Site Meter Earthly Garden » Blog Archive » More on the disappearing bees…

More on the disappearing bees…

by

Mornin’, earthly gardeners…

I’ve been watching the disappearing bee story carefully. Seems that reports are coming in that colonies of *organic* bees are not being affected as much as the non-organic hives. Huh. Can we say “I’m not surprised”? Anyway, I just ran across this story written by Dan Sorenson in the Arizona Daily Star. It seems that Dee Lusby, the owner of Lusby Apiaries, has 900 hives of “free range” organic bees. She’s only lost several hives since this whole mess started. Fascinating story! (BTW, it seems that the Africanized “killer bees” are also immune to whatever’s bothering the domestic hives.)

The experts now are agreeing that it might be a number of factors causing the disappearance….pesticides, lack of organic (as in, non-genetically modified) crops and plants, or perhaps some mite that has spread among susceptible bee populations.

It never occurred to me that my bees—actually, they aren’t MY bees, but I like to call them that–are a free-range organic hive. That has a nice ring to it! They’ve been BEEzy (groan) this week with the native yaupon holly, which is starting to bloom.

In other news, I’ve been working on a short piece about how you can build your own easy, inexpensive raised bed garden using plain old cement blocks you can buy at any home center, garden center or hardware store, and I hope to run that tomorrow with photos of some of mine.

Until then, dig it!

bobbi c.
Copyright©2007 by Bobbi A. Chukran. All rights to photos and text reserved.

, , ,


Posted in Africanized killer bees, Dee Lusby, GM crops, General, Lusby Apiaries Arizona, bee hive, bee mites, beehives, beekeeping, bees, cement block garden, free range bees, genetically modified crops, organic bees on April 3rd, 2007

Link to this Entry

Recent Posts

Related Posts

2 Responses to “More on the disappearing bees…”

  1. Noelani Says:
    April 3rd, 2007 at 11:02 am

    When will more people wake up and realize the environment is taking a detrimental nose-dive greatly attributed to humans? A few adjustments of lifestyle or at the very least supporting new science to discover new ways to curb the issues that would prompt us to use harmful chemicals, would be very beneficial and an overall move in the right direction.

  2. Bobbi Chukran Says:
    April 3rd, 2007 at 12:02 pm

    I agree! It’s not hard to do the right thing, but it’s not always the most profitable. At least not for the large companies that make all the genetically modified foods, etc. When whole colonies of things like bees are affected, people need to wake up and pay attention!

    bobbi c.

Leave a Reply


About Earthly Garden

EarthlyGarden.com is all about simple ideas for creating your own earthly paradise, no matter how large or small. Real stories about real gardens and people who love gardening. Organic, natural, safe gardens for nature, humans and the environment. Tips, information, links, questions-and-answers, short articles, garden book reviews, old-fashioned wisdom. Dig it!

Earthly Garden Author(s)

NAVIGATE

LINKS

CATEGORIES

TOP COMMENTERS

RECENT COMMENTS

SUBSCRIBE

ARCHIVES

Blogging Flair

 

Home & Garden Channel Links

 

Home & Garden Channel Posts

  • Easy Raised Beds
    Gardening is pretty much a simple task, if you just give it a bit of time and a bit of patience. And of course you need a bit a land and space as well. Even if it's a small garden you need a [...]
  • Protect that Mailbox the easy way
    As I was reading this month's Living the Country Life Magazine I saw many photos of how the mailbox was turned into a planter. I have tried some of the techniques myself when I lived in the country [...]
  • Kooky Furniture For The Kids Room
    How cute are these! Don't they feel like something straight out of Beauty and The Beast, you know that Disney movie? It's so creative and whimsical! These are kooky cabinets designed and made [...]
  • Keep the Deer from taking over Your Garden
    From fences to other methods, it seems that no matter what we do, deer seem to find their way into our precious garden anyway. The best way to scare the deer away is to stand guard all the time, but [...]
  • Start Seeds the Easy way
    There are many seeds you can start right now in your own home or in your greenhouse. Some seeds are easier than other to get started this way instead of planting them right in the soil in your [...]
  • Use Tulle to Protect Tomatoes
    Tulle has been used for centuries for weddings and other festivities to help bring forth a more decorative touch to any occasion, but did you know that tulle can also be used in your garden to [...]
  • Bath & Body Works Instant Aromatherapy
    Need an energy boost? A quick fix and prevention for the cold and flu virus that could be spreading around? A stress relief? This Bath & Body Works Instant Aromatherapy set for $10 each should do [...]
  • Add more to your Garden Tool Kit
    There are several tools you should have at all times in your garden tool kit. These tools can make your gardening a lot easier and can also make your garden a better garden. Your vegetables can [...]
  • Make your own Herb Wreath
    If you grow bay leaves and rosemary you are already set, but you can also pick them up at the local farmers' market or at the local supermarket. You will need about 50 bay leaves or more, and about [...]
  • Grow what's Healthy for you in your own Garden
    There are many posts here on Earthly Garden that talk about growing herbs to eat and to use any recipe, but did you know that you can grow those herbs to use in more than just your kitchen and [...]

 

Hot Off The Press