|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 14, 2015 18:13:57 GMT
I hope to find some of those plants are the local nurseries, but haven't had a lot of luck in recent years. I don't have the facilities to start them from seed, so I have to buy the plants. A friend told me about a better nursery, so I will try that this year. I will go in May, as the plants won't have to sit in flats for too long before being planted. I do hope to get bumblers, hummers and butterflies this year, but I also have to drive away the biting flies. Not sure those are all the same plants. I am going to try more container plantings, this year, so maybe that will help.
Our bumblers seem drowsy and disoriented, too. I noticed that last year, but they have always been the slow bees. It's hard to tell if they just aren't going anywhere important, or if they are failing, until I find them dead on the steps. I hope to get a small bird bath on a stand, to put in the garden and fill with water and marbles for the bumblers and birds. I need to make a list, as May will be here before I'm ready.
|
|
|
Post by jolovespiggies on Apr 14, 2015 18:47:24 GMT
Your garden sounds lovely Bootygurl love, we have bee friendly plants too. I love bugs when when there are a lot of them and in your home, I can see it being a problem. Oh Piggles love, water for the bumblers and birds that is lovely, I keep promising myself a bee box so they have somewhere to go if they are stuck. I hate finding dead bees, it makes me so sad.
Hugs JO xx
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 15, 2015 17:13:16 GMT
I know, Jo, and there is so much pesticide use, and that's making them weak. I don't know if the water, even the sugar water, helps them, if they are already sick. We need to get these pesticides banned. Some cities and countries are already banning them. I think San Diego sued Bayer for destroying all the good insect life with its pesticides. California is a major farming area in the US, and without the bees, there is no pollination. For the pesticides that were supposed to kill the bad bugs, to have killed all the bees, is a major economic hit for farmers. The countries that have banned the pesticides and GMOs will get the healthy bees back first, and they will have to sell healthy bees to the rest of us. I wouldn't blame them if they refused to sell bees to anyone still using Bayer pesticides.
Weather wise, we're at the point where I can't put the potted plants outside, but leaving the blinds open in for the sliders, so the plants can get the sunlight, is letting a lot of heat in through the windows. The kitchen was up to 70F/21C this morning, so I had to turn on the overhead fans. We have to repaint the balcony, as all the shoveling this winter really dug up the paint, but I think I'll put out the rug before it gets any hotter. The morning sun hitting the dark brown paint really heats up the balcony quickly!
|
|
|
Post by jolovespiggies on Apr 15, 2015 18:54:53 GMT
I wouldn't blame them either hun, the poor little bees are having such a tough time of it and they deserve to thrive as individuals and enjoy their little lives, not jut because they are good for us. It is the same here, there is a decline, I am a member of the Bumble Bee Conservation Trust and they are doing all they can to put things right. It has been lovely here today, little bees buzzing about but it is still spring here. I doubt very much if this will last until September which supposedly is the end of our summer.
Hugs Jo xx
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 16, 2015 18:07:10 GMT
I was reading an article about our two largest home/garden DIY stores, Home Depot and Lowe's. Plants from both garden centers were tested and found to have bee-killing pesticide on them. I hate to think I may have killed off the bees I was trying to save, but I bought my plants at both places. This spring, I will skip those, and go to the nurseries, but I have no way to know if bee-killing pesticides were used in those nurseries, either. Asking won't get my a true answer unless they are specifically advertising as pesticide-free. I haven't seen that yet, but it's too early to plant here, so maybe those signs will come out in a few weeks.
|
|
|
Post by jolovespiggies on Apr 16, 2015 18:47:08 GMT
It is heart breaking isn't it Piggles love, I don't know how bee killing pesticide ever got onto the market?!! I do hope you find some that is a friend, or at least not an enemy of our beloved bees.
Hugs JO xx
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 16, 2015 18:51:23 GMT
I think plant growers want an easy way to control pests, so pesticide companies made super killer pesticides that kill everything. But they are like antibiotics, that kill the bad and the good. Something that will kill everything is less expensive to make and to spray over large areas of crops. Don't have to clean out the crop duster tanks when changing fields, as the same pesticide works on everything. That's the problem. It works on everything, including the good bugs that helped pollinate or kill other pests. Farmers work hard, not doubt about that, and they don't become rich from farming, but these kill-all pesticides have to be stopped.
|
|
|
Post by jolovespiggies on Apr 16, 2015 18:54:09 GMT
Absolutely true love, something positive and direct has to be done before it is too late, if it isn't already.
Hugs Jo xx
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 17, 2015 15:48:16 GMT
I keep signing the petitions, but nothing seems to happen
|
|
|
Post by bootygurl on Apr 17, 2015 17:03:28 GMT
There is a special on Netflix for anyone who knows what Netflix is. Its called "Queen of the Sun' it talks about the disappearance of the bees in the U.S.
|
|
|
Post by jolovespiggies on Apr 17, 2015 19:12:47 GMT
I sign petitions all the time love but it is hard to keep up with what is happening. Sometimes I receive an email with an update and they are always kept on file. I will have a look at Netflix and try and find the petition for the bees.
Hugs JO xx
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 18, 2015 21:00:33 GMT
I think hubby gets tired of my "causes," but I wish he would take more of an interest in the world around him. He wanted me to look at plants at Home Depot, and when I said their plants were found to have bee and butterfly-killing pesticide, his response was sort of a whatever. I'm undaunted, but a little support would be nice.
We got the fake grass rug on the porch, and it seemed to bring down the temperature a bit. Our choices are a dark brown painted balcony that absorbs the heat and feeds it back relentlessly, or a red and white outdoor carpet that reflects the sun in the windows. So hopefully $20 worth of fake grass will neutralize some of the heat.
|
|
|
Post by cookie72 on Apr 18, 2015 21:01:52 GMT
I'm right with you guys on the bees/bee killing pesticides. It's because of the greed of these pesticide companies, and the GMOs that were invented as a means of selling massive amounts of the pesticides that they were made to withstand. I sign all those petitions too. Problem is that these agri-chemical corporations are way too powerful and I think the whole system is so corrupt it seems rather hopeless that anything will be done about it, until all the bees are gone and it's too late. I remember as a kid, next door neighbor had this row of some kind of butterfly attracting plants in their yard. They would just be swarming with beautiful monarch butterflies (I'm sure bumblers too, but I mainly remember the butterflies). I hardly ever see any monarch butterflies anymore these days, or bumbles. I tried planting something called butterfly flowers last year. I grew them inside from seed started earlier, and planted them in the middle of my vegetable garden (was hoping to attract bees to help pollinate my veggies), but my tomato plants got so huge that they overtook the flowers, and I never got any flowers. I'll try again this year, with butterfly/bee attracting flowers and plant them somewhere else.
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 18, 2015 21:13:57 GMT
I can't remember the term, but there are tomato plants that only grow to a certain size, and other that grow unrestricted. If I can remember the term, I'll let you know. That way you can pick the varieties that won't smother your flowers. I live in a condo with no place to start seeds indoors, or I would do the same thing. I want a lot of color in my flower beds and in the planters, this summer, and can't wait to get to the nursery to see what's available
|
|
|
Post by cookie72 on Apr 19, 2015 1:29:21 GMT
Attachment DeletedLook who visited my backyard today! It was so cute. At one point, the 2 males got on top of the female, and it appeared they were fighting. It looked brutal. Then one of the males took off, and the other male got on top of the female again and was grabbing the top of her head with his beak and tugging quite hard. I was clapping and telling him to stop because it looked like he was hurting her. He stopped, and then the 2 of them hung out in the sun for a bit. She looked none for the worse, so maybe it's just some part of their mating ritual, who knows.
|
|
|
Post by Bean on Apr 19, 2015 8:17:02 GMT
Aww they are lovely.
I've seen some brutal duck mating - apparently it's pretty common for the male to just get on with it regardless of protest from the female. I've seen them hold the female's neck in their beak and stand on their wings to keep them from running off or fighting. And as with most species, if there are multiple males around, it can be a bit of a competitive frenzy.
Definitely one of those times not to apply human ways of doing things to animal behaviour - but it would just seem nicer if everyone was a bit politer about it!
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 19, 2015 15:50:20 GMT
Mating and establishing territory can look brutal to us, but it seems to work for them. Maybe holding her neck with his beak, etc. are ways to not fall off. Either way, it has resulted in keeping the duck population going, and the females never act all miffed afterward, so it must be normal for them. They are beautiful, even if the guys got into a scrap over mating rights
|
|
|
Post by jolovespiggies on Apr 19, 2015 19:08:36 GMT
I am lucky there Piggles hun, Paul feels as I do. I adore butterflies and moths. We have a fair amount of bees in our garden Cookie love but I thunk I have seen one butterfly this year and he was a cabbage white. The ducks are gorgeous Cookie hun, I have always wanted some little ducks. I have never seen them mating but I remember reading somewhere that it is quite fierce and it looks as if they are fighting. Ha ha, it would be nice to see animals loving each other instead of just mating, but that is the animal world for you LOL!!
Hugs JO xx
|
|
|
Post by cookie72 on Apr 20, 2015 3:46:55 GMT
Ok, so I guess it was just a mating thing, and while it looked brutal, next time I'll just let them have at it and not try to interfere. Then maybe I can see some baby duckies in my yard. It did look like he was trying to stand on her wings too. It would be nice if it looked more romantic or polite though Last summer I remember seeing a trio of ducks, so I wonder if it was the same ones. I think I read somewhere that ducks find a mate and stick with them for life, like penguins do. I see them crossing the street by my driveway alot and it always scares me because I know alot of people have little regard for wildlife and wouldn't bother to slow down to let them cross. Last year when I saw them, I considered putting a little kiddie pool in my backyard to try to get them to stay in a safe place. I suppose that's unrealistic though because they'd have to go forage for food somewhere.
|
|
|
Post by Bean on Apr 20, 2015 8:47:53 GMT
Just had a quick read on duck mating and it seems that ducks are in the minority of birds who don't always have consensual sex - single or groups of males often gang up on a female and fight to impregnate her against her will.
However, female ducks' sex organs have actually evolved into quite complex structures to make it harder for a male duck to mate successfully - think of a sort of maze with some dead ends so that she can block off the right parts and stop the forced sex resulting in a pregnancy. Crazy! When she's chosen her mate and wants to reproduce, the right doors are left open!
Also, male ducks have really long willies (most bird species don't even get a proper willy) which are shaped like corkscrews! Talk about battle of the bits!
|
|