To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: [NAFEX] bentonite
Date: Sun, 06 Aug 2006 09:05:33 -0700
An interesting side note to Richard's post on clearing wine: a customer
of mine who bought Blue Orchard Bees (BOBs) and nesting straws from me
thought he would help his BOBs by putting his discarded bentonite (very
fine clay)in a dish nearby .
Next year his BOBs did not emerge. Why? When he opened his straws he saw
that the BOBs had developed normally and come out of their cocoons, but
either they were unable to bash their way out of the bentonite doors or
the bentonite sealed the cells so well that they died for lack of oxygen.
Normally the BOBs break through the cell doors and all the mud remains
as a crumbled mass, but these doors were solid discs.