On Mon, Feb 11, 2019 at 8:02 PM Helen Varley Jamieson < [email protected]> wrote:
> that is very inspiring, mez! > Thank you Helen! :) when i'm living in new zealand i have a small inner city garden which with > a little work is very productive & a nice place for many insects & birds, > Excellent. but in germany i'm limited to the balcony. i've had an "insect hotel" on it > for a couple of years but no insects have shown any interest in it yet. > ...where is the insect hotel placed? Sometimes too much or little sun can effect them depending on season? we do get bees, > Yay! > mostly bumble bees, & various other insects but really not very many at > all. i grow many herbs including those you mention, flowers & some vegies, > but if you have any good tips for helping insect life on a balcony, please > tell! > You could go for an actual home-made bee attractant like is shown here <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl0o2aytaFE>, though I've never tried it. I'd also be careful where you source your plants/seeds too - heritage and local varieties suited [native] to your region/season could help, and make sure to always go true organic [as opposed to greenwashed <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwashing> organic] that haven't been artificially boosted with all types of chemical crud. And never use pesticides/herbicides - use companion planting methods <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companion_planting> + seaweed/kelp solution as tonic + good compost [do you have an in-home composting setup <https://www.treehugger.com/lawn-garden/i-just-started-composting-my-apartment-and-you-can-too.html> for your apartment? Homemade is the best, and it stops vegie/fruit scraps going to landfill.] And it does sound like you're doing all the right things - I'd suggest keeping up planting anything with a blue/purple flowers: *"According to Bee Culture <http://www.beeculture.com/bees-see-matters/>, the most likely colors to attract bees are purple, violet and blue.* *A study of nine bumblebee colonies in Germany found that those who favored purple blooms were greatly rewarded for their preference.* *“In the area we studied, violet flowers produced the most nectar – far more than the next most rewarding flower color (blue),” Dr. Nigel Raine from Queen Mary’s School of Biological and Chemical Sciences told ScienceDaily <https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070624141133.htm>. “Inexperienced bees are known to have strong color preferences, so we investigated whether the bumblebee colonies with a stronger preference for violet flowers foraged more successfully in their local flora.”* *Raine found that the bumblebees developed their favorite color over time, corresponding with the most nectar-rich flowers."* [From: https://www.totallandscapecare.com/landscaping-blog/bee-vision-and-the-color-purple/ ] > a great resource - new zealand specific but with a lot that's relevant to > elsewhere - is the nz organic magazine, https://organicnz.org.nz/. i'm > biased because my sister is the editor, but really it's a fantastic > magazine & is not only about organics but also about soil & wider > environmental issues from industiral farming to helpful information for > home gardeners wanting to be more organic & insect friendly. you can > subscribe to a digital issue or get the hardcopy delivered anywhere in the > world. > Fantastic, and thx for the heads up about it. > it's a dire situation but all of these small things we do ourselves do > make a difference! > They absolutely do. Even things like having a in-house/apartment composter, or even keeping insect-friendly plants, even one plant will help! I'm a massive fan of the idea that everyone can do *something* to help/contribute, even tiny contributions is better than none as you say. It all adds up. Warmly, Mez -- | mezbreezedesign.com
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