Honeybees

[Pua'i Mana'o]

There seems to be a honeybee problem throughout (http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/02/05/bees_ani.html?category=travel&guid=20070205144500) the world right now. Is Hawai'i experiencing this, too? Why am I having nightmares that the world is going to end, one species at a time, and that the honeybee is heralding in armageddon? :(

[Miulang]

Yes, Pua'i, it's also happening in Hawai'i---on Oahu---for a slightly different reason than what's going on elsewhere in the world (see this thread (http://www.hawaiithreads.com/showthread.php?t=12443&highlight=honeybees)).

What makes it particularly alarming is that Hawai'i (and the Big Island) is where many of the queen bees that are used to stock hives around the world are from...and if the bee mite makes it over to the Big Island, it will doom a unique and profitable agricultural gem. The Dept. of Agriculture has issued quarantine orders for all hives on Oahu to try to stop the bee mite from spreading to the Neighbor Islands.

Miulang

[Miulang]

According to the Dept. of Agriculture, the varroa bee mite (http://starbulletin.com/2007/04/25/business/story02.html)is now spreading throughout Oahu hives. So far, the mite has not been found on the Neighbor Islands, but testing is not complete yet. The beekeepers are asking the State for about $25,000 to help purchase equipment to halt the spread of the infestation.

Miulang

[Miulang]

More interesting information about the odd disappearance of honeybees and the potential threat to our food supply (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/05/02/national/a110745D58.DTL).

Honeybees don't just make honey; they pollinate more than 90 of the tastiest flowering crops we have.

Among them: apples, nuts, avocados, soybeans, asparagus, broccoli, celery, squash and cucumbers. And lots of the really sweet and tart stuff, too, including citrus fruit, peaches, kiwi, cherries, blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, cantaloupe and other melons.

In fact, about one-third of the human diet comes from insect-pollinated plants, and the honeybee is responsible for 80 percent of that pollination, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Even cattle, which feed on alfalfa, depend on bees. So if the collapse worsens, we could end up being "stuck with grains and water," said Kevin Hackett, the national program leader for USDA's bee and pollination program.

"This is the biggest general threat to our food supply," Hackett said.

While not all scientists foresee a food crisis, noting that large-scale bee die-offs have happened before, this one seems particularly baffling and alarming.


Let's hope Hawai'i can keep its colonies on the Big Island safe from the varroa mite that is infecting Oahu's hives so that there are healthy queen bees that can help replenish the bee stocks.

Miulang

[Karen]

WEll.....yeah...sighing....I live Central Oahu and we have a lychee tree and a couple of avocado that bear fruit, and one of miniature Guava, I think it's called. We have some fruit on the guava while I've only noticed a couple of bees in the past few mos.

"Noticed" is the operative term there but....right now is the time of my concern. It's the season of the dropping of all avocado leaves and growing new ones and the beginning of the fruit, very early on and the leaves are all down and all of the tiny new growth on the thing, but not ONE bee can be noticed, so the very few around, we are simply missing. usually, with the tree looking as it does they're swarming and were as late as last year though the problem with them disappearing was already known.

The Lychee never drops all of its leaves but millions of the tiny little buds that will eventually be the fruit do drop right now, and of course many stay on tree, but same thing.....this time last year while we would be sweeping up buds from the patio, the tree was swarming with bees. Not this year! Hubby and I stood out in the back yard staring up, and could not find even ONE bee on either tree.

Any of you noticing your usual swarm, or lack of?

[Got2HaVKaYaNoW]

have you noticed...that bee's have gotten more media attention since the release of The Bee Movie.

Seinfield did more than his share of bee awareness...I love that movie.

[Karen]

No, I haven't. How long ago did the Bee Movie come out? I hadn't heard of it.

It was this time last year that bees were getting a lot of attention in the news. Their populations have drastically died out and I think most states reported literally half of them were gone. KGMB did a news report on it, well more than one last year but they did one where they interviewed a lady that's a beekeeper on Oahu here, I think and she said half were gone.

This year? am wondering if it's even worse because Central Oahu and our neighborhood sure is.

[timkona]

Cannot substantiate this after a brief search on the net, but I heard a friend of mine talking about the mass extinctions of humans within 4 years of the bees dying out. They must be pretty important.

[Karen]

They are needed to polinate about half of our food supply, anyway, it isn't everything, thank the Lord.

That report sounds drastic and exaggerated, but I don't doubt someone posted it on the net and it's gotten a lot of attention.

Daughter brought her cattle dog over with her to visit and played with him in the backyard for maybe an hour. Said she saw two honeybees while out there. Yeah....should be fifty....not two, the way the trees look.

[Da Rolling Eye]

Well something's been pollinating our tangerine and orange trees and poha bush. We got new fruit already coming in on both trees. Looks like a bumper crop for our orange tree. The tangerine is starting to fruit almost year round. The poha bush looks to be starting the biggest crop we've seen yet. Probably more than enough to make jam this year.

We seem to have a fair amount of bees, but I did notice a decrease on an ornamental tree in the front yard. Usually got choke honey bees and they make it hard to trim the tree.

On another flowering bush, I've been seeing mostly carpenter bees and butterflies where it used to be only honey bees. Even on our bougainvillea (sp?). These past couple years I've been finding more and more caterpiller/butterfly droppings on the leaves. What's unusual is they seem to be monarch butterflies, which usually hang out on crown flower bushes. Like in Jurassic Park, somehow nature will find a way. :D

[Honoruru]

\
Any of you noticing your usual swarm, or lack of?

Come to think of it, I donʻt recall seeing a honeybee in quite a while. I donʻt actually look for them, but I would remember seeing them.

Now, Iʻll try to look for them. Iʻll report if I see one.

[WindwardOahuRN]

Well something's been pollinating our tangerine and orange trees and poha bush. We got new fruit already coming in on both trees. On another flowering bush, I've been seeing mostly carpenter bees and butterflies where it used to be only honey bees. Even on our bougainvillea (sp?). These past couple years I've been finding more and more caterpiller/butterfly droppings on the leaves. What's unusual is they seem to be monarch butterflies, which usually hang out on crown flower bushes. Like in Jurassic Park, somehow nature will find a way. :D

My little dwarf citrus trees are bursting with blooms and new fruitlets, too. And I have a cherry tomato plant that self-seeded in one of my flower pots that has obviously been pollinated by something. I have seen those big fat carpenter bees hanging around the plants more than in the past and very few honeybees. Lots of butterflies, too.

[kani-lehua]

well, our tomato plant died. we're going to try some peppers and beefsteak tomatoes again. got the papaya going. the mango tree had a gazillion flowers on it. usually the wind blows most of them off. but, i noticed that they kinda seem "withered" or just like dead. it's coming into fruition, but with less fruit than i had imagined. the guava tree fruits perpetualy.

haven't seen many bees. have seen a few monarchs. even the ilima is blooming.

now, do any of you have an organic pesticide/concoction that you use? just bought some neem oil and am going to try it.

[WindwardOahuRN]

now, do any of you have an organic pesticide/concoction that you use? just bought some neem oil and am going to try it.

I generally just use insecticidal soap or sometimes a pyrethrin-based product. I used to be more into killing bugs but in the eight years we've lived here I've realized that it is such a losing battle. A killing frost can be a wonderful thing, lol, and I miss it sometimes.
I'm not all that wonderful of a gardener anymore---my plants often survive in spite of me not because of me. I thought my little dwarf lime tree was a goner but lo and behold it gathered its strength and is now blooming away. It's in a big pot---I just fed it and topped off the soil and it looks happy.
My garden in NY was really quite something. Lots of vegetables, perennials, flowering shrubs. I thought gardening here would be fun but it hasn't been. Too humid for a lot of veggies, I've found. IME they often start out beautifully and then succumb to mold and mildew. By the time you factor in what you spend trying to save that wilting zucchini plant you could have saved yourself a lot of time, effort, and money by just buying them at the farmer's market. I did have some success with Japanese eggplant, cherry tomatoes, and hot peppers.
My soil is crap here (heavy dense clay) so I've been more into container gardening.
There's a funny little book called "The $64 Tomato." It's about a guy who decides to grow heirloom Brandywine tomatoes and what those tomatoes actually ended up costing him.
Bet they tasted good, though....:)

http://www.64dollartomato.com/default.htm

[Karen]

Thanks Honoruru, et al...

yesterday we had four and maybe six....man, they jump into and out of sight quickly...honeybees on the lychee.

I am wondering what insects besides honeybees can and do pollinate our food supply.

[leashlaws]

My little dwarf citrus trees are bursting with blooms and new fruitlets, too. And I have a cherry tomato plant that self-seeded in one of my flower pots that has obviously been pollinated by something. I have seen those big fat carpenter bees hanging around the plants more than in the past and very few honeybees. Lots of butterflies, too.
I am interested in your dwarf citrus - what varieties do you have? I really want to get some but don't know if they'd do well (Haiku Valley - Kaneohe). Can you tell me a little more - sorry - this is probably off the original subject. However, our bees face the same problems and issues as elsewhere and it's frightening since they do so much good. I really enjoy the honey
types by region at the KCC farmer's markets.

[kani-lehua]

[quote=WindwardOahuRN;188068]I generally just use insecticidal soap or sometimes a pyrethrin-based product. I used to be more into killing bugs but in the eight years we've lived here I've realized that it is such a losing battle.

yes. i've heard of pyrethrin-based products and of course insecticidal soap. i've just been using regular (melaleuca) dishwashing soap and water for some bugs such as white fly. and, i do agree, that it seems to be a losing battle. just not having luck growing things lately and getting a little jealous seeing my neighbor across the street with some pretty good looking tomatoes.

[Da Rolling Eye]

[.
yes. i've heard of pyrethrin-based products and of course insecticidal soap. i've just been using regular (melaleuca) dishwashing soap and water for some bugs such as white fly. and, i do agree, that it seems to be a losing battle. just not having luck growing things lately and getting a little jealous seeing my neighbor across the street with some pretty good looking tomatoes.
Miracle grow and lots of water. :D

[WindwardOahuRN]

I am interested in your dwarf citrus - what varieties do you have? I really want to get some but don't know if they'd do well (Haiku Valley - Kaneohe). Can you tell me a little more - sorry - this is probably off the original subject. However, our bees face the same problems and issues as elsewhere and it's frightening since they do so much good. I really enjoy the honey
types by region at the KCC farmer's markets.

The lemon is a dwarf Meyer lemon. If you're not familiar with Meyer lemons they're sort of a cross between an orange and a lemon. If you let them grow to full size they are huge---about the size of a good-sized orange. Great for sorbet and tossing into drinks. If I get more than I can use I squeeze the juice into ice cube trays, freeze them, and put the cubes in freezer bags. Nice to have around when you need just a little for a drink or cooking.
The lime is a dwarf Bearss lime. Very juicy, perfect lime taste.
I can't remember what the orange is but whatever it is I wouldn't buy another one. Just not that great.
I got them all at Home Depot at least six years ago. The lime produces sporadically but the lemon pretty much always has some fruit on it in one stage of growth or another.
They need a lot of sun, of course, and because they are grown in pots they require more feeding than those that are grown in the ground. I use the Gaviota fertilizer for fruit trees.
Good luck!
Addendum: I was thinking back to when I first got those trees. They would be so covered with bees when the blossoms opened that you could hardly get near them---had to be very careful. No more. So yes, I can say that I have seen a decrease in the bee population here.

[Karen]

WindwardRN, do you remember about how long ago you got them? I am wondering if the bees have been much fewer for just a couple of years.

Today I saw like two bees on the lychee and one on the avocado. No swarms this season.

[Peshkwe]

My grandma used to keep rhubarb leaves in a pail of water to soak. She'd put the water into a sprayer and use it to kill aphids and white fly. My grandpa used willow water (willow branches soaked in a bucket for a few weeks) as a rooting bath and to water young plants to boost their root growth.

[WindwardOahuRN]

WindwardRN, do you remember about how long ago you got them? I am wondering if the bees have been much fewer for just a couple of years.

Today I saw like two bees on the lychee and one on the avocado. No swarms this season.

I wrote previously that it was at least six years ago but I am thinking now that it was closer to eight years ago that I got the trees. Honestly, I didn't think much about it until this thread. The trees bloomed and they bore fruit so I didn't even pay attention to who was responsible for the pollination.
Today I was fussing with the citrus trees and they had quite a few lovely sweet blooms on them. And not one bee. NOT ONE. To think that I often had to stand back and wait for the bees to move in order to pick a lemon without disturbing a bee is upsetting.
Since this thread started I've been actively looking for bees and have not seen any. :(

[Karen]

Thanks for the reiteration.

Yep, as recently as last year I would have to duck when sweeping the patio under the lychee cuz bees buzzing around on some low leaf. Today...could count 3 on it and man am I thankful for those three. I think...moths and butterflies also pollinate. I wonder if these other little buggahs that are around the tree, not swarming but they are bouncing on and off of it....a few of them...whatever they are, I wonder if and I hope that they do pollinate.

[Honoruru]

I talked to a co-worker today who is very much into plants and flowers (she's a botanist). She said her backyard garden has definitely seen less honeybees than in past years.

Also, since my last post (3/16) I've been actively looking for honeybees, but I haven't seen a single one. Usually, I don't have to look for them; they find me and get in my face. That's what they do. Or used to do. I'd have to shoo them away or evade them.

[Da Rolling Eye]

Usually, I don't have to look for them; they find me and get in my face. That's what they do. Or used to do. I'd have to shoo them away or evade them.
Heheh, I've been doing that with the carpenter bees of late. :D

I used to always see bees walking on the ground or dead ones, as well as lots of live ones, but not much of either kind nowdays. Especially the dead ones. They must have their own "graveyard". :(

[WindwardOahuRN]

I have not seen one bee since this thread started. My little citrus trees are flourishing---quite a few blossoms and many tiny lemons, limes, and oranges. So something is pollinating those guys. I do notice that the trees have ants on them. I don't know what the ants find so attractive on those trees but is it possible that the ants are pollinating the flowers? The act of pollination is not brain surgery---I've done it myself with indoor patio tomato plants. Just touch the tip of a pencil to the stamen of one flower, picking up a bit of pollen, and then deposit it on the carpel of another flower. I imagine a wandering ant could do it quite nicely even without a pencil.
Or maybe the plants are self-pollinating? It's pretty windy here---perhaps the pollen is swirling around in the flower and landing in all the right places?
In any event it looks like I'll have a bumper mini-crop if all the bead-citrus reach full fruition.

[MyopicJoe]

Over the years I seen a lot of bees in the process of dying, around our building in Manoa. Kinda creepy. I assume there's an innocent reason for it.

[kani-lehua]

was walking throught the neighborhood this morning and ACTUALLY saw some bees pollinating someone's hedge. i don't know what pollinated our 50 year old mango tree. this, too, will have a bumper crop (ick, i don't like them). we had it trimmed several years ago and it's only now recovering (this is normal). also, our guava tree fruits all year round (ick, i don't like those either). trying to germinate some tomato, pepper and papays at the moment. for me, the ants seem to be around everytime there are white flies. i just wish my puakenikeni trees would blossom. they're about 4 ft. tall right now and app. 2 yrs. old. got two native hawaiian gardenia plants and the native mauna loa that still need to be planted.

[Karen]

We have tiny, green lychee on the tree and new growth on many branches that if they make blossom as well as leaves then they'll need to be pollinated but man am I thankful to see we do have lychee already. One avocado tree has fruit on it, and I can't tell on the other, yet. the most bees I could see at one time, on one side of the tree was six, and that was only one day, but like others here are reporting...we do have fruit.

[cyleet99]

My son and I saw honeybees in the Waimea Valley last weekend--nice sight to see, and a great park! Bought a family pass and already went back. Lots of people there on the weekend; quite a few during the weekday, too.