Hope for the Bees

So, here's a bit of good news for a change: a total ban on neo-nicotoids, the pesticides strongly suspected of causing 'Colony Collapse Disorder'. It's taken several years to sort out the cause from the effects, but we've finally got a consensus straight out of Rachel Carson. Here's hoping that at some point the U.S. follows suit.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/23/europe-poised-for-total-ban-on-bee-harming-pesticides

--John R.
reading: manuscripts!

Yesterday, There Were Bees

Just as a quick note, the honeybees were out again -- briefly at least -- yesterday, with three or four of them swarming around the hummingbird feeder. One or two seemed to object to Rigby lying in the sun, but most were concentrating on the task at hand, something bees are v. gd at.

No sign of them today, but then it seems to require the right combination of late-afternoon warming and a little sunshine to bring them out from wherever they lair.

Just to be thorough, if belated, I'd meant to note one other sighting, I think around January 25th, but forgot to note the date. Given how many signs there are now that early spring's not too far away, it looks like they shd make it on their wintering over.

--JDR

.......................

UPDATE, Sun.Feb.13th: and again today, briefly -- though we were distracted from that by what look to be the opening volley in Hummingbird Wars!

Christmas Bees

So, the unofficial bee-watch continues, as the honeybees surprised me once again by coming up to the hummingbird feeder for at least several hours today (late morning /early afternoon). Only about seven or eight of them at most at any one time, but still impressive, given that we've now reached Midwinter. At this point I'm beginning to think they might actually make it through the winter, keeping to their hive (wherever that is) most of the time and eating their honey to keep them going, then emerging on those days when it gets warm enough and dry enough.

If that weren't strange enough, yesterday I noticed that one patch of the daffodils I planted just before last winter are starting to come up again -- about two months early. And then this morning Janice confirmed that the alders and willows along the creek are just beginning to get that look that precedes their budding for the spring.

In short, Nature outside seems to have concluded that winter came with the snow and ice we had a few weeks ago and has now passed. I'm apprehensive about the fate of those daffodils, given how many months of official winter there still are to go. I guess we'll see. In any case, I'll keep putting out the hummingbird juice and hope it helps.

--John R.

current anime: CANAAN

current audiobook: HUMAN SMOKE

current reading: TROY & HOMER by Joachim Latacz

Winter Bees

So, today there were bees.

Much to the consternation of our resident hummingbird, by the way, who was relieved when a little later it started to sprinkle again and the bees went back to their bee-refuge, wherever that is, leaving it to sip in peace without having to zig and zag amongst the little ladies.

That's twice now I've thought we've seen the last of them for the year, only to have them re-emerge a week or two later on the next warm or sunny day to rally round the ol' hummingbird feeder. And not just one or two grizzled survivor but more in the neighborhood of twenty to thirty.

Or, as some like to call it, climate change. Incidently, as I was watching the hummingbird/bee show, 'Bird Notes' came on the radio to talk about how the yearly bird counting day was coming round again, and they happened to mention one discovery from compiling their (extensive but anecdotal) evidence is that the wintering territory of migratory birds has shifted by about thirty-five miles over the last decade. I suspect the line dividing when it's warm enough to winter over in lieu of migrating at all is similarly creeping north. It'll be interesting to keep an eye out for other outliers of all the changes going on.

--John R.