permaculture

[KNat <knat@sprintmail.com>]

Eugene Monaco wrote:
> Somebody posted that we have no business raising apis mellifera en masse
> anymore than we have any business raising monocultures of GMO corn  This is
> a good point.
> The challenge is that we are already stuck in the middle of 10,000 years of
> agriculture that has gotten us to this point.  There's no turning back
> without a massive die off, which is possible, maybe even likely; but let's
> ignore that for a moment.  So what to do? (permaculture anyone?)
>   
I tend to follow animals. Anyone else seen a bear sniff a bee tree and 
not eat it. The feel was like a greeting and check-in.
I like your analogy that we garden with our needs in mind and other 
needs in mind.
Raising bees en masse will make sense to me when I have walked through a 
bee forest instead of feeling honored to have encountered a bee tree.
Anyone know about bee territories? I am trying a second hive. 
(inadvertent, I thought mine had not overwintered and ordered some to 
populate our area and the originals are reviving w a Spring Tonic.) How 
far do they travel when they swarm?
> Well, if the plants need water, we water them.  If the bees need feed, we
> feed them.  If the cows need milked...
>   
Different, and interesting topic. Another post, but thanks for the 
reflection idea.
> I am using organic dried cane juice
> from the health food store (ordered in bulk); equal parts dry volume of cane
> to liquid volume of filtered tap (or collected rain) water.  The cane juice
> has at least some trace minerals in it.  I'll pull the bottle away from the
> babies as soon as the Keepers let me know that there's enough food out
> there.  Now if I could just shut up my logical mind long enough to hear
> their call.
>   
I totally relate.
I add echinacea, rose hips and chamomile to organic turbinado sugar.
But, I also am of the scavenger bend and have been popping around places 
that get flowers in pots this time of year. The cold snaps have made it 
so the plants get ugly on the curb and folks are delighted to get rid of 
them. I'm probably introducing all sorts of stuff but I figure since I'm 
landlocked by other types of humans the bees have lots of exposure 
anyway and I can't control everything. Artificially feeding Easter 
flowers is probably not so different from artificially feeding sugar 
water and it provides more properties of plants than I can mimic.

Top Bar or regular?

Kathyann