My picture (via cellphone) is 'gisela-5' cherry water-sprouts (both sides) and a bee (right). The intent is to show and magnify the production of feed for insects that such as aphids or bees.
I took myself on a little inspection/tour of pollinations and fruit set. So far everything looks as usual with my last to bloom sweet cherries, especially my 'blackgold' which are self pollinating cherries. They will be having a huge load this year attributed to a dry spell and stormy weather that allowed the conditions to be just right for self pollinations for any selfing cultivars capable of selfing during that period.
Having strategies of crop insurance should include more than keeping squirrels at bay (trap suggestions etc) that keep us has friends in the forum very useful. However today I wanted to look at what is becoming a real problem ....the missing pollinators, in particular honeybees and their disappearance and to search for possible answers. (ie: colony collapse disorder)
One or two ideas that stand out to me are if the bees are being shorted of an important food source as clearly and surely some of the research observations regarding Paul Stamets (link, bees mining in the ground) something is out of balance for the social society of honey bees having to do something plants are capable of for bees.
Seeing the later than normal start of aphid infestation this year due to the impact of the longer than normal winter of what it had on aphids raised a new possibility here that the aphids could be competitious to the bees and that aphids are evolving/reproducing faster than bees as per my picture the bees are seeking possibly important food and minerals the aphids usually get hold of first.
Highlights:
-plants need pollinators
-plants hate aphids
-possibilities that plants die from aphids unless responding to limit food and/or medicine
-possibilities aphids are becoming sophisticated culprits to (with chemistry) control plant
other: aphids favor an ant colony relationship at the unintentional expense of bee colony??
Interesting ideas as usual Rooney. Your statements make me think about how crucial the natives, particularlly the mason bees, are for pollination. They come out way earlier than the honeybees and are more efficient pollinators. I agree with the overall impact of a many-tiered problem: Pesticides, killing of their medicine (fungi), dramatic death of insects in general, changing of bird flight patterns from climate change, habitat loss in general leading to huge imbalances in specific parts of the balance of nature, as Rachel Carson would call it. I actually believe that people are starting to see how things are connected together and valuing the overall picture, rather than fighting tooth and nail for every last cent and letting it destroy the important things in life.
John S
PDX OR
Thanks John! The gisela-5 cherry above was absent any aphids even though every leaf sparkled with reflected light from the feed from what the glands of what the leaves were emitting. Since the bee was the only regular visitor that day and no aphids were there, it must be that gisela plays a support role for bees, and form a steady relationship more than just during flowering. I guess that any time in the future aphids begin infesting and moving in, then plant begins to fight back with repellants, in turn bees have to stop feeding. The bee enemy then in this case is the aphid that the bee can't compete with.
Here is a link that might be useful:
go to 7:30 minute mark of Paul Stamets youtube
This is amazing stuff. Every time I watch it, I get it on a deeper level.
Leaving downed wood increases fungal diversity, as do bears scratching for tree sap, which is also medicinal for us, as are the fungi. Bears bring salmon carcasses into the forest, adding phosphorus and other nutrients. Bees can't defend themselves against fungicides, pesticides, virus and other things medicinally when they can't get access to a wide diversity of mushrooms and their mycelia. There are a thousand other native bees besides the non-native honey bee. Honey is medicinal for us when the bees can get access to diverse foods. If the bees die, we can't get enough food or medicine to defend ourselves. We are part of the ecosystem and we need them as much as they need us.
John S
PDX OR
John S said
If the bees die, we can't get enough food or medicine to defend ourselves. We are part of the ecosystem and we need them as much as they need us.
Yes. I like the whole way you described it. Also the part having to do with bees short lifespan due to not getting proper medicine, in turn contributing to complete extinction of bees and our supply of honey.
Here is an image taken from Paul's youtube again to pinpoint results from experiments in a lab as to proof of just how (per your and --Paul's explanation that as proven in lab tests--) beneficial the mycelia are.
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edit update: June 12th
I don't know why the previous posted link breaks outside of a cellphone. This seems to be the better option that must be invoked through google. The short version is a very interesting point in question. -So can old tales of fiction given to children 90 years ago (winney-the-poo) and only recently we discover real reasons bees hang out in logs?
Here's the link that might be useful:
Paul Stamets youtube through google
I think I have the real answer but I am still deciding if industry covers these things up from us or if that the internet world established by universities are helping us.
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