Blogcation
I always loved summer as a kid. Besides it bringing my
birthday, school was out and my friends and I spent most of the long, hot days
outside. I also spent lots of time in the library catching up on books by my
favorite authors. Sometimes my family would have a picnic with the cousins or
we’d spend a day at the beach. It was welcome time away from our usual
activities. So when summer came upon us this year I decided to take a needed
blogcation for a few weeks to regenerate myself.
Now it’s time to return to my backyard. My blogcation helped
me look at things through refreshed eyes. And I see that the yard needs
tending. Things have grown abundantly over the years. The trees we planted for
shade have done their job very well. The yard looks wooded and natural but we
see that the bulbs we had planted no long bear flowers because of the shade
generated by the trees. The privet hedges are long and lanky, reaching up
through the tree branches to find the sun. The lovely Rose-of-Sharon bush
spread to the other side of the yard and the seedlings seem to want to take
over. Yes, tending is in order.
At least I have the
choice of gardening or resting; not everything in nature has that option. The
bees have been busy gathering nectar and pollen from the Hibiscus and Echinacea
flowers. They sing their way around the purple Salvia and Butterfly Bushes.
Their visitations help distribute the pollen that fertilizes the plants. I hear
them buzzing in the vegetable garden and I am grateful for their help. They make
the juicy tomatoes we so love possible. In fact, a good portion of everyone’s
diet is facilitated by honeybee pollination.
Which brings up the problem of Colony Collapse Disorder
(CCD). Our honeybees are in trouble. More colonies than ever have been failing. Several dead hives have been found.
Sometimes a queen bee and immature bees are present but no adult bees to do the
hive’s work. The Agricultural
Research Service (ARS), USDA's internal research agency, is trying to find
out what causes CCD. Is it due to pesticides? Is it merely cyclical? Does it
reflect poor management?
It makes a case for all of us being dependent upon each
other. Bees are important to our survival – and we are necessary to theirs. As
I enjoy the fruits- and vegetables – of their labor, I hope that we find a way
to guarantee their continued presence. Come autumn, the old guard will be over
and the new queens will hibernate until the next spring approaches. I
understand about down time, even in Nature, but let’s not make CCD a permanent
state for the bees.
Become familiar with the life of the honeybee:
Understand the problems bees currently face:
http://www.isciencetimes.com/articles/5112/20130508/colony-collapse-disorder-honeybees-danger-dying.htm
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