hollierose wrote:
Nad R;911836 Wrote:
hollierose wrote:-
Nad R;911766 Wrote: -
hollierose wrote:-
I filled in the questionnaire. I'd like to keep bees, it's just
time,
I don't have much of it and I don't have the right outdoor space, that
and I don't know very much about them either.. Although I do like
them.
They are lovely creatures.
-

Lovely creatures? Bees can KILL.

Yorkshire Terriers, now they are lovely creatures. Like a few other
creatures, they can only harm your heart and your wallet

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)-

Bees, unlike wasps, only sting when they are very scared.. And they
can
die when they sting too. So because they don't do it to be spiteful, I
don't hold it against them.
-

When near a hive, if ONE bees stings you, it can sets off a hormone
that
bees react to. If bees in the hive detect that hormone, Almost ALL the
bees
in that hive will come out and sting that same spot or nearby that
first
sting.

Now that is where that smoker comes in, it blocks that chemical hormone
so
other bees may not know about. The smoke confuses the bees. So one sting
or
two should have no effect on the other bees. Without the suit or the
smoker.... RUN if you can! Also carry an injectable drug called
Epinephrine, just in case.

One odd thing, the queen can sting as much as she wants without dying.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

Thanks, I learnt something new there! To be honest even though I don't
really mind bees I would never approach a beehive. I find it odd that
the queen can sting as much as she likes without dying, am I correct
when I see she is significantly larger than the other bees? - that's
what I've been told, if so, that's pretty interesting too and I wonder
why that is. :S


Queens are larger but rarely seen. One queen to about thirty thousand
drones. If you see a swarm there is a queen in the middle. It will be a
young queen that does this. Once the colony finds a home, empty log or
another hive. The queen never leaves the hive, lives it's entire life in
the dark, becomes blind and makes more bees. The worker bees and drones
serve the queen, feeds it royal jelly and protects it.

In the north, honey bees typically will not survive the winter without a
hive. So many do not worry about swarms in the north. Honey bees are not
native to the Americas. Honey bees comes from Europe. The Italian bees are
the mildest and the most commonly used by beekeepers.

Now the most common bee one sees in the garden in the americas are bumble
bees, they do not produce honey for human use and are native to the
Americas.

To me the Bumble Bee is the cool one and probably the one that is in the
most danger of survival.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

In article ,
Nad R wrote:

hollierose wrote:
Nad R;911836 Wrote:
hollierose wrote:-
Nad R;911766 Wrote: -
hollierose wrote:-
I filled in the questionnaire. I'd like to keep bees, it's just
time,
I don't have much of it and I don't have the right outdoor space, that
and I don't know very much about them either.. Although I do like
them.
They are lovely creatures.
-

Lovely creatures? Bees can KILL.

Yorkshire Terriers, now they are lovely creatures. Like a few other
creatures, they can only harm your heart and your wallet

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)-

Bees, unlike wasps, only sting when they are very scared.. And they
can
die when they sting too. So because they don't do it to be spiteful, I
don't hold it against them.
-

When near a hive, if ONE bees stings you, it can sets off a hormone
that
bees react to. If bees in the hive detect that hormone, Almost ALL the
bees
in that hive will come out and sting that same spot or nearby that
first
sting.

Now that is where that smoker comes in, it blocks that chemical hormone
so
other bees may not know about. The smoke confuses the bees. So one sting
or
two should have no effect on the other bees. Without the suit or the
smoker.... RUN if you can! Also carry an injectable drug called
Epinephrine, just in case.

One odd thing, the queen can sting as much as she wants without dying.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

Thanks, I learnt something new there! To be honest even though I don't
really mind bees I would never approach a beehive. I find it odd that
the queen can sting as much as she likes without dying, am I correct
when I see she is significantly larger than the other bees? - that's
what I've been told, if so, that's pretty interesting too and I wonder
why that is. :S


Queens are larger but rarely seen. One queen to about thirty thousand
drones. If you see a swarm there is a queen in the middle. It will be a
young queen that does this. Once the colony finds a home, empty log or
another hive. The queen never leaves the hive, lives it's entire life in
the dark, becomes blind and makes more bees. The worker bees and drones
serve the queen, feeds it royal jelly and protects it.

In the north, honey bees typically will not survive the winter without a
hive. So many do not worry about swarms in the north. Honey bees are not
native to the Americas. Honey bees comes from Europe. The Italian bees are
the mildest and the most commonly used by beekeepers.

Now the most common bee one sees in the garden in the americas are bumble
bees, they do not produce honey for human use and are native to the
Americas.

To me the Bumble Bee is the cool one and probably the one that is in the
most danger of survival.

Just so we keep this in focus, "animals provide pollination services for
over three-quarters of the staple crop plants that feed human kind and
for 90% of all flowering plants in the world."
http://www.pmac.net/birdbee.htm

Man, them carpenter bees look like bad dudes ;O)
--
- Billy
"When you give food to the poor, they call you a saint. When you ask why the poor have no food, they call you a communist."
-Archbishop Helder Camara
http://peace.mennolink.org/articles/...acegroups.html
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth...130964689.html

On Feb 1, 2:15*pm, Nad R wrote:
hollierose wrote:
Nad R;911766 Wrote:
hollierose wrote:-
I filled in the questionnaire. I'd like to keep bees, it's just
time,
I don't have much of it and I don't have the right outdoor space, that
and I don't know very much about them either.. Although I do like
them.
They are lovely creatures.
-

Lovely creatures? *Bees can KILL.

Yorkshire Terriers, now they are lovely creatures. Like a few other
creatures, they can only harm your heart and your wallet

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R *(Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

Bees, unlike wasps, only sting when they are very scared.. And they can
die when they sting too. So because they don't do it to be spiteful, I
don't hold it against them.

When near a hive, if ONE bees stings you, it can sets off a hormone that
bees react to. If bees in the hive detect that hormone, Almost ALL the bees
in that hive will come out and sting that same spot or nearby that first
sting.

Now that is where that smoker comes in, it blocks that chemical hormone so
other bees may not know about. The smoke confuses the bees. So one sting or
two should have no effect on the other bees. Without the suit or the
smoker.... RUN if you can! *Also carry an injectable drug called
Epinephrine, just in case.

One odd thing, the queen can sting as much as she wants without dying.

Is there a human parallel?

HB

Billy wrote:
In article ,
Nad R wrote:

hollierose wrote:
Nad R;911836 Wrote:
hollierose wrote:-
Nad R;911766 Wrote: -
hollierose wrote:-
I filled in the questionnaire. I'd like to keep bees, it's just
time,
I don't have much of it and I don't have the right outdoor space, that
and I don't know very much about them either.. Although I do like
them.
They are lovely creatures.
-

Lovely creatures? Bees can KILL.

Yorkshire Terriers, now they are lovely creatures. Like a few other
creatures, they can only harm your heart and your wallet

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)-

Bees, unlike wasps, only sting when they are very scared.. And they
can
die when they sting too. So because they don't do it to be spiteful, I
don't hold it against them.
-

When near a hive, if ONE bees stings you, it can sets off a hormone
that
bees react to. If bees in the hive detect that hormone, Almost ALL the
bees
in that hive will come out and sting that same spot or nearby that
first
sting.

Now that is where that smoker comes in, it blocks that chemical hormone
so
other bees may not know about. The smoke confuses the bees. So one sting
or
two should have no effect on the other bees. Without the suit or the
smoker.... RUN if you can! Also carry an injectable drug called
Epinephrine, just in case.

One odd thing, the queen can sting as much as she wants without dying.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

Thanks, I learnt something new there! To be honest even though I don't
really mind bees I would never approach a beehive. I find it odd that
the queen can sting as much as she likes without dying, am I correct
when I see she is significantly larger than the other bees? - that's
what I've been told, if so, that's pretty interesting too and I wonder
why that is. :S


Queens are larger but rarely seen. One queen to about thirty thousand
drones. If you see a swarm there is a queen in the middle. It will be a
young queen that does this. Once the colony finds a home, empty log or
another hive. The queen never leaves the hive, lives it's entire life in
the dark, becomes blind and makes more bees. The worker bees and drones
serve the queen, feeds it royal jelly and protects it.

In the north, honey bees typically will not survive the winter without a
hive. So many do not worry about swarms in the north. Honey bees are not
native to the Americas. Honey bees comes from Europe. The Italian bees are
the mildest and the most commonly used by beekeepers.

Now the most common bee one sees in the garden in the americas are bumble
bees, they do not produce honey for human use and are native to the
Americas.

To me the Bumble Bee is the cool one and probably the one that is in the
most danger of survival.

Just so we keep this in focus, "animals provide pollination services for
over three-quarters of the staple crop plants that feed human kind and
for 90% of all flowering plants in the world."
http://www.pmac.net/birdbee.htm

Man, them carpenter bees look like bad dudes ;O)

The mean ones are the yellow jackets here. Many call them wasp, I still
think of them as bees. However yellow jackets pollenate also.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

Agreed! Bumblebees are cute and fuzzy in a sleepy-looking sorta way. Never been stung by one so wouldn't know how they compare in that respect! Apparently the queens and workers can all sting indefinitely too... If you've got a nice garden (which I'm sure all of you do ) you can build a wee nest box to attract them: Bumblebee nest box trial

And let's not forget the solitary bee! Make a Solitary Bee House

Apparently mosquitoes and bats are good pollinators too

ectosaur wrote:
Nad R;911874 Wrote:
hollierose wrote:-
Nad R;911836 Wrote: -
hollierose wrote:-
Nad R;911766 Wrote: -
hollierose wrote:-
I filled in the questionnaire. I'd like to keep bees, it's just
time,
I don't have much of it and I don't have the right outdoor space, that
and I don't know very much about them either.. Although I do like
them.
They are lovely creatures.
-

Lovely creatures? Bees can KILL.

Yorkshire Terriers, now they are lovely creatures. Like a few other
creatures, they can only harm your heart and your wallet

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)-

Bees, unlike wasps, only sting when they are very scared.. And they
can
die when they sting too. So because they don't do it to be spiteful, I
don't hold it against them.
-

When near a hive, if ONE bees stings you, it can sets off a hormone
that
bees react to. If bees in the hive detect that hormone, Almost ALL the
bees
in that hive will come out and sting that same spot or nearby that
first
sting.

Now that is where that smoker comes in, it blocks that chemical
hormone
so
other bees may not know about. The smoke confuses the bees. So one
sting
or
two should have no effect on the other bees. Without the suit or the
smoker.... RUN if you can! Also carry an injectable drug called
Epinephrine, just in case.

One odd thing, the queen can sting as much as she wants without dying.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)-

Thanks, I learnt something new there! To be honest even though I don't
really mind bees I would never approach a beehive. I find it odd that
the queen can sting as much as she likes without dying, am I correct
when I see she is significantly larger than the other bees? - that's
what I've been told, if so, that's pretty interesting too and I wonder
why that is. :S
-

Queens are larger but rarely seen. One queen to about thirty thousand
drones. If you see a swarm there is a queen in the middle. It will be a
young queen that does this. Once the colony finds a home, empty log or
another hive. The queen never leaves the hive, lives it's entire life
in
the dark, becomes blind and makes more bees. The worker bees and drones
serve the queen, feeds it royal jelly and protects it.

In the north, honey bees typically will not survive the winter without
a
hive. So many do not worry about swarms in the north. Honey bees are
not
native to the Americas. Honey bees comes from Europe. The Italian bees
are
the mildest and the most commonly used by beekeepers.

Now the most common bee one sees in the garden in the americas are
bumble
bees, they do not produce honey for human use and are native to the
Americas.

To me the Bumble Bee is the cool one and probably the one that is in
the
most danger of survival.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

Agreed! Bumblebees are cute and fuzzy in a sleepy-looking sorta way.
Never been stung by one so wouldn't know how they compare in that
respect! Apparently the queens and workers can all sting indefinitely
too... If you've got a nice garden (which I'm sure all of you do )
you can build a wee nest box to attract them: 'Bumblebee nest box trial'
(http://tinyurl.com/4pn6s4e)

And let's not forget the solitary bee! 'Make a Solitary Bee House'
(http://www.foxleas.com/bee_house.htm)

Apparently mosquitoes and bats are good pollinators too


Interesting web site on bees.
Bats are pollinators? I wonder how bats do it? Now googling.
--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

In article ,
Nad R wrote:

ectosaur wrote:
Nad R;911874 Wrote:
hollierose wrote:-
Nad R;911836 Wrote: -
hollierose wrote:-
Nad R;911766 Wrote: -
hollierose wrote:-
I filled in the questionnaire. I'd like to keep bees, it's just
time,
I don't have much of it and I don't have the right outdoor space, that
and I don't know very much about them either.. Although I do like
them.
They are lovely creatures.
-

Lovely creatures? Bees can KILL.

Yorkshire Terriers, now they are lovely creatures. Like a few other
creatures, they can only harm your heart and your wallet

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)-

Bees, unlike wasps, only sting when they are very scared.. And they
can
die when they sting too. So because they don't do it to be spiteful, I
don't hold it against them.
-

When near a hive, if ONE bees stings you, it can sets off a hormone
that
bees react to. If bees in the hive detect that hormone, Almost ALL the
bees
in that hive will come out and sting that same spot or nearby that
first
sting.

Now that is where that smoker comes in, it blocks that chemical
hormone
so
other bees may not know about. The smoke confuses the bees. So one
sting
or
two should have no effect on the other bees. Without the suit or the
smoker.... RUN if you can! Also carry an injectable drug called
Epinephrine, just in case.

One odd thing, the queen can sting as much as she wants without dying.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)-

Thanks, I learnt something new there! To be honest even though I don't
really mind bees I would never approach a beehive. I find it odd that
the queen can sting as much as she likes without dying, am I correct
when I see she is significantly larger than the other bees? - that's
what I've been told, if so, that's pretty interesting too and I wonder
why that is. :S
-

Queens are larger but rarely seen. One queen to about thirty thousand
drones. If you see a swarm there is a queen in the middle. It will be a
young queen that does this. Once the colony finds a home, empty log or
another hive. The queen never leaves the hive, lives it's entire life
in
the dark, becomes blind and makes more bees. The worker bees and drones
serve the queen, feeds it royal jelly and protects it.

In the north, honey bees typically will not survive the winter without
a
hive. So many do not worry about swarms in the north. Honey bees are
not
native to the Americas. Honey bees comes from Europe. The Italian bees
are
the mildest and the most commonly used by beekeepers.

Now the most common bee one sees in the garden in the americas are
bumble
bees, they do not produce honey for human use and are native to the
Americas.

To me the Bumble Bee is the cool one and probably the one that is in
the
most danger of survival.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

Agreed! Bumblebees are cute and fuzzy in a sleepy-looking sorta way.
Never been stung by one so wouldn't know how they compare in that
respect! Apparently the queens and workers can all sting indefinitely
too... If you've got a nice garden (which I'm sure all of you do )
you can build a wee nest box to attract them: 'Bumblebee nest box trial'
(http://tinyurl.com/4pn6s4e)

And let's not forget the solitary bee! 'Make a Solitary Bee House'
(http://www.foxleas.com/bee_house.htm)

Apparently mosquitoes and bats are good pollinators too


Interesting web site on bees.
Bats are pollinators? I wonder how bats do it? Now googling.

Mosquitos too.
--
- Billy
"When you give food to the poor, they call you a saint. When you ask why the poor have no food, they call you a communist."
-Archbishop Helder Camara
http://peace.mennolink.org/articles/...acegroups.html
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth...130964689.html

Agreed! Bumblebees are cute and fuzzy in a sleepy-looking sorta way.
Never been stung by one so wouldn't know how they compare in that
respect! Apparently the queens and workers can all sting indefinitely
too... If you've got a nice garden (which I'm sure all of you do )
you can build a wee nest box to attract them: 'Bumblebee nest box trial'
(http://tinyurl.com/4pn6s4e)

And let's not forget the solitary bee! 'Make a Solitary Bee House'
(http://www.foxleas.com/bee_house.htm)

Apparently mosquitoes and bats are good pollinators too


Interesting web site on bees.
Bats are pollinators? I wonder how bats do it? Now googling.

Mosquitos too.

After googling, I learned something new. I thought bats were for bug
control only.

But it does explain an odd thing in my life. While weening my transplants
in early spring. I brought my plants inside when the weather got below 40
degrees. After bring in one pot of flowers inside. I saw a bat crawl out
from the pot inside the house. AHHHHH!!!!!!!! I quickly put a clear plastic
bowl over it. It was screaming and I could see it's teeth as it looked me
straight in the eyes! By looking at me in the eyes, it seemed to have some
basic intelligence.

I still hate mosquitoes, even if they can pollinate some plants, which is
something I did not know.

So then, it is a myth that, without out bees we would loose our food
pollinated crops?

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

On Thu, 03 Feb 2011 11:31:56 +0000, Nad R wrote:

So then, it is a myth that, without out bees we would loose our food
pollinated crops?

Different crops need different pollinators.

In article ,
Nad R wrote:

Agreed! Bumblebees are cute and fuzzy in a sleepy-looking sorta way.
Never been stung by one so wouldn't know how they compare in that
respect! Apparently the queens and workers can all sting indefinitely
too... If you've got a nice garden (which I'm sure all of you do )
you can build a wee nest box to attract them: 'Bumblebee nest box trial'
(http://tinyurl.com/4pn6s4e)

And let's not forget the solitary bee! 'Make a Solitary Bee House'
(http://www.foxleas.com/bee_house.htm)

Apparently mosquitoes and bats are good pollinators too


Interesting web site on bees.
Bats are pollinators? I wonder how bats do it? Now googling.

Mosquitos too.

After googling, I learned something new. I thought bats were for bug
control only.

But it does explain an odd thing in my life. While weening my transplants
in early spring. I brought my plants inside when the weather got below 40
degrees. After bring in one pot of flowers inside. I saw a bat crawl out
from the pot inside the house. AHHHHH!!!!!!!! I quickly put a clear plastic
bowl over it. It was screaming and I could see it's teeth as it looked me
straight in the eyes! By looking at me in the eyes, it seemed to have some
basic intelligence.

I still hate mosquitoes, even if they can pollinate some plants, which is
something I did not know.

So then, it is a myth that, without out bees we would loose our food
pollinated crops?

http://3hmm.com/thesun/?p=4412
TwelveÂ* years ago, Doppler radar was developed to the point that bat
activity can be detected some two miles above the earth. A scan of an
area around Austin, Texas, clearly showed a swarm of moths that
attracted a horde of bats some 200 million strong, spurring the latter
into a feeding frenzy. At the end of the massacre, all traces of
activity eerily ceased. The farmer who owned the fields in question was
left with a hefty supply of bat guano, much better for his crops – and
the environment – than the pesticides he would otherwise have had to use
to deter or destroy the moth threat.

This was among the most-jaw dropping tidbits proffered on Aug. 27 at an
otherwise routine meeting of the Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley held at
the Lodge at Sonoma.Â* Patricia Winters – aka Bat Maam – frequently makes
the rounds of civic organizations and other groups to spread the good
word on bats.
----

Bat Maam gave her presentation to a 6th grade class that I was subbing
for. The animals (the bats) seemed relaxed and docile (the students, not
so much). Of course, an unknown bat, out of its environment, and
possibly rabid, would call for prudence.
-----

http://www.internationalpollinatorsinitiative.org/

More Diversity is Better

The diversity of pollinators and pollination systems is striking. Most
of the 25,000 to 30,000 species of bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) are
effective pollinators, and together with moths, flies, wasps, beetles
and butterflies, make up the majority of pollinating species. Vertebrate
pollinators include bats, non-flying mammals (several species of monkey,
rodents, lemur, tree squirrels, olingo and kinkajou) and birds
(hummingbirds, sunbirds, honeycreepers and some parrot species). Current
understanding of the pollination process shows that, while interesting
specialized relationships exist between plants and their pollinators,
healthy pollination services are best ensured by an abundance and
diversity of pollinators.

Tropics and Mountain Ecosystems Highly Dependent on Pollinators
Approximately 80 percent of all flowering plant species are specialized
for pollination by animals, mostly insects. The dependence of ecosystems
on animal pollinators is even stronger in the tropics than the global
average: in the tropical forests of Central America, insects may be
responsible for 95 percent of the pollination of canopy trees, and
vertebrates (bats and a diversity of other taxa) may pollinate 20 to 25
percent of the subcanopy and understory plants. Insects pollinate a
further 50 percent of these. Arid and mountain ecosystems often have
highly diverse pollinator communities as well, with finely tuned
adaptations to ensure that pollination is effective even when climatic
conditions are erratic.

Pollination is essential for human livelihoods

In agro-ecosystems, pollinators are essential for orchard, horticultural
and forage production, as well as the production of seed for many root
and fibre crops. Pollinators such as bees, birds and bats affect 35
percent of the world's crop production, increasing outputs of 87 of the
leading food crops worldwide, plus many plant-derived medicines. It has
been estimated that at least 20 genera of animals other than honeybees
provide pollination services to the world's most important crops. For
human nutrition the benefits of pollination include not just abundance
of fruits, nuts and seeds, but also their variety and quality; the
contribution of animal-pollinated foodstuffs to human nutritional
diversity, vitamin sufficiency and food quality is substantial.
-----

How this breaks down, percentage-wise, I haven't a clue.
--
- Billy
"When you give food to the poor, they call you a saint. When you ask why the poor have no food, they call you a communist."
-Archbishop Helder Camara
http://peace.mennolink.org/articles/...acegroups.html
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth...130964689.html

Billy wrote:
In article ,
Nad R wrote:

Agreed! Bumblebees are cute and fuzzy in a sleepy-looking sorta way.
Never been stung by one so wouldn't know how they compare in that
respect! Apparently the queens and workers can all sting indefinitely
too... If you've got a nice garden (which I'm sure all of you do )
you can build a wee nest box to attract them: 'Bumblebee nest box trial'
(http://tinyurl.com/4pn6s4e)

And let's not forget the solitary bee! 'Make a Solitary Bee House'
(http://www.foxleas.com/bee_house.htm)

Apparently mosquitoes and bats are good pollinators too


Interesting web site on bees.
Bats are pollinators? I wonder how bats do it? Now googling.

Mosquitos too.

After googling, I learned something new. I thought bats were for bug
control only.

But it does explain an odd thing in my life. While weening my transplants
in early spring. I brought my plants inside when the weather got below 40
degrees. After bring in one pot of flowers inside. I saw a bat crawl out
from the pot inside the house. AHHHHH!!!!!!!! I quickly put a clear plastic
bowl over it. It was screaming and I could see it's teeth as it looked me
straight in the eyes! By looking at me in the eyes, it seemed to have some
basic intelligence.

I still hate mosquitoes, even if they can pollinate some plants, which is
something I did not know.

So then, it is a myth that, without out bees we would loose our food
pollinated crops?

http://3hmm.com/thesun/?p=4412
Twelve years ago, Doppler radar was developed to the point that bat
activity can be detected some two miles above the earth. A scan of an
area around Austin, Texas, clearly showed a swarm of moths that
attracted a horde of bats some 200 million strong, spurring the latter
into a feeding frenzy. At the end of the massacre, all traces of
activity eerily ceased. The farmer who owned the fields in question was
left with a hefty supply of bat guano, much better for his crops – and
the environment – than the pesticides he would otherwise have had to use
to deter or destroy the moth threat.

This was among the most-jaw dropping tidbits proffered on Aug. 27 at an
otherwise routine meeting of the Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley held at
the Lodge at Sonoma. Patricia Winters – aka Bat Maam – frequently makes
the rounds of civic organizations and other groups to spread the good
word on bats.
----

Bat Maam gave her presentation to a 6th grade class that I was subbing
for. The animals (the bats) seemed relaxed and docile (the students, not
so much). Of course, an unknown bat, out of its environment, and
possibly rabid, would call for prudence.
-----

http://www.internationalpollinatorsinitiative.org/

More Diversity is Better

The diversity of pollinators and pollination systems is striking. Most
of the 25,000 to 30,000 species of bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) are
effective pollinators, and together with moths, flies, wasps, beetles
and butterflies, make up the majority of pollinating species. Vertebrate
pollinators include bats, non-flying mammals (several species of monkey,
rodents, lemur, tree squirrels, olingo and kinkajou) and birds
(hummingbirds, sunbirds, honeycreepers and some parrot species). Current
understanding of the pollination process shows that, while interesting
specialized relationships exist between plants and their pollinators,
healthy pollination services are best ensured by an abundance and
diversity of pollinators.

Tropics and Mountain Ecosystems Highly Dependent on Pollinators
Approximately 80 percent of all flowering plant species are specialized
for pollination by animals, mostly insects. The dependence of ecosystems
on animal pollinators is even stronger in the tropics than the global
average: in the tropical forests of Central America, insects may be
responsible for 95 percent of the pollination of canopy trees, and
vertebrates (bats and a diversity of other taxa) may pollinate 20 to 25
percent of the subcanopy and understory plants. Insects pollinate a
further 50 percent of these. Arid and mountain ecosystems often have
highly diverse pollinator communities as well, with finely tuned
adaptations to ensure that pollination is effective even when climatic
conditions are erratic.

Pollination is essential for human livelihoods

In agro-ecosystems, pollinators are essential for orchard, horticultural
and forage production, as well as the production of seed for many root
and fibre crops. Pollinators such as bees, birds and bats affect 35
percent of the world's crop production, increasing outputs of 87 of the
leading food crops worldwide, plus many plant-derived medicines. It has
been estimated that at least 20 genera of animals other than honeybees
provide pollination services to the world's most important crops. For
human nutrition the benefits of pollination include not just abundance
of fruits, nuts and seeds, but also their variety and quality; the
contribution of animal-pollinated foodstuffs to human nutritional
diversity, vitamin sufficiency and food quality is substantial.
-----

How this breaks down, percentage-wise, I haven't a clue.m

All in all, it does sense. I did know that pesky bugs are attracted to
specific plants and ignore the others. I know now it is true for the many
of the bugs are specifically attracted to specific plants for pollination.
Still I have a feeling bees do the most of the pollination. In some of my
books, list almost a hundred flowering plants that bees like. I suspect
list is much larger.

I learned something new today or at least ordered existing information in
my brain a little better. So today was a good day.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

On Feb 3, 3:31*am, Nad R wrote:
Agreed! Bumblebees are cute and fuzzy in a sleepy-looking sorta way.
Never been stung by one so wouldn't know how they compare in that
respect! Apparently the queens and workers can all sting indefinitely
too... If you've got a nice garden (which I'm sure all of you do )
you can build a wee nest box to attract them: 'Bumblebee nest box trial'
(http://tinyurl.com/4pn6s4e)

And let's not forget the solitary bee! 'Make a Solitary Bee House'
(http://www.foxleas.com/bee_house.htm)

Apparently mosquitoes and bats are good pollinators too

Interesting web site on bees.
Bats are pollinators? *I wonder how bats do it? Now googling.

Mosquitos too.

After googling, I learned something new. I thought bats were for bug
control only.

But it does explain an odd thing in my life. While weening my transplants
in early spring. I brought my plants inside when the weather got below 40
degrees. After bring in one pot of flowers inside. I saw a bat crawl out
from the pot inside the house. AHHHHH!!!!!!!! I quickly put a clear plastic
bowl over it. It was screaming and I could see it's teeth as it looked me
straight in the eyes! By looking at me in the eyes, *it seemed to have some
basic intelligence.

I still hate mosquitoes, even if they can pollinate some plants, which is
something I did not know.

So then, it is a myth that, without out bees we would loose our food
pollinated crops?

Surely you jest! It is not a myth; it is hard science.

HB

In article ,
Nad R wrote:

I still hate mosquitoes, even if they can pollinate some plants, which is
something I did not know.

You were up at 3:31 AM? Or is that my time, and you were up at 5:31 AM?
Watchew doing, running a dairy?
--
- Billy
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_vN0--mHug
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyE5wjc4XOw

Billy wrote:
In article ,
Nad R wrote:

I still hate mosquitoes, even if they can pollinate some plants, which is
something I did not know.

You were up at 3:31 AM? Or is that my time, and you were up at 5:31 AM?
Watchew doing, running a dairy?

I am retired and now live like a cat. When tired I sleep or take a nap. I
no longer live by the clock. However, I do tend to the animals, I do let
them out at daybreak feed them and lock them up at dusk. The dog wanted out
that night and I probably was up at that time 3:31 AM.

I am also typing this usenet message while I am still in bed, lying on my
back, iPad on my chest, listing to the local news radio just before I let
the animals out.

Since I got this iPad, I find my life has changed allot. I find myself
attached to it almost 24/7. It is my iPod music player, Internet radio and
local HD radio that can pickup 24 thousand radio stations and play them on
the wireless stereo speakers, email, book reader, weather alert, news
paper, news reader, drawing pad, night time star mapping guide, I now
easily keep journals of gardening and other activities. I now keep track of
exercise time, diet and blood pressure, I watch my TV shows and movies on
it, remote control for tv, remote control for home home heating and
lighting, remote control for my main computer as well, cooking recipes,
alarm clock ( take garbage out , because I am loosing track of what day it
is ). I pay my bills with it and reminds me when they are due, my GPS for
driving and going places.

And yesterday I found out that my favorite garden show that was cancelled a
while back called "Garden By The Yard" is now on Internet TV. COOL!
http://www.gardenerguy.com/

Isaac Asimov's world is becoming reality. People will no longer meet in
person, they will meet via computer in their own little virtual world while
the population drops to nothing... Cool.

Can't wait when the iPad 2 comes out with the dual cameras... Video
conferencing at finger tips as well. It will be really neat when they
perfect the computer controlled contact lenses and then we will not need
to carry such devices Well to be honest I do not care about the iPad 2
because I really have no wish to see anyone I know.

I am Borg

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

In article ,
Nad R wrote:

Since I got this iPad, I find my life has changed allot. I find myself
attached to it almost 24/7.

It doesn't bother you that some government/corporate type can look at
the key strokes of your life to determine what kind of consumer you are,
or whether you are a good citizen?
--
- Billy
"When you give food to the poor, they call you a saint. When you ask why the poor have no food, they call you a communist."
-Archbishop Helder Camara
http://peace.mennolink.org/articles/...acegroups.html
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth...130964689.html