I was recently reminded of pollen feeders when I received a photo from Tammy Sill in Rhode Island. She said of her bees, “They roll in it like dogs on dead fish!!!” I have to agree. A good and plentiful source of autumn pollen will cause to bees to frolic as if they died and […] Read more
When Honey Bee Suite was only a few months old, several of my friends told me the site was too “text heavy” and needed more photos. At the time, I was extremely discouraged by this news. After all, I began a blog because I wanted to write, not because I wanted to take pictures. Nevertheless, […] Read more
Here in Washington State, the Noxious Weed Control Board is distributing packets of non-invasive flower seeds for bees and butterflies. The program is co-sponsored by the Washington State Department of Agriculture, the Washington Invasive Species Council, and Lincoln, Skamania, Pierce, and Thurston counties. Landowners are being encouraged to eradicate invasive weeds and replace them with […] Read more
The standard answer to this question is no: “There is no such thing as too much pollen.” “The bees know what they are doing.” “Don’t worry about a good thing.” “Lots of pollen means lots of brood.” I’ve heard all these arguments many times, so I found it especially interesting when this subject came up […] Read more
I haven’t planted sunflowers in many years, but one of my goals this year is to plant a row of Lemon Queens. Lemon Queen is an open-pollinated heirloom variety that provides ample nectar and pollen. It is widely known to attract an amazing variety of pollinators, including many types of bees and butterflies. Lemon Queen […] Read more
In the attached .pdf files, you will find the results of the Honey Bee Suite Bee Plant Survey that you answered at the end of November 2014. In that survey, I asked where you lived and which plants you actually saw bees foraging on—both honey bees and native bees. The list is unique because it […] Read more
I will soon publish the results of the Bee Plant Survey that you answered back in November. Miriam Valere, a new beekeeper in Salt Lake City has been doing all the work, and I owe her a huge public thank you. For each plant Miriam has verified the scientific name, added the USDA hardiness zones […] Read more