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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Claudia & Linda" <dragonhill2@netzero.net>
  • To: "Healthy soil and sustainable growing" <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] bees and vegetables
  • Date: Fri, 4 May 2007 09:46:04 -0500

Gwen, in answer to your second question--yes, it is still possible to get bees and start a home hive. Your best bet is to see if you can find a local beekeeping club; usually beekeepers are a friendly bunch and club members will help newcomers get started. Some members may have "nucs" (frames of brood, with a few thousand bees and a queen) to sell you or they can tell you where to buy a nuc. Used to you could buy packaged bees thru the mail from Dadant, but now I understand you have to pick them up at one of their branches. I think you can still buy a nuc thru the mail and there are places that have those. I have one source for nucs but I don't have the name and address handy. If you're interested, I'll look it up for you. I used to keep several hives of bees but lost my last one about 3 years ago. I just set up a new hive again this spring. With all the pressure on honey bees I figure everyone who possibly can should keep hives. You really should have more than one hive so if a hive becomes weak you can combine it with a stronger hive or give it brood from a stronger hive. You just increase your chances of success if you have two or more hives. My aim is to have at least 5 hives eventually but just one nuc was available locally to begin with. Hopefully I can keep the mites under control and avoid this new Colony Collapse Disorder and all the other threats to bees and get this hive off to a good start.

Claudia


----- Original Message ----- From: "elderberryjam" <elderberryjam@zippytech.com>
To: <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2007 10:54 PM
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] bees and vegetables


This year I ordered about $75 worth of seeds from Baker's Creek, and Seeds
of Change. Now I'd like to know, what vegetables are least dependent on bees
for pollination? We are late getting our garden in. DH just plowed - I know
many of you prefer no-till and all that, but we haven't plowed for several
years, and this was the year. I can't plant everything I bought this year.

Second question: is it still possible to get bees and start home hives; and
if so, where is the best place to look? There are others I can ask, but
thought I'd ask here also. I went for a walk out in the pasture today, and
saw a grand total of 2 bumble bees on the numerous dandelions, in all my
walk. It was in the 70's here in Ohio. A local beekeeper we know, according
to my folks, has lost 90% of his hundreds of hives. I don't see he and his
wife often enough to ask them much.

Thanks, Gwen

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