Time to Bee-Gone

OK, I bee-lieve it’s time to bee-have and put this this topic to sleep (at least for now) . . .anyone have some tiny sheets and pillows for these guys?

 Coming up, more insects from the Frog & PenguINN wildflower gardens, including a “killer” bug that sucks the life out of its prey.  Sounds gross, but nearly everything is “take-out” in a yard.

Pet a Bee – Who ME ?

OK, I will admit to being as fearful of buzzing insects as most folks and bee petting is NOT something I would normally (or not)attempt. A Do Not Disturb post this week explained that bumblebees really DO sleep on flowers. I also mentioned that a neighbor often “pets” ones sleeping on the flowers in his yard.

Naturally, the reaction from folks reading that post was a resounding – NOT ME. Several folks said they were allergic to bee stings. That’s a great reason not to get too close. And one that works for me even if I’m not allergic.

But, being curious and often foolhardy (just ask Grenville), I decided to give bee petting a (one-time) try tonight.  I can assure you that I “petted” several bees. The flowers look the same because we have an abundance of cornflowers and cosmos in the wildflower gardens.

Thankfully, none attacked. It amazed me how lethargic most appeared, although a couple did raise a “back off” leg – and I certainly did just that.

I read many online accounts from people who said they smiled at the bees or talked calmly to them while thinking good thoughts about them. I did neither.  While I have nothing against bees, this experiment was not about making “friends.”
FYI - there are lots of YouTube videos and internet postings about bee petting. It seems lots of folks do this on a regular basis. 

NOT ME.
So, would I try this stunt with other insects, like a Wasp?
In a word – NEVER!

Wasps are my nemesis. I absolutely believe that they can sense my fear, then head right in my direction. These were in the asparagus patch I was weeding last week and we steered clear of one another. Otherwise, I know just what to do – call for Grenville to kill them.

Do Not Disturb

Shhh . . . bees sleeping

Last week, I told Grenville that we had lots of bee sleepovers in the Frog & PenguINN wildflower gardens.  He was skeptical, asking “where are their blankets, pillows or teddy bears?” So he blew on one to see if it moved – it did, and so did Grenville!

Ever wonder where bees sleep at night?
You’d know, if you’ve ever looked in your gardens late in the day or early in the morning and seen lots of inactive bumblebees on the flowers. (We’ve only seen bumblebees sleeping, not honeybees.)

Usually, the bumblebees are males. Male bumble bees do not have stingers, so you can take a closer look. A neighbor of ours boasts that he’s always petting them.

WHY?
Bumblebee nests are often very small so the males don’t have a place to nest. Many find a flower to rest on. Bees hold on with either their legs or their mandibles and tuck in for the night. Many  sleep in flowers that close up for the night, which helps keep them safe from predators. Once the day starts warming up, the male bees begin stirring and either continue pollination or search for females to mate with.

Research has showed that bees at rest exhibit some of the same characteristics as humans in a sleep period: they don't move around, they don't react to stimuli very readily, their muscles relax, and their body temperature drops. So, while buzzing in the hive is probably not snoring, researchers concluded that bees DO sleep. (Reference: Southwick, E. E. "Bee sleep". American Bee Journal 131:165-166, 1991)

If a bumblebee is NOT sleeping,how do you know it’s upset?  If the bee is on a flower or other surface and feels threatened, it will raise one of its middle legs. This is a sign that you are too close and should back off a bit.

Father’s Day 2011

Today, June 19, is Father's Day, a holiday honoring fathers worldwide and celebrated in the U.S. and some other countries worldwide on the third Sunday of June.
Father’s Day observances started in the U.S. in 1910, It didn’t become an official holiday until 1972. And, like Mother’s Day, which is celebrated in May, it is not is not a federal holiday. Last year marked the 100th anniversary of this special day. A post provided background on the holiday with photos of our dads.

Celebrate & Remember Dad . . . today and always.

Going Lower

Gas prices in and around our area as of this week are making us see slightly less red.

Hope they’re going down in your area too.

Robin Rescue Update

Mom Robin was hard at work getting breakfast for Jr. this morning. And after patiently waiting, still and quiet, she finally went to the nest and fed him. Of course being a kid he wanted more more more…  Tomorrow i may try going up on the ladder to get a better shot of him. Hard to believe that just a few days ago he was just a fleshy mass, unable to even lift his head.

Grenville

Rescuing Robin!!!!

NO NO not the Robin from Batman. This was a baby American Robin that had fallen out of the nest on Wednesday. The nest is in a pine tree next to the barn. The mother Robin was very upset with me working in the area so i started to look for a baby chick which is common at the F&P this time of year. Unfortunately neither Beatrice or i had a camera so this is a pic from the internet which is pretty close to what the bird looked like. I moved him a few times to keep him out of the sun to avoid dehydration. By the end of the day the mother was not coming around and the chick was way to young for us to try feeding it, so i got the ladder and put it back into the nest. This morning i noticed the mother was back on the nest, and later we watched her return with lunch in her beak, and Beatrice heard some chirping. SO WHY are there no pics from today????? I could fib and say we didn’t have cameras with us, but we did. So you will have to excuse us till tomorrow for some pics.

What to do with wood and shingles????

Why build an extension on your barn of course!!!!!

Here we are this morning. Poles are set and we are ready to go.

I sort of forgot to take pictures during the operation as Beatrice and I put up rafters and had fun sliding the roof sheathing up and then passing the shingles. But at the end of the day we had the roof section finished which was all i was aiming for today. Walls and door will come in the fall before “the snow flies.”  Stop laughing Possum!!!! I’ll leave you ‘snow bound’ next time!!!!

The total size is just 8’ x 8’ but it will be enough to finally get the chipper under cover and maybe our bikes and things later.

Other good news, we had 1.03 inches of rain over night and a great light show around 3 AM. The veggies and flowers were all smiling this morning.

Grenville

Friday Funnies

No ifs or ands – just BUTTs

Back from the Battle

What battle you ask???? The Battle of the WEEDS of course. Last year they really got away from me so this year i started early. No mulch this year, just a weekly run through the beds with my ‘Hula Hoe’.

The Early Girls are living up to their name. Today was a pruning day so all the tomatoes look great.

 

Our neighbor traded us a Cherokee Purple for some Rutgers. We have never tried this tomato so  stand by.

 

 

Amazingly we are getting carrots this year. We have never been successful with them, so this is another ‘stand-by’. We have been eating lettuce, spinach, and scallions so far. With luck the little bit of corn i planted will be ready for 4th of July. That’s it behind the squash and cucumbers that are learning to climb the fence i gave them. In the fore ground is zucchini, yellow squash, and then the cuc’s. Behind the corn is butternut squash. As soon as the corn is done pumpkins will go in where they are.

Our day lilies are starting to pick up, especially in the front where the colors are purple (Beatrice’s favorite) and yellow.

We bought more this year and they are out in the new meadow. Some are blooming already this year, but we expect most to wait till next year to bloom. Even so, the meadow is really taking shape this year. I realize that it looks like a bunch of weeds, BUT if you look hard you can see some of the pink and red cosmos. Latest barn project is an extension on the side of the barn to get some equipment under cover before winter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This will be a pole-barn style lean-to on what was a small patio, so the cement blocks are already there. I’m hoping to finish this next week before the hot weather returns. This past week has been in the 80’s and today only made it to 78F. It’s 65F as i type, so i’m happy to say the A/C is off (no pun intended AC) and the windows are open. So if you don’t hear from me for a while, just check near the barn, or out in the back. I hope everyone is having a good gardening season like we are.

Grenville