering.

They are absent here. Just seeing a few. Something happened.

 

[M.Magis]

I thought it had been determined the last year or so that it was some sort of mite causing the decline? I know people were trying to blame anything from cell phones, to GMO crops (obviously, since they're to blame for everything).

 

[backhoeboogie]

I thought it had been determined the last year or so that it was some sort of mite causing the decline? I know people were trying to blame anything from cell phones, to GMO crops (obviously, since they're to blame for everything).

It is here this year. There's always been bees. I don't know of any bee keepers close by. There's been a lot of trees die from drought. There's been a lot of trees pushed in the area. Maybe hives lost.

BEZ's references give me that much more to consider.

There have been new grape vineyards introduced to the area. That seems to be a growing trend. What are these people going to do?

 

[TexasBred]

Grapes like corn and many other plants are wind pollinated. Some plants are self pollinating.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Grapes like corn and many other plants are wind pollinated. Some plants are self pollinating.

I did not know that. Never grown grapes. Have one vine now. It was growing volunteer in another plant I bought. It was transplanted and lived. Leaved out way behind everything else.

There is a big vineyard recently added just west of Thorp Spring. Went by a few times and they are working them. Don't think I have ever seen blooms on grapes. Never been around them tho. Wild grapes in the fence rows is all I have seen.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/CropNews/2012/0406hodgson.htm

http://www.torontosun.com/2014/10/07/be ... ro-commish

One of the things I find rather disturbing, is that the nicotinoids have been found in the honey.

 

[lynnmcmahan]

Honey bees have been on the decline for several years here and in Europe. There is a mite problem and what is labeled Colony Collapse Disorder. I notice my citrus trees were bee less some ten years ago. I contacted the citrus experts in Fl Univ who assured me citrus were self pollinating and the native bees would take up the slack. My trees produce well. Also, I learned there are many native pollinators that can do the pollinating much better than the honey bee. If it were not for the honey, I think (Apis Millifer) honey bees would not be in the USA.

 

[TexasBred]

Yep not all bees are "honey" bees.....worlds of bees out there just not always what we're looking for. Use to see semi loads of hives going down the hwy with a fine net wrapped around them all.....millions of bees... taking them somewhere that had lots of blooms I suppose.