Save The Honeybee, Save the World...?

Honeybees Are Not The Only Bees.

Most bees are solitary,

many are confused with honeybees.


Some are Tawny...

Tawny Mining Bee


some are tiny...

Carpenter Bee


An ATS favorite, The Mason Bee.


All Are Equally Important.

In Summer, solitary bees have made or found nests

and are busy provisioning a succession of cells with nectar and pollen, each cell laid with a single egg.

Because they fly earlier and later in the day and are so hairy,

many bumblebee and solitary bee species are

more efficient pollinators than even the honeybee (Apis mellifera).

Saving The Planet One Bee At A Time.

Everyone can be a Hero.

Everyone can help by "building" a Bee-house in their garden or hanging one off their balcony.

Just drill some holes into a piece of wood


or bundle some hollow sticks and twigs together


and place over a meter high in direct sunlight.

The holes should be different sizes, down to 2mm..

Make a Bee House for your Garden (PDF Link)

Also, don't trim the edges of your lawn or hedge too much,

leave some long vegetation for Bumblebees to burrow.


Infosheet-Spring Gardening for Bees (PDF)

Bumblebees nest at ground level in tussocky grass and below ground in pre-existing holes.

Gardeners can help by not cutting back and tidying up everywhere;

leave some warm, sheltered areas of rough grass and moss for the bees.

Occasionally bumblebees nest in unusual places such as bird boxes,

compost heaps or under sheds. Artificial nests can be provided, but are rarely successful.

Say "No" To Murder

Stop using weedkiller.

There is no safe weedkiller.

Or pesticide.


Do Not Rely On Industrial Monoculture To Do God's Work For Us

Jesus taught us to plant flowers and feed the birds.

Planting flowers attracts insects that eat pests

Feeding birds attracts more birds that eat pests.

They then convert the seeds and pest-insects into Guano

that fertilizes the flowers that attract bees that save mankind from world-hunger.


There Is No Such Thing As Cheap Food.


Bees are only one of the most obvious Price-tags on our "Cheap Food"

It's not about the Honey, Honey Honey,

we don't need your Honey, Honey Honey,

it's all about the Flowers

Forget about the Farmland.




Open Source Hospitality.

Invite a wild bee into your garden and help secure our future as a Species.

Save the planet for free.


Save The Wild Bee.


Tfw.

reply to post by Theflyingweldsman


There are many sorts of bees, I knew this but never considered it as you only hear about the partial devastation of them from a commercial angle. Good food for thought.

Same with frogs. I think we're more aware of them, however, in the chain of biodiversity for which they are necessary. And when you hear the silence where you used to hear the chorus of burping hums, you wonder, just how toxic is the environment already...

Originally posted by winofiend
reply to post by Theflyingweldsman

 

Same with frogs.

Wise words from a wise man.

I built a frogpond for the same reasons.

Hi TFW

Thought a little mood music might be in order



I'll give it a go with the drilled wood, might even attract something unexpected.

Thanks

Cody

reply to post by Theflyingweldsman


many thanks for the idea for the bee home.. that'll be a real nice little project to do with the mini-me

reply to post by skalla


It's also my spring project with Thelittleweldsman,

Theweldslady calls him my "mini-me".

Bees tend to be attracted to blue, purple and yellow flowers.


Or the Poached egg flower. A favorite with kids and bees.


A herb garden in a window box is also excellent.

Rosemary, mint, lavender, thyme, any herb which makes little flowers and has a nice smell.



Or best of all and maybe more suited to your tastes,

Pick some small flowering plants from the garden or woods and plant them in little containers.

A cut-off and lined 2 or 3 liter plastic milk jug makes an excellent dangling garden,

or for bigger, bushier plants, a bucket with a hole in the bottom.

Upside-down Gardening!



Do this with a milkweed bush and hang it out your window beside the Bee-Home.

Your outside wall would be like living in a mansion beside a free macdonalds for bees.



Good luck and have fun!

Tfw.

Originally posted by cody599
I'll give it a go with the drilled wood, might even attract something unexpected.
Cody

Good on you, I'll share my creation, when i've drilled it.

5 ways to save the bees

On a musical note,

I was looking for T.F.O.T.B.B. from an album "Moog Indigo",

but "they" blocked it on copyright grounds!

A classical tune reimagined for an obscure 70's French Moog-synth LP.

Here's a fine examle from the album.



...Kinda describes ATS...

reply to post by Theflyingweldsman


Thanks for the further tips

I used to work on a biodynamic farm/garden/woods and my garden was subsequently neglected a little as it was too much like a busman's holiday, but my boy is now old enough (6) to actually genuinely help with stuff and put in a bit of a shift - he's even retained the interest despite a little slave-driving from me over the past few weeks.

He's quite the nature buff, we often take take walks through local forests and hills and there is rarely a question on trees and such that i cannot answer there and then and he's picked up my own love for the natural world as well as crafting. He even enjoys clearing up after pruning the hedge and mowing the lawn, though i suspect that this is more an act of rebellion against my own, er "shabby-chic". He will no doubt grow up to be an accountant or something similar.

I agree on taking responsibly from forests btw - 2 years back i saw a bunch of wild Rowan babies growing by a well used path in a forest - i knew that most would get trampled. There were about twelve of them, so i took three of the "most likely to get stomped" back home and they all survive to this day, one with my neighbour in exchange for sunflowers and strawberries.

reply to post by Theflyingweldsman


i remember the village people covering TFOTBB when i was a teenager...

reply to post by skalla


Cheers Skalla!

I assumed that you were "canny wi' the wild"

The "tips" were not really meant to insult your wisdom,

rather in general posting, what I had thought of after posting the thread.

For the less "plants 'n' stuff" readers on ats,

should any accidently stumble upon this forgotten, forlorn weed of an appeal to mankind.

Love the Manowar version.

i remember the village people covering TFOTBB when i was a teenager...

Can't find the Village People version anywhere.

Are you sure that wasn't a dream?



Tfw.

reply to post by Theflyingweldsman


my thanks were genuinely meant, i'm not so great on wild flower types, though i've often gathered seeds and chucked them around the place.

and it was deffo The Village Peeps - i have a pic of them somewhere



dammit wrong one, here's the one i was after

reply to post by skalla


No, look.

Here's the band you were looking for.

reply to post by Theflyingweldsman


bravo sir!

Originally posted by Theflyingweldsman
reply to post by skalla

 

Cheers Skalla!

I assumed that you were "canny wi' the wild"

The "tips" were not really meant to insult your wisdom,

rather in general posting, what I had thought of after posting the thread.

For the less "plants 'n' stuff" readers on ats,

should any accidently stumble upon this forgotten, forlorn weed of an appeal to mankind.

Love the Manowar version.

i remember the village people covering TFOTBB when i was a teenager...

Can't find the Village People version anywhere.

Are you sure that wasn't a dream?

Tfw.

edit on 10/5/2013 by Theflyingweldsman because: A single interaction can have multiple interpretations.

Awesome

That guys nearly as good as me

Cody