Some Good News.

[OkSustainAg]

My fruit trees are covered with honey bees. They are in full flower. Like a buzzing symphony. Greens and blackberries coming along nicely also.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. That IS good news, my dear OkSustainAg!

May your harvest be bountiful!

[Cryptoad]

7. Great News Indeed!

Honey bees have become almost extinct here as I live next to large AG-Biz farms. If not for some native carpenter and bumble bees I would have no pollination

[NRaleighLiberal]

2. I would call that GREAT news. Thanks for sharing - needed a smile today!

[drray23]

3. excellent!

I love spring. I have not seen honey bees yet on mine. I am in southeastern virginia. I have a field I want to plant with wildflowers to attract bees. Still a little cold here but its warming up. Our last frost date is april 15 or so.

[OkSustainAg]

4. This is also

the wild onion time. Soon there will be wild mushrooms.

[bvar22]

5. Wish I could say the same.

We had an unprecedented early False Spring in late Feb....way too early for central Arkansas.
That fooled our fruit trees into blooming early. Naturally, we had a hard freeze in late March that froze all the blossoms, and no doubt killed any young fruit. We're not expecting any peaches this year.
Hope you have a great fruit crop.

Our weather has been scarily erratic the last 3 years. We used to have a Planting Calendar that took 8 years to develop that was our Bible. We have had to throw it away. If this is the New Normal, we (and everybody else) are in real trouble.

[LiberalArkie]

8. Yep, Lost 6 cherry trees, 1pear, 5 blue berry bushes so far.

At least this year the spring freeze wasn't as bad as the last 2 years were.

[CoffeeCat]

35. We had this happen one year

Everything got warm, and began to bud, then the freeze happened. That was the year without flowers on our bushes and trees. Such a bummer.

But the following year, it was like a flower explosion. There were more flowers on the trees and bushes than I'd ever seen. I've seen nothing like it since.

Bummer about this year. I know how that goes.

Just know that next year you will experience a flower explosion too!

[SamKnause]

6. Same here.

I only have 1 wild pear with thousands and thousands of white blooms.

You can hear the buzzing from a good distance.

I have had an abundance of honey bees for the past 6 years or so.

I have lived here 15 years.

There has never been any pesticides, fertilizers, or herbicides used

on my 12 acres.

I have fields of golden rod and the bees love those.

On my Easter trek yesterday I passed a field that was covered in wild purple violets.

It was awesome.

I then passed a property that has about 25 wild pear tears with millions of white blooms.

I call them Snow Christmas Trees.

Almost the entire trees are covered and they look like big snow sculptures.

[JDPriestly]

16. What a vision! Thanks for posting that. It lifted my heart!

[SamKnause]

18. How sweet.

[SamKnause]

19. Last week my wild turkeys showed up.

Last edited Mon Mar 28, 2016, 03:27 PM - Edit history (1)

They are extremely large this year.

Eye-poppingly large !!!!

I usually get to see their offspring once or twice.

I saw the bunnies coming and going from underneath a wooden storage

shed I have that sits on concrete blocks..

I hand raised 4 with a syringe 2 or 3 years ago.

I released them at 5 weeks old.

I have deer grazing in the field and in the front yard on a daily bases.

I feel like I live in a zoo.

I have every kind of bird imaginable.

I absolutely love where I live.

[Petrushka]

9. K & R

Wonderful news!

[OkSustainAg]

10. Behind me

starts the Corps land around the lake.. Woody honeysuckle grows like crazy. The bees really come on when it flowers. The trail goes 25 miles north along the lake.

note:
I do not use pesticides either.

[Duval]

11. Great news. nt

[bigwillq]

12. Cool!

[hfojvt]

13. uh oh

I'm allergic to bees

[Lebam in LA]

14. My avocado and peach trees are also full of bees

We should get another good crop from each this year

[JDPriestly]

15. I'm really short on bees this year. Southern California. Could it be the drought

we had?

This is bad for our avocado trees. They need bees. I let the backyard go to wood sorrel every spring in order to attract bees. This year, they are not here in big enough numbers.

The drought is a bummer.

I don't think that a lot of Americans understand where their food comes from and how vital a healthy environment with a balance that is inherent in nature is just for our survival as humans.

If we understood that, we would not be burning fossil fuels and dumping chemicals on our top soil the way we are. We would be more careful about the effects of our fuels and our chemicals on our environment if we understood what food needs in order to get to our tables.

[chapdrum]

31. By jove JD, you're on it.

Exactly.

Thank you.

[NCjack]

17. Planted my blackberry canes last week. Today, I ordered my Butterfly & Hummingbird

Wildflower Seed mix. Monarchs are visiting my Milkweeds. Going to be a great Spring.

[OkSustainAg]

20. My family loves blackberries.

Mulberries too, they will be coming on pretty soon.

[vkkv]

21. Nice, a few bees are hovering around ours as well even though they are recently planted.

Ten of them planted all in the last two months. A few are flowering already.

3 apples
2 peaches
2 cherries
apricot
necta-plum
Santa Rosa Plum

In the Sierra Nevada foothill town of Mariposa, Ca, an hour from Yosemite.

We have had to plant something, with more being planted still, since so many Ponderosa pine trees are dying from bark beetles..

[daleanime]

22. Hopefully....

we don't get a late frost.

[elljay]

23. Awesome

I've seen a few honey bees on my fruit trees here in Northern California, but most of my pollinators seem to be the mason bees I raise and some other wild native bees. With the continuing destruction of honey bee colonies, it is imperative that we nurture our native bees. They are easy to raise and fantastic pollinators.

[democrank]

24. Best news I`ve heard all day.

Our bee population seems to have been down here in North Central Vermont for the last 3-4 years.

[stage left]

25. There is no sweeter sound.

Wonderful to hear this.

[sarge43]

26. Wonderful news.

What part of the country, OkSustainAg?

All three of our hives made it through winter with flying colors. Maybe things are turning around for our friends.

[Tanuki]

27. Bees are buzzing like mad on my holly trees.

Hollies have tiny white flowers, which I don't think everyone realizes, but the bees know it. A big bumble bee got in my house yesterday and I escorted it out safely. We are having a glorious spring here in middle Tennessee.

[AlbertCat]

28. I don't think I've seen a honey bee in years

Carpenter bees on the other hand.... they're eating my porch!

[bvar22]

29. We keep two colonies of domestic European Honey Bees.

There is never a shortage of bees here.

[Thespian2]

30. Good for You!

The snow is gone and a few early spring flowers are trying to get their heads up...always need some good news like this...

[bunnies]

32. I'm confused as to why this has 142 recs.

A short term member posting nonsense = greatest page.

And moonlight frosted sunflowers glisten also.

[Roy Rolling]

33. I'm confused how anyone could miss the point

The decline of honey bees is a gigantic problem, and hearing of their health is, indeed, good news.

Even if it comes from an unwashed, "short term member".

Sheesh. Do I even have to say that?

[bunnies]

39. This speaks to the health of the worlds bee population?

Alrighty then.

[Pathwalker]

34. Well, I enjoyed it. I loved reading about people's gardens,

the presence of honey bees and appreciating what the means. I thought it was a great thread, at least until I read your post....oh well, you can't please everyone.

[Hiraeth]

36. bless it.

[hatrack]

40. Gosh, sorry that comparing gardens and enjoying the arrival of spring pisses you off . . .

Have a nice day.

[bunnies]

44. lol. Thanks. You too.

[ScreamingMeemie]

45. Goodness. This is a good news thread. Try smiling every once in awhile.

And stop relating to people as short term and long term. There is always going to be someone who's been here longer than you. For instance, in my eyes you're just a baby DUer.

[bvar22]

48. One of those Recs is mine.

Rebirth is the story of life.
Some things are more important than Trump or Hillary....For instance, the ability to feed ourselves and the World. Those in appreciate with the Earth and care for the Earth will understand.
Those who don't...won't.

[bunnies]

49. Yeah. I hate the Earth. You sure figured me out.

[bvar22]

50. If you say so.

That seems consistent with your other posts, so go on with it.
Here, we love our Mother....still have the rich earth under my fingernails from Spring Planting today.
Absolutely love it.
You should try it sometime.

Would you like an introduction to the 100,000 honey bees that live in the colonies in our back yard?
Would you like that?
I would, of course, I would be wearing a bee hood.
I'm sure they would love you.
Please?

[Liberal_in_LA]

37. That is great news

[hopemountain]

38. our quince bushes are full of blooms

and the hummingbirds are arriving. we have a below freezing night tonight but after today temps are heading toward the 60's.

enjoy, oksustainag!

[B Calm]

41. My 3 Red Haven peach trees were in full bloom and this morning we have a heavy frost. Same thing

happened last year.

[Helen Borg]

42. Doesn't sound like the end of the world!

[Firebrand Gary]

43. Superb! Sounds like a lovely garden!

[ScreamingMeemie]

46. My hibiscus never stopped flowering this year.

Neither did my rose bush. We've had bee visits year round. May you have a bumper crop of goodness this year.

[OkSustainAg]

47. Gardening is medicine

This time of the year is good. Shaking out the winter cobwebs in my head.

[Dont call me Shirley]

51. Great news, Ok! My onion sets and mint are coming up. Apricot tree is done blooming.