February 7, 2013
It is a beautiful, sunny day here at IslandWood and our bees are making a grand appearance. They seem to love the sun, and are enjoying time out of their hive to soak it up. I guess we have that in common!
Showing posts with label Our Honeybees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Our Honeybees. Show all posts
Thursday, February 7, 2013
The Sun is Out!
It is a beautiful, sunny day here at IslandWood and our bees are making a grand appearance. They seem to love the sun, and are enjoying time out of their hive to soak it up. I guess we have that in common!
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Bee Business
Hello Friends!
It is a chilly, damp January day and we are all doing our best to stay warm and cozy here in the garden. In fact, we have been a little worried about how our bees are doing since this is their first winter here at IslandWood. We decided to give them a little help staying warm.....check it out!
We added some hay bails (thanks Ben for the idea!) on the sides for insulation, and a plywood roof to drain the rain off far over their door. This should keep them warmer, and dryer which hopefully will help them survive the winter season.
So why do bees need warmth in the winter? How do they stay warm anyways? How do bees usually make it through the winter in the wild, or in even colder environments?
Bees need ways to stay warm during the winter just like us. In fact their hive needs to stay a toasty ~80-90 degrees for last growing babies and the mature adults. However, insects including bees are ectothermic, meaning their body temperature reflects the temperature of their surrounding environment, so keeping their hive warm is very important. This is also termed "cold-blooded", although this is not always correct as their blood is certainly not cold!! Humans are endothermic in contrast, meaning we can create our own heat from within our bodies.
To keep warm in the winter, they rely on a couple of strategies. Firstly, they are a bit furry, and this fur helps to trap warm air and provide some insulation. Secondly, they huddle up inside the center of their hive into a ball called a "winter cluster", squeezed together tightly with the queen in the center. Finally, some of the bees exercise their wings, the biggest muscles in their bodies, to create heat similar to shivering in humans. Imagine how warm you get doing jumping jacks? It is the same idea. The bees take turns flapping their wings, so no one gets too tired or hungry!
Bees need to feed on stored honey through the winter to help give them enough energy and fuel to produce heat, and just to survive like humans and other animals. Sometimes, food can be added to hives to give them an extra boost through the winter, however for an established hive they usually have enough on their own. Hopefully our bees are staying warm, and well fed....they don't have too much longer!
It is a chilly, damp January day and we are all doing our best to stay warm and cozy here in the garden. In fact, we have been a little worried about how our bees are doing since this is their first winter here at IslandWood. We decided to give them a little help staying warm.....check it out!
We added some hay bails (thanks Ben for the idea!) on the sides for insulation, and a plywood roof to drain the rain off far over their door. This should keep them warmer, and dryer which hopefully will help them survive the winter season.
So why do bees need warmth in the winter? How do they stay warm anyways? How do bees usually make it through the winter in the wild, or in even colder environments?
Bees need ways to stay warm during the winter just like us. In fact their hive needs to stay a toasty ~80-90 degrees for last growing babies and the mature adults. However, insects including bees are ectothermic, meaning their body temperature reflects the temperature of their surrounding environment, so keeping their hive warm is very important. This is also termed "cold-blooded", although this is not always correct as their blood is certainly not cold!! Humans are endothermic in contrast, meaning we can create our own heat from within our bodies.
To keep warm in the winter, they rely on a couple of strategies. Firstly, they are a bit furry, and this fur helps to trap warm air and provide some insulation. Secondly, they huddle up inside the center of their hive into a ball called a "winter cluster", squeezed together tightly with the queen in the center. Finally, some of the bees exercise their wings, the biggest muscles in their bodies, to create heat similar to shivering in humans. Imagine how warm you get doing jumping jacks? It is the same idea. The bees take turns flapping their wings, so no one gets too tired or hungry!
Bees need to feed on stored honey through the winter to help give them enough energy and fuel to produce heat, and just to survive like humans and other animals. Sometimes, food can be added to hives to give them an extra boost through the winter, however for an established hive they usually have enough on their own. Hopefully our bees are staying warm, and well fed....they don't have too much longer!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
The Honeybee Lowdown
Thanks
to our former lead Garden Educator Scott Brinton, we acquired a new
group of friends at the IslandWood garden that arrived in May
2012......a new colony of honeybees! They are a great addition to help
keep the garden healthy, pollinated, and perhaps will even bring some
delicious local honey. We are so grateful and happy to have them! They
live here inside these boxes, and have been tougher to spot lately. Why?
Because they like to stay warm and cozy inside when it is cold!
Matt Schmidt, one of our amazing kitchen staff members, is our beekeeper and he helps keep the bees happy as well as educates our IslandWood staff about the benefits and care of bees.
Why are honeybees important to a garden?
~Bees
play very important roles in the ecosystem of a garden, farm, or any
area with plants in need of pollination! These little creatures are
responsible for the pollination of many flowers, fruits, and vegetables
such as zucchini. Not only are they important, but are considered the
number one pollinators for food crop plants, and other flowering plants
as well!
What is pollination?
~Pollination
is the movement of pollen from flower to flower by pollinators such as
bees, birds, bats, butterflies, other animals, and wind. This pollen
transfer allows for the fertilization and successful seed and fruit
production of many plants, including over 1,000 different species used
by humans for food or other uses. Honeybees accumulate pollen on their
hind legs, as seen in this picture and transfer it to another flower. So
cool!!
To experience pollinators in a way never seen before, check out this video by photographer Louis Schwartzberg. It shows the diversity, importance, and utter beauty of pollinators....
What are the uses of honey?
~Honey is not only delicious, it can also serve medicinal purposes. It carries anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties, making it a natural and healthy addition to our diet.
You don't need to have your own bee colony to help pollinate your garden. You can actually grow certain plants, and create the right habitat to attract bees to you! To learn more about this, check out the following link:
http://nature.berkeley.edu/urbanbeegardens/
Matt Schmidt, one of our amazing kitchen staff members, is our beekeeper and he helps keep the bees happy as well as educates our IslandWood staff about the benefits and care of bees.
Why are honeybees important to a garden?
What is pollination?
To experience pollinators in a way never seen before, check out this video by photographer Louis Schwartzberg. It shows the diversity, importance, and utter beauty of pollinators....
The Hidden Beauty of Pollination
What are the uses of honey?
~Honey is not only delicious, it can also serve medicinal purposes. It carries anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties, making it a natural and healthy addition to our diet.
You don't need to have your own bee colony to help pollinate your garden. You can actually grow certain plants, and create the right habitat to attract bees to you! To learn more about this, check out the following link:
http://nature.berkeley.edu/urbanbeegardens/
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