permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>]

For anyone still interested in this thread.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [SANET-MG] GM contaminated honey
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2011 22:36:08 -0000
From: John D'hondt <dhondt@EIRCOM.NET>
To: SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU

I don't rightly know how germane this is to the discussion but I have
noticed that small rodents also are very interested in the pollen 
producing parts of corn. It may be the most nutritious part of the plant 
since we have little trouble with the actual cobs being damaged by rodents.
john

----- Original Message -----
From: "Alia Tsang" <alia@DIETRICK.ORG>
To: <SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU>
Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2011 8:23 PM
Subject: Re: GM contaminated honey


I was wondering if a reason bees are attracted to corn (besides pollen) 
is their guttation water, and I found this article about pesticide laden
guttation water killing bees:

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=225636

Guttation water is liquid exuded from the tips of leaves of some grasses 
and other plants. It can contain plant sugars and other substances and 
is one of the reasons corn is a great summer refuge for beneficial 
insects. (Good source of shade and water.)

I wonder what compounds are excreted in the guttation of GMO corn...

Alia Tsang

To: <SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU>
> Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2011 4:31 AM
> Subject: Fw: GM contaminated honey

>    I, personally, have observed bees clustering on corn tassles and
> > attribute the fact that I grow corn each summer to my minimal problems
> > with
> > cross pollination of beans.  The beans can self-pollinate and thus do not
> > require bees.  Corn is wind pollinated so also doesn't require bees. But
> > they both produce pollen which the bees appreciate.  And collecting
> > pollen
> > from bean flowers requires more work on the part of the bee than from
> > corn
> > tassles.  I also read somewhere that "killer" bee success is partially
> > attributed to their tendancy to collect greater amounts of pollen.
> >   I have no idea how much of the pollen actually gets into the honey.
> > Edna