The San Francisco State University Department of Biology is conducting a research project on bees. Of course...I have chosen to participate.  I already have the free package of Lemon Queen Sunflower seeds from Renee's Garden and my data sheet. Here I will record such things as temperature, types of sunflowers blooming and naturally BEES! The bees listed on their sheet include the Bumble, Honey and Carpenter. (You may record any bees - as long as you can identify) I will also be able to send photos!

This will ultimately be my zen time with both my garden and bees, as I have to sit still for 30 minutes!!! That could be difficult! :O)

I won't journal everything or everyday here since I have an "official bee sheet". However, I will post any photos and exciting things that may happen! Let's hope for lots of BEES!!!!

Contact info. in case you are interested ~
greatsunflower.org

I am going to try to record every seed packet that we plant....some have already been planted. As of this morning we have borage seedlings! Yeah...BEES!!!! Other seedlings already sprouting are poppies, bachelor buttons, baby's breathe and the insect garden. I will also include photos of the progress. Hopefully by mid July our house will be wrapped in the cozy arms of blooming smiles from Mother Nature!

Spring 2009 Seed List

Seed Savers Exchange (Certified Organic)
Japonica (Japanese) Striped Maize (Zea mays)sprouted
Prickly Caterpillar (Scorpiurus muricatus)
Bells of Ireland (Moluccella laevis)
Hot Biscuits (Amaranthus cruentus)
Giant Spotted Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
Russell Lupine Mixture (Lupinus polyphyllus)

Nichols Garden Nursery
Wildflower Mix ; shady blend
Hollyhock ~ Summer Carnival (Althea rosea)sprouted
Hollyhock ~ Indian Spring (Althea rosea)sprouted
Cashmere Sage (Phlomis cashmeriana)
Triamble sqaush (Cucurbita maxima) ~ Australian Heirloom
'Black Pearl' Ornamental Pepper
Ornamental Millet ~ Jester & Purple Majesty
Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) *bee plant*
Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate (Polygonum oriental)
Nicotiana (Nicotiana sylvestris) ~ Sylvestris
Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium purpureum)
Sea Holly (Eryngium alpinum superbum)
Borage sprouted
Soapwort sprouted
Bishop Weed sprouted
Larkspur
Insect Mix sprouted
Showy Milkweedsprouted

Renee's Garden (not treated or genetically modified)
White Bishop's Lace (Ammi majus)sprouted
Apricot Blush Zinnias (Zinnia elegans)sprouted
Blue Boy Cornflowers sprouted
Azue Bluebird Foeget-Me-Nots (Myosotis oblongata) sprouted
Raggedy Anne Cactus Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)sprouted
Mulberry Rose Nigella "Love in a Mist" (Nigella damascena)
Apricot Foxglove Faerie Queen (Digitalis purpurea)
Summer Peaches Alyssum (Lobularia maritima)sprouted
Sun Samba Mixture of Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus)sprouted

Random Local Retail
Custard & Cream Four O' Clocks
Night & Day Nasturtiumsprouted
Hot Fudge Nigella
Lime Sorbet Columbine
Green Envy Zinnia
Bouquet Dill
Innocence Evening Primrose
Psyche White Cosmossprouted
Seashells Mix Cosmossprouted
Apricot Twist Sunflowersprouted
Double Dandy Sunflowersprouted
White Pumpkin

*still this does not include the seeds I have planted from collecting last season.

My intentions were to express how deeply we need the honey bee, partly in an attempt to convince myself that taking the time and patience to maintain a hive in our backyard would be worth a few stings. As I researched pollination I discovered that honeybees are not our only hope. In fact, honeybees are actually native to Europe, Asia and Africa. Listed as the most beneficial insect in the world, they are also our (Missouri) state insect. Unfortunately,  CCD or Colony Collapse Disorder is taking them out at astonishing rates as well as the over kill of chemicals used in most gardens. If you aren't that interested in honey, or don't have the time/funds to manage a hive, you could try a more docile native bee or some of the solitary bees with simple items you already have. Turning a clay pot upside down with a tiny hole drilled in it is perfect. Just set a large stone on top so rain can't get in and boom...a bee hive!

I have read that every third bite of food we eat is the direct result of a pollinator. That's huge! Can you imagine the prices of food if we had to farm in a way that required everything to be manually pollinated? I don't even know if that would be an option. Almost all fruit trees are dependent on this. As a result, many orchards rely on the mason bee to pollinate their trees. Although we don't have an orchard....yet, I have decided to give it whirl. I went to my local hatchery/garden center and bought a Mason Bee Nest Kit (available from Kinsman Company). It is like a tube that holds either 20, 60 or 104 smaller tubes that the mother bee compartmentalizes into 6 or 7 different "nurseries". Inside each little nursery she puts one egg and one food pellet of pollen and nectar and then seals it off with a little mud door. The fun part is, you can remove the filled tubes and store them in a safe place and keep adding fresh tubes. In the summer the eggs hatch and the grubs eat away at their food. By early fall they are all grown up, but not ready to leave the nest. They will stay in their warm house until the next spring. I will be documenting our progress over the year.

Oh...and did I mention that mason bees are very harmless? They are so friendly that you can actually stand close to the tubes and watch! How fun is that? Now go do something for the world!