(You should really checkout the Sonoma beekeepers' site...it has wonderful information about bees, including a different "fun fact" that appears each time you visit or refresh the page.)
Actually, as a result of this, I was inspired to complete an additional round of planting of bee-friendly California native plants--white sage, "bee bliss" sage, mimulus, california wild rose, ceanothus. I'm also experimenting with a native bee box--a chunk of untreated wood with various sized holes drilled in it. It is estimated that native bees carry the burden of some 30% of crop pollination in the U.S.. We certainly see them hard at work here at RMH.
Didi arranged for a local bee guy to bring a working hive to a recent event, and his "girls" as he calls them were a huge hit. It's interesting to know that most bees in a hive are females--generally only 5% of a the bees in a hive are males. They are kept around to mate with virgin queens, don't do much else, don't have stingers, don't really visit flowers, and are kicked out of the hive when they aren't needed. (Again, you really should visit the Sonoma County Beekeepers' Association website link above.)
(So, keep that in mind when you hear Blake Shelton singing about wanting to bee a honey bee to visit the "honeysuckle" that is the girl in his song. Sorry Didi, I had to say it...it's just too good...)
In fact, Michael and Deno, guests at the same party and new friends of RMH, are beekeepers in San Francisco and call their operation the Pollen Princesses for the very reason that the hive is mostly females. They are featured beekeepers in Backyard Beekeepers of the Bay Area , a fascinating overview of the art and joy of tending bees in various unexpected locations.
Hello Deer!
It's getting to be that time of year during which local wildlife tends to wander more in search of food (we think...because of the lack of rain), leading to an increase in sightings on the property. Yesterday we were visited again by a bobcat--smaller that the last one but impressive still. (You might recall that I told about a previous visit this winter.)
There is also a Mule Deer (aka, Blacktail Deer, a subspecies of the Mule Deer) who moved into the area. We've seen it wandering around, munching on shrubs and grasses (and perhaps the occasional watermelon rind tossed out).
We're always impressed with the diverse wildlife menagerie we have on the property and the comfort the animals have for visiting; though we do know their numbers can increase quickly if there is a regular, convenient source of food.
Weather or not...
I just had an email exchange with a friend going through the heat wave in Kentucky. So, not to be too preachy, but the climate change model predicts colder & wetter on the west coast (which we are experiencing) and hotter in the rest of the country (which was the lead news story on the Newshour)...I'm just saying...
Tomatoes and other summer fruits and veggies are still lagging in setting fruit and ripening. The weather has still been chilly overall, especially the nights, again dipping down to the upper 40s. Squash need warmer soil, so chilly nights affect that overall.
I read in the California agriculture newspaper that cherries, plums and apricots are all down about 15% statewide, and we talked to a grower of olives who didn't have any fruit set this year. Disturbing if it continues, and it raises the troubling question of adjusting what we grow in the area if this shift in the weather is ongoing. Easier perhaps for a small grower, but likely to cause some disruption in the food industry.
Happy Ending
We are looking forward (so far) to a bountiful pear and apple harvest. The trees are full, and the fruit seems to be progressing nicely. Expect spicy pear butter in the fall.
Reminder, the Gravenstein Apple Fair is coming up on August 13 & 14, known as "the sweetest little fair in Sonoma County."
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