No honeybees... :(

[rainbowgardener]

Many things have changed, what we have been talking about - climate, exposure to a wide variety of pesticides, herbicides, and other industrial chemicals, the hives being trucked around from place to place, etc. We have to think we are not creating healthy conditions for honeybees. Perhaps they are our mine canaries?

[tomf]

Yup, that is my point in asking, we are, and what we do is what has changed.

[Green Mantis]

We haven't seen any honeybees anywhere this year, have seen some bumble bees, but that's it.

Very Sad, I miss them.

[rainbowgardener]

It is sad. Do you grow flowers they like? That would include marigolds, clover, poppies, cosmos, tansy, hyssop, squash/melons, bee balm, borage (aka "bee's bread"), mint, fennel, lavender, and most other herbs as long as you let them flower.

If you have plenty of bee flowers and still no bees, it might be time to consider keeping a hive. I think more of us need to do that to work against the disappearance. Bees do better in organic gardens than they do being trucked around to pesticide laden farms.

[Green Mantis]

I am in the process of trying to get those types of flowers, I got my one raised bed done, but then to late to

grow anything. I will get my garlic in though. I had to sit down and do a good think on what was frustrating

me so badly, about the garden. I realized I wanted the impossible, to get everything in at once.

Doesn't work in a (new to us) place. So after talking it over with hubby, we both decided that making the

gardens, will make way more sense, this summer/fall. Then next year I can get the plants I need to attract

honeybees and butterflys hopefully. Those kind of plants sell so fast.

I don't have much room to grow plants in the house. So have to buy them.

But with proper planning, I should have a lot more fun next year. Live and learn

[rainbowgardener]

You can order live plants on line with big selection of choices, put your order in way early, before they sell out of anything, and they will ship it to you at the right planting time for your area.

Or you can start a few things from seed, which is much easier to come by than nursery plants. It doesn't take a whole lot of room. If you can clear out four feet of shelf space somewhere, where you can hang a shop light fixture over it, you are good to go.

Early fall is a good time for planting perennials like bee balm and hyssop.

[tomf]

The bees sure love the oregano, I wonder what the honey would taste like.