Episode-268- Mason Bee and Raspberry Update

I have been promoting the mason bees a lot lately and for good reasona. The first is educational. I have been able to teach some people who previoulsy knew little or nothing about mason bees enough to consider raising some on their own. I have already been mailing out packages of mason bees, homes, reeds, attractant and guides. Even had a new friend stop by the other day becasue I am giving the...

Free Mason Bees

   This video show the Blue Orchard Mason Bee Osmia Lignaria cocoons that are hibernating in my fridge. The camera then trail to the garage where I am building the new mason bee homes. I have homes and nesting reeds available for purchase. The bees are free and will be ready to work in the spring. They spend their days pollinating your spring and summer fruit, vegetable and flower plants....

Episode-234- Insulate The Top Bar Hive For Winter

As winter drags on through month four it seemed like a good idea to reflect on how I prepped the top bar hive back in October. In the warmer fall weather it was easy to avoid tasks such as this one but experience and knowledge of Mother Nature;s tendencies prevented me from being lazy. I am glad I took the steps to insulate this hive because it has been a rough winter for this area. The other...

Episode-230- Add More Mason Bees To The BackYard

I thought I knew about Mason Bees and how to cultivate and contribute to their growth in my front and back yards. But after three seasons with nominal success and little or no successive mason bee growth in future years it became time to ask why. Being winter these kinds of thoughts are helpful as it is also the time right before the sowing of seeds for indoor starts. The Farmers' Almanac...

Butterflies In the Bee Balm

The cold of January has me yearning for the heat of summer and all of the beautiful creatures that go along with it. In particular just when I thought the bee balm was dried  up and done for in August there was a second bloom and this one fed a large gathering of butterflies. I don't know much about butterflies but I do know they have a purpose in the garden and I go out of my way to appealing...

Honey Bees Gathering At The Chamomile

I was fortunate enough to catch these bees hard at work getting ready for a cold weather front to hit our area. All that's left this year is the top bar hive which I have affectionately referred to as the thrive hive. However, things have been challenging for it lately but the battle with Varroa Destructor and small hive beetles seems to have waned and the bees are frisky, protective and well...