POLLINATORS

[applestar]

Let's post pollinator descriptions and photos here.

I have one from this morning

BUMBLEBEE -- sipping from my pollinating wand

I have known for some time now that there seems to be a bumblebee nest under my main yucca plant. I hear some excessive buzzing if I try to weed anywhere close to it, hence the yucca is surrounded by weeds.

I planted a row of raspberries that runs about 2 feet from the yucca (which I know could become a problem, but the yucca is in a gravel bed so it might be OK?) You should have heard the commotion when I was pounding the fence posts into the ground for the wire trellis. I have to admit I dashed away a couple of times, just in case they were ready to attack.

Now I see them all over the squashes, cucumbers, and melons. And this one didn't care that I had already cut those male flowers from the vines and removed the petals. It just dove right in and was very busy with the wands. I only had two female blossoms to pollinate in the tunnel today so I was able to use the pollen on the wands even after it was done.

[applestar]

HUMMINGBIRDS

I don't have a new picture to post, but I wanted to mention that my runner beans had been blooming for a while now, but it's only since a female juvenile hummingbird has started making regular visits that they started setting pods. Initially, I thought it might be because the night temps were in the 60's and only recently has been up in the 70's, but the diligent visits by the hummingbird must be helping too?

[Rairdog]

I get my first package of honey bees tomorrow. I can't wait to see them in action an post some picks. Wish me luck!

[Countryladiesgardens]

We have a lot of flowers and veggies this year that pollinators seem to really enjoy! I have noticed an abundance of Bumblebees coming to drink from our Nasturtiums and Agastache! I also notice a TON of our honeybees are really loving our Borage. We've seen a few Hummingbirds pollinating our Peas in our Pea bed as well. They are so pretty and holy smokes are they fast! Nature is so amazing..

[Lindsaylew82]

They like to rest mid afternoon in the shaded spots and then they resume activity later near dusk.





Most of our lawn is clover and it brings them by waves! SO many bees! Bumbles prefer the big colorful garden flowers, and our honey bees prefer clover. The smaller sweat bees and wasps like cucumber and tomato flowers!

I saw a wasp or maybe a sweat bee, I'm not really sure, attack a cucumber beetle that was resting in a blossom tonight! Great action!

[applestar]

Today, I took several male squash flowers with me so I would have the appropriate type to pollinate a female squash blooming OUTSIDE the garden fence.

I put down the flowers while I examined the female blossom and, incidentally, weeded a little... Then I turned around to pick up a male blossom to remove the petals and make a pollinating wand... But there were TWO bumblebees in the flower.

They proceeded to crawl from blossom to blossom in the basket....

OK ... done yet? No? ... How about now? Nope. I walked away to shake some Japanese beetles off the hazel shrub into a pail of soapy water. Came back, picked up an empty male blossom and took it apart... And watched a bumblebee take off from another flower of the correct species directly to the female I was about to hand pollinate.

[Rairdog]

I have a hard time distinguishing between juvenile carpenter bees and bumble bees. This one didn't have much yellow at all. We have big problems with the carpenter bees and I try to keep them in check.

The sweat bees and hover flies really do help but I can never get a pic of them. Anyway, I installed my honeybees today. First time experience but I got it done. No stings! There new home with package ready to be opened.

Opening the package with my redneck bee outfit.

They settled in fine and were shortly doing their orientation flight.

All balled up around the hanging queen still caged. Pic through the observation window.

I have 9 bucks in hardware and 120 in the package bees. The rest was scrap I had on hand. They goal has been to help the honeybee with little investment so others can try. Hopefully they stick around and enjoy their new home.