Micro-ecologies

[randy_byers]

So we're probably all familiar with the idea of micro-climates, where my east-facing hillside near the lake may have an appreciably different climate from your your south-facing slope a half mile inland from the lake. Well, what about micro-ecologies? As I've written before, I haven't seen more than a stray pair of honeybees around my house in a number of years. We used to get them in the raspberries every year, but no longer. It's mostly just bumblebees now. I've attributed their disappearance to the two big die-offs of honeybees in the past decade. However, I just now spotted a flowering hedge at 42nd and 11th here in the U District that was full of honeybees. Now I'm wondering whether there was a hive in the old cherry tree across the alley from us, and whether the honeybees disappeared when the cherry tree was cut down to make way for townhouses.

So now I'm curious whether any Seattlites reading this have seen honeybees in their neighborhoods. (I know that akirlu and libertango see them at their place in Kent.)

Comments

[bluewoad.livejournal.com]

Some, but mostly bumblebees in LFP.

[randy-byers.livejournal.com]

Took me 15 minutes to decipher LFP. I always think of you as living out further.

[bluewoad.livejournal.com]

We used to live out almost in Monroe, but have been in LFP for about 4.5 years now.

I almost always abbreviate it because it's such a long name to write out and I'm lazy....

[randy-byers.livejournal.com]

Apparently in my stunted mind you will *always* live out almost in Monroe.

[bluewoad.livejournal.com]

We will always have Monroe....

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

The bees I've noticed so far this year have been bumble, mason, sweat (where sweat bee = any smallish bee that I can't be troubled to sort out from the other smallish bees), and a few honey. I think. I haven't spent as much time gardening this spring as I usually do, so I haven't seen as many bugs as usual. Haven't seen any ladybugs copulating, for instance, and I usually see a fair amount of that.

Most of the bees I've seen have been the big guys, more bumblebees than mason bees. I haven't seen any of the flies that look like honeybees yet this year.

[randy-byers.livejournal.com]

I'm still not sure what a mason bee looks like. I wonder if anybody offers bee-identification courses around here.

I did see a ladybug on one of my roses this weekend, but it was not copulating. I couldn't tell if it was playing with itself, however.

[farmgirl1146.livejournal.com]

There are several books available on them. we have one in town. The most common around here is orchard mason bee, Osmia lignaria. We bought them for the farm. Seem to have run out of initiative on them, and we need to do more.

Sorry, typing with splint on recovering dislocated finger. Bah humbug.

[randy-byers.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Cliff told me about the dislocation. Sounded really painful!

Your link didn't work for me for some reason, but I googled Osmia lingaria. It's possible that this is the black bee I saw around the poppies last weekend, although it didn't look like it had any hair to me.

I should look for a bee book. Do you have one just on local bees?

Anyway, hope your finger gets well soon!

[farmgirl1146.livejournal.com]

I know of no bee book, local or otherwise. Your bee probably was a mason bee. There are many varieties and they all are excellent pollanizers.

[randy-byers.livejournal.com]

I guess I misinterpreted your comment that "There are several books available on them."

[farmgirl1146.livejournal.com]

There are several books on mason bees, just not bee book, like a bird book, that I know of. Check out Knox Cellars . We bought bees from them and a book. Also got a different book from City People's in Madison Valley.

[randy-byers.livejournal.com]

Ah, got ya. I'd be more interested in something that talked about/showed a wider variety of bees. I'll look around. (I didn't know that there still was a City People's!)