The incredible miracle of the bees’ work
On a very hot summer day you can observe the worker bees at the hive entrance fanning their wings to keep the hive at the necessary temperature – 90-97 degrees Fahrenheit — for raising brood, as well
as to evaporate the water from the nectar to help turn it into honey. It is amazing to see how these tiny creatures brace themselves on their legs in a hunched-over position, remaining in position as they are jostled by other workers and drones coming and going, and even by would-be invaders such as yellow jackets and bumblebees. Single-minded in their devotion to their task, they leave it to the guard bees to chase away potential robbers.
Late Summer Gold
As I drive through western Vermont, my eyes feast on the goldenrod that is blooming wherever there is an unmowed piece of meadow or lawn.
This beautiful flower is the last major nectar and pollen source for Vermont’s honey bees until next spring (save the purple asters that will bloom in early fall). As I walked through a neighboring farm field I saw the golden flowers covered with bees….You can smell the
honey Thistle Hill’s colonies are making from 3o feet away, it has been so strong the last few days.
Despite the persistence of the myth, goldenrod pollen doesn’t cause hay fever. It’s the concurrently-blooming ragweed that triggers allergic reactions. Goldenrod pollen is sticky and heavy; it falls to the ground. Ragweed pollen is lightweight and carried on the wind.
So, you can allow your goldenrod to bloom. If you leave your field and roadsides unmowed, then area bees can find food for their young in the form of pollen, and food for the approaching cold weather in the form of nectar that they will make into honey. If you don’t have any goldenrod in your yard, you can plant some there or in your garden, for some wonderful fall color. For more about cultivars, see the Brooklyn Botanic Garden web site.
The hives at Thistle Hill
Annie Watson, creator of this blog, with her two colonies of honey bees and crop
Mission:
* to educate people about the importance of honey bees, and their relatives in the order Hymenoptera, for the pollination of food and flowers
* to support the understanding that the collective power of many people to plant for the bees will make a difference in the health of our land and communities
* to provide practical ideas on what may be planted for the bees, and to be a forum for exchanging these ideas with those in the Champlain Valley and beyond to help provide the bees and other pollinators with more nectar and pollen, food for their families and community
The flow is on
Here at Thistle Hill in New Haven, Vermont, we spent the weekend watching the bees’ incredible activity as they worked the beginning of the bloom of the last big nectar and pollen plant of the season — goldenrod. Huge gobs of bright orange pollen in their baskets as they came in for landings…. We lay on the ground next to the hive entrance and smelled the heavy aroma of goldenrod honey that wafted on the airflow caused by many bees fanning their wings on the landing board.
They’re still driving drones out of the hives. I sat out near the hives and was visited by many drones as they made their last explorations of this earth.
On an early evening walk I spotted them on the interesting plant boneset — gathering a light tan pollen — as they did their major work on the goldenrod. Interestingly, I saw no bees on the joe-pye weed, a beautiful dull magenta-colored plant that lives in wetter areas.
Don’t cut your burdock down!
I have observed the
bees gathering nectar and pollen from the burdock flowers in the past 7 days. With the land so dry, the flowers are not producing as much nectar. The more flowers we leave growing, the more food the bees can make for their winter.
Preparing for the elderberry/sureau harvest
St.-Bernard de Lacolle, Quebec
“The birds have always been there. So we decided to share the sureau/elderberry; it is good food for them. We know that we lose 10 – 15% of the crop to them, around 3,000 lb. of elderberry.
They usually only take the top; they do not touch the rest. An average bush will have about 10 lb., and the birds will get around a pound, pound and a half. After we de-stem the elderberry, we take the stems and put them in the woods where the deer get them. To preserve the crop, we do not have a choice but to put up an electric fence for the deer; they would eat half the crop or more.
We were inspected one week ago, and they accepted our application for organic certification; we went though a three year trial and are now fully certified organic. The manure that is used to fertilized the elderberry is organic.
It is a good year; the elderberry are bending over and the branches touch the ground. I have to go and cut some branches so that the elderberries will come up. Near the ground, there is too much humidity and diseases.
Right now, the berries still have a week and a half to mature. Then we will begin the harvest in the first week of September.”
Sylvain Mercier
Elderberries are amazing. They are both delicious and a powerful remedy at the same time. Their purple color comes from anthocyanins.They are in the well known family of “antioxidants”. Elderberries have been used for centuries for a lot of health issues. Among some of the most known and acknowledged medicinal properties, they are excellent against viral infections and they help stimulate the immune system . They are rich in Vitamin C, A and magnesium. Like most berries, they have anti cancer properties. Recent research also shows that elderberry syrup is beneficial for diabetic people because it helps increase insulin secretion which will improve sugar absorption. So it is a great tool in one’s natural pharmacy. Good for the common cold, the flu, building the immune system and helps against diabetes.
Jacinthe Desmarais, Doctor of Chiropractic, Doctor of Osteopathic, Canada
from Apitherapy News:
Study: Propolis Extract May Help Prevent Prostate Cancer
Antiproliferation of Human Prostate Cancer Cells By Ethanolic Extracts Of Brazilian Propolis And Its Botanical Origin International Journal of Oncology, 2007 Sep;31(3):601-6
Propolis is a resinous substance collected by bees (Apis mellifera) from various tree buds which they then use to coat hive parts and to seal cracks and crevices in the hive. Propolis, a known ancient folk medicine, has been extensively used in diet to improve health and to prevent disease…
Our results indicate that the Brazilian propolis extracts show promise as chemotherapeutic agents as well as preventive agents against prostate cancer.