Power to the consumers! Buy organic!

The representatives of the 27 member states, meeting in the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, failed to reach a qualified majority in favour a proposal for a ban on the use of three neonicotinoid insecticides (clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiametoxam) on crops attractive to honeybees.

More and more it seems that member states are puppets of the big corporations and have shown not enough concern about the environment we all depend upon. I have come to the conclusion that governments are not there to serve the citizens of Europe but to serve the big corporations. I may be wrong, but I feel that way.

Now it is down to us, consumers: Do not buy pesticides for your garden, there are alternatives available. Also, buy organic as much as you can. Some people said: “Yes, If I had the money, I would” but why not start with a few organic products or why not grow your own food? An apple tree is great to start with for example. Too often, I hear individuals say: “Ah, what difference does it make”. True, one individual does not make a difference but thousands of them do! With each bag of organically grown apples you buy, you vote with your wallet and this will result in a higher demand for organic apples and retailers will pick up that signal and start growing them.

Make a difference, for the bees, for the flowers that depend on bees and for ourselves as we humans are part of this beautiful, magnificent Web of Life. I believe in leaving this world a better place and buying organic is a good starting point.

A midwinter garden ~ December 2012

It’s winter and nature seems to be asleep. However there are still signs of life in the garden. The weather so far has been very mild and very wet. This situation is good for fungi. In my garden, there are lots of different fungi like this beautiful white one growing on an old piece of cherry wood. Fungi, together with bacteria, are responsible for a great deal of the recycling on the planet: returning dead material to the soil in a form in which it can be reused.  

Here are some more examples of fungi found in the garden. They are part of a healthy garden.

Above: fungi growing on a piece of oak tree.

Above: more fungi growing on piece of cherry tree.

Winter is a good time to take a look at the flower buds on trees. Here is a pear tree (Concorde, ecological pear tree variety) and you can see the flower bud. 

Fruit trees are very important for insects especially for honeybees but also favoured by bumblebees and solitary bees. They provide lots of pollen and nectar. Most favoured is the apple tree followed by cherry. Nectar of pear trees is said to be less sugary compared to apple.

The strong wind makes it a bit difficult to take pictures but here is a one of the flower buds of Wild cherry, Prunus avium. A superb tree with gorgeous flowers, berries that attracts many birds and leaves that turn red in autumn. Its leaves decompose quickly, improving the quality of the soil. 

I am growing lots of shrubs such as roses that provide food for birds. Rose hips are rich in vitamin c and greenfinches love them. This is the Rosa rubiginosa, Sweet briar. Roses (single  petal ones) provide lots of pollen so many insects are drawn to this banquet, in particular bumblebees

The mild weather means some amphibians like this lovely male alpine newts are still active. This photo was taken on 29 december and the newt was in the water. Alpine newts are originally restricted to the south of the Netherlands and relatively common where i live. Stunningly beautiful they are. To keep newts happy, please make sure your pond is healthy and avoid fish as they eat all the young newts. However, as newts spend more time outside the water than inside, you also need to provide places where they can hide and hunt. A hedgerow, log pile, meadow or piece of garden with tall grass will suit them well.

The importance of nectar for bees, bumblebees and other pollinators

Nectar

Flowers are the reproduction organs of plants and pollination can be referred to as the mating process of plants. To make sure pollination is taking place, plants have evolved brightly coloured flowers and scent to draw the attention of bees and other pollinators; this also explains why so few plants have green flowers. If we look at bees, we see that most of them are covered in dense hairs. When a bee visits a flower to collect either pollen or nectar, she will become covered with pollen grains and when she visits another flower, there is no doubt that some pollen grains of the first flower will fall on the stigma of the second flower. Flowers have developed so called sticky stigmas so that pollen grains will adhere to the stigma.  Some plants such as poppies only offer bees pollen as a reward to say thank you for taking care of the pollination. Most plants however produce nectar to attract bees.

Above: Anthophora furcata, a solitary bee with a long tongue feeding on wood sage.

Nectar is basically a kind of sugar-water. The sugar content varies, depending on the species of plant, soil conditions etc. It is said that wild marjoram Origanum vulgare and Wall germander or Teucrium chamaedrys both have a very high concentration of sugar, above 52% in the case of germander and in marjoram the sugar content reaches 76%.  Apart from sugars, nectar contains amino acids, proteins, organic acids, vitamins.

Andrena synadelpha, a solitary bee feeding on wild marjoram.

Nectar is the fuel for our pollinators such as solitary bees, bumblebees, honeybees, butterflies, moths and bats. It is the only source of energy and without it, the pollinators cannot fly. Nectar is secreted by nectaries within the flower.

As flowers come in all shapes and sizes, it will not come as a surprise to learn that certain flowers will attract certain pollinators. Often, the so called “open access” flowers such as daisies offer not much nectar. Other examples are hawthorns, blackthorns, daisies, apples and corn marigold. Below a female Hylaeus bee species feeding on reseda (her white markings are small compared to the male below this photo)

And a male Hylaeus bee:

Many flowers are however designed to attract bees with a longer tongue.Such flowers offer more nectar compared to open-access flowers. This makes sense as long-tongued bees are larger and fly much faster so they need more fuel. Only a certain group of bees can access these flowers and that is good news for the plants as it means that they are certain to attract these specialists and pollination will be successful. We can say that long-tubed flowers and long-tubed bees evolved together.

Below a common carder bee, a bumblebee species with a long tongue

The tongues of short-tongued bees are only 0.5-3 mm in length; species like Hylaeus, Colletes and Andrena are bee species that fall within this category. Honeybees have a proboscis of about 6.5mm and the Bombus hortorum an impressive 14-16mm. The Hairy-Footed Flower Bee, the tongue length is even 19-21mm. This means that this bee can access nectar in flowers which is hidden deep within flowers such as Primulaceae species, lungwort and Lamiaceae species. The champion when it comes to tongue length is a moth called Cocytius cluentis from South America which has a tongue of 250mm.

Above: Heriades truncorum, a small solitary bee species with a short tongue feeding on corn marigold.

In your own garden, you can help bees and all other creatures such as this lovely beetle and female holly blue by providing lots of different plants and you will see that the corn marigold will attract different bees compared to dead nettles.

Picture yourself on a sunny day in May, perhaps with a nice cup of tea and watch the busy insects pollinating your flowers. A new, fascinating hobby will enter your life and this new hobby will reveal itself literally on your door step!

Pollen, bees and flowers, it’s all interconnected

I have been reading a bit on pollen and we often don’t consider it to be so special but it is worth while taking a closer look at pollen. Did you know that the pollen of each plant has a special colour? Phacelia for example has a bluish colour and mullein dark orange. Below a solitary bee species Andrena synadelpha with a pollen load. Below you can see the same female (i think but with a beautiful yellow coloured pollen load feeding on marjoram.  Apart from transferring genetic information from one plant to another, the pollen grain also serves as food. Scientists have investigated that pollen contains 16-30% protein, 1-10% fats, 1-7% starches, minerals and vitamins. Pollinators such as solitary bees, bumblebees and honeybees need pollen in order to raise their young. In the case of the honeybee, the larvae are fed with so called bee milk for three days. In order for bees to produce bee milk, they need a protein rich diet and they get that by consuming lots of pollen produced by the plants. Some plants such as the corn poppy only produce pollen and no nectar and some plants are able to produce more than 2 million pollen grains per flower. Below a bumblebee with a big pollen load, feeding on knapweed:  Pollen contains amino acids but the range and proportion of amino acids varies. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and we know that there is no life without protein.  Some types of pollen contain 4 whereas other plant species contain 14 types of amino acids.  The greater variety of pollen they consume, the healthier the bees will be.  Fruit trees are great sources of high quality pollen especially apple but also cherry and other trees as well as the common willows and ordinary plants like dandelions. Sunflowers are somewhat less and pollen produced by pine trees are not considered a great source of pollen for bees. Another good plant for solitary bees is chicory and look at the pollen loads of this bee mum!  In areas where for example only one crop is grown (monoculture), bees have very little else to feed on so it is also likely that they will not gather enough pollen of the right quality. This is also happening in the southern part of the Netherlands where bee keepers are worried because of the lack of good quality pollen for the honeybees. In permaculture, a wider range of plants is grown so the bees will consequently gather pollen from many different kinds of plants and this will provide the bees with all the necessary amino acids they need. In some cases, however, solitary bee species will feed their young only pollen from certain plants such as campanula in the case of certain Chelostoma species, a bee of the Megachilidae family.  The mining bee Andrena florae feeds its young only with pollen she collects from white bryony. I am growing this plant in my garden to see if i may get lucky some day!.

Gardening for wildlife – wildflowers, bumblebees and the Labiate family

Labiates: a large group of plants well known to us as many of the herbs we use in our kitchen are part of this great family of plants. Lavender, marjarom, rosemary, thyme are all members of this family.

For insects, the Labiates  are an important source of food.  Some bees are particularly interested in these plants such as the wool carder bee. Below a small selection of the plants i am growing here.

Motherwort- Leonurus cardiaca  A very stable, reliable and vigorous plant that even withstand the strong winds. It used to grow near road sides in the Netherlands but it is in severe decline and only found in a handful of sites nowadays. Anthophora furcata is a solitary bee which is often seen on this particular group of plants.

Wood sage – Teucrium scorodonia is a modest plant and is happy in semi shade conditions. It is much loved by bumblebees and other solitary bees and it starts flowering in July until  late August so it is a welcome addition to the garden.

Above: Anthophora furcata female feeding on wood sage.

Betony – Stachys officinalis. My all time favourite. I love betony with its bright flowers. I introduced it from my folks’ garden but it does not do too well on sandy soil so in due course we will see if it copes or not.  This one is also on the brinck of extinction in the Netherlands. A female wool carder bee arriving.

Nepeta cataria- catmint.  This is a plant i have never grown before. When not in flower, its leaves look somewhat like that of a nettle but are much softer and have a very particular smell.

Wild Basil -Clinopodium vulgare

I like this plant a lot. It is easy to grow and its pinkish flowers are cheerful. It flowers from July through September and it offers both pollen and nectar. It loves dry calcareous soils so this means it is almost confined to the Southeastern tip of the Netherlands, the only area where we have this type of soil.

Wall germander – Teucrium chamaedrys subsp. germanicum. A must have in the garden as its nectar is supposed to be one of the highest in sugar after wild marjoram. It can easily be overgrown by more vigorous plants.

Yellow Archangel- Lamiastrum galeobdolon

This  plant grows very well in shady conditions, a woodland plant. It flowers in April and May and it is also loved by bumblebees. The white flowers are that of Greater Stitchwort.

Spotted Nettle – Lamium maculatum

Probably one of the best plants for bumblebees as i have seen lots of them on this plant. It flowers from April and continues to do so in July so quite worth the effort.

Broad leaved thyme -Thymus pulegioides

A plant for dry, calcereous soils. Will also be overgrown by taller plants and grasses so you may combine this one with germander.

Horehound – Marrubium vulgare

A fascinating plant which was used a lot by people for making tea and to help fighting coughs etc. Bees seem to love this plant and so i am starting to grow this plant for the first time. Sadly, this one is also on the brinck of extinction in both Netherlands and Belgium.

Wild Marjoram – Origanum vulgare

This plant does not need any introduction. A real must have for the garden. If your garden is really small, try growing one square metre of this plant and you will see bees and other pollinators come to drink its nectar.

Meadow cleary -Salvia pratensis. It is without doubt one of our most beautiful wild flowers in my humble opinion. The picture below says it all.

In order to make the garden attractive for bees, you may consider the following:

1. No pesticides

2. Grow flowers in groups, it is more economical for bees to forage; a single plant is often not worth the effort as flying requires a lot of energy. Having 5 or 8 plants together is already more appealing

3. Offer flowers throughout the season as bumblebees only store food for a limited number of days. Honeybees have  stored a lot of honey to deal with bad weather. Bumblebees have a safety stock for only a few days. They simply have to get out and get their nectar or pollen or starve.

Wild flowers and solitary bees, a fascinating combination

Wild flowers and solitary bees: a perfect combination. In the Netherlands, about 30% of all plants are on the Red List. It is about time we start protecting these plants a bit better and introduce them into our gardens. As they have evolved with our climate, they cope well with our unpredictable climate. Moreover, insects have evolved with them for so long and some have become totally dependent on a certain plant for their survival. Great plants for solitary bees are greater knapweed, chicory, knapweed, viper’s bugloss, marjoram, cornflower, bird’s-foot trefoil, wild carrot, wild mignonette, campanula species, wall germander, corn marigold, betony, motherwort and if you have room, you can grow white bryony but aware the berries are poisonous. Please see below a summary of the various bees i spotted in my garden.

Hylaeus bee – probably Hylaeus signatus as it was only feeding on reseda. This is a male as it has a large patch of white on the face.

Chelostoma rapunculi – female she collects pollen on her abdominal hairs which you can see on the second photo.

Anthidium manicatum, the striking yellow and black bee, this is a female:

Andrena gravida  A very rare bee in the UK and also not common in the Netherlands, 

Heriades Truncorum a very small bee and a Surrey speciality 

Dasypoda hirtipes male

The lovely Andrena synadelpha she collects pollen on her hind legs and the white pollen seen is from the campanula.

Different bees, different needs Part 2

Different bees, different needs Part 2

Some bees have a special connection with certain flowers. These bees are called oligolectic and it means that you will see the females gather pollen only on a few species of plants. A bee species which is said to be oligolectic and associated with the bell flowers is Chelostoma, of which there are 2 natives in the UK and 4 in the Netherlands. By planting campanula, both garden varieties as well as native plants, you can attract this very small bee. They are easily overlooked as they are tiny, only 6-7 mm. If you have a bee hotel with holes ranging from 2-4mm they may even start to breed in your garden. Well worth the try!

Below a photograph  of  Chelostoma  rapunculi which is called in Dutch the large campanula bee. It is a species not native to the UK nor Ireland (yet). Females gather pollen on campanula flowers to feed their young.

Here you can see the scopa of a female: you can clearly see the abdominal hairs where she gathers her pollen:

Another group of bees which I personally like a lot are the leafcutter bees. These have broad bodies and can be found on a variety of flowers but they seem to like members of the pea family in particular. In my garden, I hope to encourage them by growing several wild flowers such as Flat Peas, Tuberous pea (wonderful scent too!) Meadow vetchling and Spiny Restharrow and Bird’s foot trefoil. This is the first year that I am growing these plants so we have to wait and see. The female uses pieces of roses and birch for the cell walls. If you have roses and you see perfectly shaped cuts, then it is probably a leafcutter mum taking care of her offspring. Here a photograph of tuberous pea in flower, Lathyrus tuberosus

Bird’s-foot Trefoil  is a plant that is excellent for several bees. You may consider growing it in your garden. 

Below a picture of Megachile willughbiella and this is a male which you can see as with a bit of imagination, it looks as if the male is wearing boxing gloves.

White bryony is a plant which grows in the wild and there are female and male plants. The female flowers are very small but the male ones much showier. Bumblebees and honeybees like this plant a lot and there is one bee called Andrena florae which only gathers pollen on this plant. If the plant disappears, the bee will disappear as well. It is called a Monolectic bee as it only gathers pollen on this plant, nothing else. It is restricted to the very south-eastern part of the UK and mostly Southern Netherlands.

Here a honey bee feeding on white bryony male flowers which are a lot bigger in size compared to the female flowers.

A plant hated by so many farmers but very important to solitary bees is ragwort. This plant is a favourite food plant for the rare Heriades truncorum, another small bee. You will see this plant on yellow-flowered species of the Aster family. In my garden it is often seen on corn marigold. These bees can be encouraged to breed by putting up a bee hotel and small holes 3-4mm. It is another oligolectic bee. As you can see this is a small bee but lovely to have. It is expanding its range in the Netherlands and probably the UK too.