Many in agriculture have been celebrating National Pollinator Week this week, as the event was designated by the U.S. Senate twelve years ago. Numerous groups like The Honey Bee Health Coalition, Farmers for Monarchs, and the Environmental Defense Fund have been working to expand pollinator awareness through education. But USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Georgia is also celebrating …
Bees Required to Create an Excellent Blueberry Crop
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, (USDA/ARS)—Getting an excellent rabbiteye blueberry harvest requires helpful pollinators—particularly native southeastern blueberry bees—although growers can bring in managed honey bees to do the job, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists. This is especially true for commercial rabbiteye blueberry producers in Mississippi and Louisiana. With sufficient pollinators, they have been able to increase the percentage of flowers …
Herb that Makes Excellent Ground Cover
Cathy Isom has a few tips for you about an easy-to-grow herb that makes an excellent ground cover. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. No herb garden is complete without growing marjoram. It adds flavor and scent to your garden, and is great for many dishes. Butterflies and other helpful insects flock to marjoram, making it a great …
Plants that Attract Bees and Other Pollinators
Cathy Isom has information for you about the plants that will attract bees and other pollinating friends to your garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. As much as we like our fruits and vegetables and other wild plants – we also need bees and other pollinating friends to keep them around! According to the Natural Resources Defense …
Honey Bee Colonies More Successful By Foraging on Non-Crop Fields
Honey bee colonies foraging on land with a strong cover of clover species and alfalfa do more than three times as well than if they are put next to crop fields of sunflowers or canola, according to a study just published in Scientific Reports by an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist and his colleagues. Managed honey bee colonies placed from May until October next …
Agri View: Value of Bugs Pollinating Crops
Everett Griner talks about bugs of value to farmers for pollinating crops in today’s Agri View. Value of Bugs Pollinating Crops A lot has been said about the decline of the honeybee. We can be comforted in the fact that they are nowhere close to extension. They do need help pollinating plants of this world. I think I have already …
Practical Uses of the Mimosa Tree
Cathy Isom gives us some practical uses for the fast-growing, cold-hardy exotic tree you may want to consider for your yard. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Practical Uses of the Mimosa Tree Mimosa trees, otherwise known as Persian silk trees, are beloved ornamental trees because of their beautiful pink pom-pom flowers with an amazing fragrance, and fern-like …
UF Survey: Homeowners Want to Keep Their Lawns Lush and Conserve Water
Homeowners who irrigate want a beautiful lawn, and they’re more than willing to conserve water, a new University of Florida survey shows. It’s not a matter of a lush lawn versus saving a precious commodity. They also want a landscape with pollinators, one that helps preserve the environment and one on which they can lie in a hammock for peace …
Planting a Bee Friendly Garden
Cathy Isom has a few excellent tips on what to plant for a bee friendly garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Planting a Bee Friendly Garden We all know by know that bee colonies are quickly disappearing. So it’s important to remember our favorite pollinating friends when planning and planting things that will keep them coming around …
Agri View: Honeybee Update
Everett Griner talks about the honeybee battle still being fought in today’s Agri View. Honeybee Update Well, it has been a dozen years or more since the United States faced that series of problems that threatened to destroy our honeybee industry. Scientists have still not solved the problem, but, they have found a lot of things that have helped. One …