How to Get a Buzz

Pictured: an English Garden Hive

It's beginning to feel like spring here in the Atlanta area. In the last few days, daytime temperatures have hit the 60s, and birds are singing outside my kitchen window. There are buds on some of the trees, too, and yesterday I spotted a yellow blossom opening on the forsythia bush. I wanted to say, stop, it's too soon! We always get a late cold snap, and the last couple of years, it's damaged a lot of our spring flowers.

But there's one thing that can't come back into my garden too soon, and that's the sound of ---buzzing bees. You may have heard that many species of bees, including honeybees, are in big trouble. Beekeepers were already struggling with a pest known as Varroa mite, and now something called Colony Collapse Disorder has come along.


Pictured: healthy bees from a newly-opened hive.


Sadly, beekeepers report finding entire hives dead or abandoned overnight. Researchers are working to find a cause, but think it might be stress from moving hives around on trailers to pollinate fields; a new virus or fungus; the introduction of foreign bees; poor nutrition; an effect of growing genetically-engineered plants; or some combination of these factors and more. This is a serious problem, as honeybees are vital to agriculture in the U.S. They pollinate our food crops, and without them--well, let's just say we need to get our buzz back.

How can an average gardener help? We can plant bee-friendly flowers, for one thing, like cosmos, hollyhocks, salvias, or mignonettes, and cut back or eliminate our use of pesticides, some of which kill bees, even though they're intended to get rid of other insects.

Honeybees are gentle creatures, and they do good work. If you've ever thought about keeping hives, as my friends Tony and Kerri do, give your county extension agents a call. They can connect you to beekeepers in your area who can advise you on getting started. There are also master beekeepers' certification classes you can take through various agricultural colleges and schools. Bees are fascinating social creatures.

And while you're thinking about bees and spring, please join me next Sunday, Feb. 10, for a new radio interview. Ralph Snodsmith, who hosts The Garden Hotline, has invited me to speak with him about heirloom gardening at 8:05 am. His show is broadcast on the WOR radio network--click here for more info: The Garden Hotline

Until later,
Lynn
www.LynnCoulter.com