Yup, same thing here. I suspect that natural population dynamics are taking it's usual course. As a kid living on Greenwich Bay in Rhode Island I remember years when the eels were so thick you dared not swim. Same for jellyfish. Next ten years, none. One year clams in such abundance that you hardly needed to move to fill a bucket, the next year you'd dig for hours. Now as an apple grower some years tarnished plant bugs seem to be everywhere, the next, no where. Spotted Wing Dros. here today, ummm probably here tomorrow too!. If I were to blame spraying pesticides for any decline in bee population, I'd suggest that our switch to much less toxic materials has led to bees carrying the materials home to the hive rather than dying in the field. Perhaps the surge in "organic" pesticides means fewer bees dying in the field, instead carrying "safer" materials home. Just a thought!
Mo Tougas Tougas Family Farm Northborough, MA On Thu, May 2, 2013 at 5:03 PM, Ginda Fisher <l...@ginda.us> wrote: > I'm surprised. In my suburban-boston backyard, I have seen more bumblebees > and other pollinators than in recent years. Maybe that's just because one > of my neighbors sprayed less this year, or some similar very local effect. > But just this weekend I was pleased by the number and variety of > pollinators in my garden. > -- > Ginda > > Typed with Swype. Who knows what I intended to say? > > "Peter J. Jentsch" <p...@cornell.edu> wrote: > > In the Hudson Valley of NY we are also finding very few native > pollinators > on dandelions as of late morning into the mid-afternoon. > Carpenter bees are plentiful but few honeybees or orchard bees. > By the end of the day we will be at 50% bloom on Ginger Gold with 1st > bloom observed only yesterday. > Blossoms opening on Golden Delicious and McIntosh today. > > Peter J. Jentsch > Senior Extension Associate - Entomology > Department of Entomology > Cornell University¹s Hudson Valley Lab > P.O. Box 727, 3357 Rt. 9W > Highland, NY 12528 > > Office: 845-691-7151 > Cell: 845-417-7465 > FAX: 845-691-2719 > > > > > On 5/2/13 2:03 PM, "David Doud" <david_d...@me.com> wrote: > > >indeed - the dandelions are empty - few bumblebees - > > > >I have a half dozen hives of honeybees on the property, managed by > >mediocre bee keeper, but they are flying - I have about 20 acres of > tree > >fruit and have always considered the native pollinators to be adequate > to > >the job, this year may be different - > > > >on the other hand, I don't know that I want a complete pollination job > >this year - I have been vacillating for the last 36 hours whether to > call > >in some more honeybees - my current thinking is that I'll just ride > what > >I have and count on it being enough - > > > >I'm in north central Indiana - > >D > > > > > >On May 2, 2013, at 1:06 PM, Frank Carlson wrote: > > > >> David: > >> I forgot where you are located. Here in Harvard, MA, we have just > been > >> commenting on the lack of wild bees as we are about to open on > McIntosh. > >> There also are less bumble bees visible . > >> Frank Carlson > >> > >> Franklyn W. Carlson, Pres. > >> Carlson Orchards, Inc. > >> 115 Oak Hill Road > >> P.O.Box 359 > >> Harvard, MA. 01451 > >> 617-968-4180 cell > >> 978-456-3916 office > >> > >> > >> > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: apple-crop-boun...@virtualorchard.net > >> [mailto:apple-crop-boun...@virtualorchard.net] On Behalf Of David > Doud > >> Sent: Thursday, May 02, 2013 11:02 AM > >> To: Apple-Crop > >> Subject: [apple-crop] native pollinators > >> > >> Another casualty of last year's freak weather is the population of > >>native > >> pollinators - my asian pears entered full bloom over the last 48 > hours - > >> other years they are surrounded by a cloud of several species of > >>solitary > >> pollinators, this year that activity is roughly 10% of what I am > >>accustomed > >> to observing - > >> > >> The first apple bloom opened yesterday - 72 hours ago at tight > cluster I > >> considered the amount of bloom as 'full' but not particularly > >>remarkable, > >> now bloom has seemingly spontaneously generated to an amount that I > >>cannot > >> remember observing in the past - it's going to be spectacular, but > has > >>upped > >> my anxiety about the potential 'big crop of little green apples' - > hope > >> thinners are effective.... > >> > >> > >> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> apple-crop mailing list > >> apple-crop@virtualorchard.net > >> http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop > > > >_______________________________________________ > >apple-crop mailing list > >apple-crop@virtualorchard.net > >http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop > > > > > _______________________________________________ > apple-crop mailing list > apple-crop@virtualorchard.net > http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop > > _______________________________________________ > apple-crop mailing list > apple-crop@virtualorchard.net > http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop > -- Maurice Tougas Tougas Family Farm Northborough,MA 01532 508-450-0844
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