oh, my bees...

[cos]

I've been reading about the bee demise for a few months, and it's been worrying, but abstract.

Yesterday, I went with dreams_of_wings and aatish2 to Heritage Gardens (formerly Heritage Plantation of Sandwich) to see the rhododendrons and azaleas at peak bloom - though it seems peak is coming a bit late this year and will likely be this weekend or early next week. We got there at 3:40pm and left at 5:10pm, so we spent about an hour and a half walking around. It was a warm sunny day, and beautiful.

I saw one bee.

It's been a few years since I last went, but I've gone there during peak bloom at least three times before, possibly more. One of my clearest recurring memories of those visits has been the buzzing of the bees near the entrance.

[ photos from yesterday - I'll upload more soon ]

Comments

[tisiphone.livejournal.com]

If it makes you feel better, the bee hive in my backyard is alive and well. I can provide photographic proof if you like :)

[eirias.livejournal.com]

Did you see a difference in flower quantity or quality that you could link to the bee shortage?
Do you think the lateness of peak might be related?
(I guess I don't even know for sure that those flowers are primarily pollinated by bees, but since you mention them hav ing been regular visitors in the past, I'm inferring it.)

My father-in-law keeps bees for honey, and he has been lucky so far, but hive collapse has moved as far as Southern Wisconsin, so it's on our radar, too...

[cos]

Since I've gone there at most once a season (well, maybe I went twice one year), I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between overall flower quantity & quality during the season, and variations from day to day - am I seeing something different because this year is different from last year, or because this day is different from another day?

Bumblebees have been plentiful every other time I've been there, though. I don't think people keep bumblebees, so I assume they're wild.

[lil-brown-bat.livejournal.com]

Did you see a difference in flower quantity or quality that you could link to the bee shortage?

Pollination is not what creates flowers. Other way around.

Do you think the lateness of peak might be related?

Actually, I think of azalea peak for this climate as happening in June. I could be misremembering but I think that's when I've always seen the good stuff in the Arnold Arboretum.

[cos]

Heritage's peak is usually on Memorial Day weekend, but it varies by up to a week some years. Some of the more unusually colored Dexter breeds peak about a week off from the rest, IIRC.

[eirias.livejournal.com]

Heh, good point. I stand corrected :).
I guess next year's crop would be the way to tell; except aren't azaleas and rhododendrons perennials anyway? Hmm... how do you gauge whether bee death matters to these plants, in that case? Is it just about whether they drop seeds, or what?

[lil-brown-bat.livejournal.com]

You don't tell from the plant itself; you tell from fruit production (fruit in the sense of fertilized egg/seed), which is a lot easier to gauge when you're looking at an apple orchard than at a bunch of rhododendrons. Insect pollinations is only one type of pollination, but it's particularly important for organisms that produce flowers.

Not to downplay the possibility that hive death is a big deal, but it should be noted that not so very long ago, orchards in North America were mostly pollinated by wild insects. Then the wild bee population died back substantially, and so some orchardists started keeping hives. I have no idea if "hive death" is related to the wild bee die-back or not, but it's worth noting that bee death in North America is not a new thing.

[cos]

There have always been hive deaths, what's special about this year is how many. From what I read, it is hitting both captive and wild hives.

[lil-brown-bat.livejournal.com]

I'm aware of that; I'm just pointing out that the wild bee population went through a decline at least as drastic in the past, leading to the current bee-keeping practices.

[anna-phylaxis.livejournal.com]

Entirely unrelated to bees, my grandfather and his construction company were responsible for relocating the windmill from its original site in Orleans. Yay, trivia!

Those are beautiful photos... thank you for sharing!

[2d00r.livejournal.com]

Walking around my yard (far from scientific) I can't go more then about 8" without almost stepping on a bee on the clover. So unlike when toads decided to go walkabout in the early 90s I really haven't seen any evidence of bees disappearing.

[cos]

Where is your unscientific yard located? I haven't kept track of your moves :)

[2d00r.livejournal.com]

SW Ohio now. So over 'there' someplace.

[cos]

SW Ohio is right on my route to and from Louisville, I go on average once a year. I was just visiting friends in Cincinnati on the way, around new years. Had no idea you were there.

[sykotropic.livejournal.com]

If it helps at all I was in a cherry orchard about 3 weeks ago and it was SWARMING with bees.

[ron_newman]

Are you all definitely seeing bees, and not wasps or hornets or yellow-jackets?

[cos]

Well, the one I saw yesterday was definitely a bumblebee :)

[charolastra00.livejournal.com]

Normally my backyard at home is swarming with bees but in the 3 weeks I've been here and have hung out in the veggie garden and flower garden (where I normally get stung ALL THE TIME), I only saw a few bumblebees. Its mildly terrifying. As an ex-4H member (agricultural club), I went up to see my buddies at the local extension office to ask about how the bee population is doing around the north Georgia area. Apparently it's low all around my county. :\

[listgirl.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking about the bees alot lately too. A few years ago when I was working on a blueberrie farm we heard a swarm of bees come into the orchard and two of the workers went out and =hived= them. . . I've ben thinking that maybe the bees aren't disapearing, maybe there traveling around in great swarms all zooming toward some hidden valley of bee saftey . . . I like that thought . . .

Hello

[(Anonymous)]

I'm new here, just wanted to say hello and introduce myself.