[Pollinator] Question about home garden plants and pollinators

[Hayes, Jerry]

In regards to Honey Bees Louise it is not that you are not providing
attractive pollen and nectar resources but possibly simply that there
are not as many feral colonies of Honey Bees in your area in spring and
later in the year as there used to be. The feral population of Honey
Bees once so abundant is virtually gone do to introduced parasites
primarily. Keep up what you are doing as it is very valuable to the
Honey Bees that can access your plantings. Take Care Jerry Hayes

-----Original Message-----
From: pollinator-bounces+hayesg=doacs.state.fl.us at lists.sonic.net
[mailto:pollinator-bounces+hayesg=doacs.state.fl.us at lists.sonic.net] On
Behalf Of Jen Marks
Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 2:40 PM
To: pollinator at nappc.org
Subject: [Pollinator] Question about home garden plants and pollinators

Here is a question and story from a woman in New York.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Louise Kosta" <lkosta at pronetisp.net>
To: <info at pollinator.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 18, 2006 10:34 PM
Subject: home garden plants and pollinators


> Hello:
>
> I just learned about your org from a piece that appeared in
Physorg.com's
> earth science section--
> http://www.physorg.com/news80414290.html
>
> I live in upstate New York, near the PA border. Ever since I learned
of
> the problem with honeybees being affected by parasitic mites, I've
been
> growing more herbs in my garden, and planting other things they seem
to
> especially like. I've allowed creeping thyme to infiltrate my lawn and
I
> also grow it as a fill-in groundcover. I've also started using common
> oregano the same way. I let them both bloom, then cut them back for a
> second (and sometimes third) bloom period. I generally grow a lot of
> nasturtiums, which bees seem to enjoy, as well as scarlet runner beans
> (ditto). I also grow hedge roses and other herbs (sage varieties,
lavendar
> varieties, basil and so on).
>
> Since I have all these plants, I do get quite a bit of bee traffic.
> However, it's not nearly as great as it was years ago. Back then,
every
> spring my redbud tree was full of buzzing bees, so many and so loud
that
> you could hear them from quite a distance away.
>
> Why have I been unable to attract the bees that used to visit my
redbud
> tree? The tree blooms as much as ever. Did it attract a type of bee
that's
> becoming extinct?
>
> Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this--it's puzzled me
for
> years.
>
>
> Louise Kosta
>
>
>

_______________________________________________
Pollinator mailing list
Pollinator at lists.sonic.net
http://lists.sonic.net/mailman/listinfo/pollinator