tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post4960248353325263508..comments2023-05-03T06:04:05.095-04:00Comments on Barbee's Blog: The Good, the Bad, and the UglyBarbee'http://www.blogger.com/profile/11316077390373348067noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-37039789597547850822008-07-20T10:25:00.000-04:002008-07-20T10:25:00.000-04:00Lucy (England): What a great surprise, thank you!...Lucy (England): What a great surprise, thank you! Yes, I will work with you and get that done.Barbee'https://www.blogger.com/profile/11316077390373348067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-49189274832264972842008-07-19T23:15:00.000-04:002008-07-19T23:15:00.000-04:00OK, Andrea has had it with this conversation, but ...OK, Andrea has had it with this conversation, but if anyone else is reading this: the red beetles called lily beetles (or something like that) are attacking people's Asian lilies and perhaps other kinds of lilies. They multiply like fleas. Because they do drop off like that it is good to hold a container of soapy water, or water with oil on the surface, or some such stuff under the leaf and they will fall in. Similar to Japanese beetles' behavior. Better to Google it and read for yourself.Barbee'https://www.blogger.com/profile/11316077390373348067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-41642756521701145312008-07-19T21:14:00.000-04:002008-07-19T21:14:00.000-04:00Weird!!! That was EXACTLY what I saw. They saw me ...Weird!!! That was EXACTLY what I saw. They saw me and what they do is they fall off the leaves before you can grab them and onto their backs because they arn't easy to see with the soil around them. But because they were breeding, I nabbed the two and squished them. I felt back for doing so, especially when they were obviously in the middle of something very important. Im fairly sure if I was having sex, I wouldnt' appreciate being squished right in the middle of it. Of course, I wouldn't fall off a leaf and land on my back. haha OH-KAY, Halting all conversation there. :P<BR/><BR/>-AndreaAndreahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05224144224646856274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-55835553198493045292008-07-19T21:11:00.000-04:002008-07-19T21:11:00.000-04:00Andrea: Whew! That's a relief! I have read that ...Andrea: Whew! That's a relief! I have read that the red lily beetles (red beetles, not red lilies) are prolific breeders and can be caught and killed two at a time because of it. Wonder if that was what you saw.Barbee'https://www.blogger.com/profile/11316077390373348067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-41783345014260756202008-07-19T20:29:00.000-04:002008-07-19T20:29:00.000-04:00Oh I was just mentioning that because I saw it in ...Oh I was just mentioning that because I saw it in my inlaws garden and wasworried. The beetles were BREEDING.Andreahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05224144224646856274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-328635728263360122008-07-19T15:21:00.000-04:002008-07-19T15:21:00.000-04:00Philip (California, USA): Thank you for your kind ...Philip (California, USA): Thank you for your kind words and for visiting and leaving a comment. Sorry about your Hollyhocks. I think for a cottage garden there is nothing that could quite take their place. I just need to get this problem figured out and take care of it. <BR/><BR/>Muddy Boot Dreams (British Columbia, Canada): Oh my, well, I am glad you were able to protect it. I was not familiar with Parrotia trees so I had to Google it. Found good information about it and its culture <A HREF="http://www.greenbeampro.com/content/view/1412/205/" REL="nofollow">RIGHT HERE.</A> I saw another lovely photo of one in its autumn colors. I see what you mean. <BR/><BR/>Mr. Mc's Daughter (Illinois, USA): Thank you for your interesting input. Re. the link: You are welcome :) <BR/><BR/>Kathleen (Colorado, USA): Thank you, Kathleen, and thank you for feeding the bumblebees :) <BR/><BR/>Andrea (Ontario, Canada): OK, Andrea, you are going over my head with this one (don't you wonder where those idioms come from!), did I miss one of your posts about red beetles?? Perhaps about Lily beetles? Or, are you trying to tell me that is what is wrong with the hollyhocks?! You got me with this one, but thanks for the kudos.Barbee'https://www.blogger.com/profile/11316077390373348067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-54150632351275399692008-07-19T12:55:00.000-04:002008-07-19T12:55:00.000-04:00I've just put up a post about pictures from other ...I've just put up a post about pictures from other people's blogs which have especially stuck in my memory.<BR/><BR/>Amongst these, I've mentioned your one of your garden in spring which you had at the head of your blog for a while.<BR/><BR/>I can't work out how to make links to photos on blogs in situ so I'm wondering if you would mind if I copied it onto my blog - together with a link to yours.<BR/><BR/>I'd be grateful if you would let me know.<BR/><BR/>(I think you still have it on your web site?)<BR/><BR/>Lucy<BR/><A HREF="http://looseandleafy.blogspot.com/" REL="nofollow">LOOSE AND LEAFY</A>Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax!https://www.blogger.com/profile/14685242329129914772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-50757731164873186092008-07-19T00:49:00.000-04:002008-07-19T00:49:00.000-04:00Oh the woes of the good bad and ugly! I give you p...Oh the woes of the good bad and ugly! I give you props for posting this and I found the bit about the leaf cutter very interesting. I admit, when it comes to 'pests' I dont' know much about them, let alone how to get rid of them or save the plants. Sometimes I think its best not to always get rid of these guys but go with the flow. Unless they are a red beetle that falls off the leaf and onto his back everytime you try to pick him out of the garden. ;)Andreahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05224144224646856274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-87422690543896142852008-07-19T00:09:00.000-04:002008-07-19T00:09:00.000-04:00Hi Barbee. Very informative post, I know very lit...Hi Barbee. Very informative post, I know very little about leaf cutter bees but I like all bees in general for what they do. It's scary to think what we would eat without them. I'll have to start noticing what kind of bees are visiting my garden. I have had some very large bumblebees this year, which is good.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-29485192675985161092008-07-18T22:40:00.000-04:002008-07-18T22:40:00.000-04:00I don't think I have seen a bee in my garden this ...I don't think I have seen a bee in my garden this year, good, bad or ugly. : ) A very informative post. Maybe the next time I get those lacey looking leaves, I will know what to look for.Evehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10525022534268765494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-51672587950702651982008-07-18T13:51:00.000-04:002008-07-18T13:51:00.000-04:00Great post, you've really know a lot about bees! ...Great post, you've really know a lot about bees! My old piano tuner was also a commercial apiarist who drove his bees all over the Midwest. He explained to me that he couldn't call his honey "organic" because he used that stuff to protect his bees from the mites. I thought that seemed a bit harsh, as his bees were used on organic farms. BTW, thanks for the link love.Mr. McGregor's Daughterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05911409327006498766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-33052900341571378522008-07-18T10:38:00.000-04:002008-07-18T10:38:00.000-04:00Barbee, Great post!I had leaf cutter bees go afte...Barbee, Great post!<BR/>I had leaf cutter bees go after my beloved Parottia, [ persian ironwood tree]. I guess I wasn't the only one who loved the green oval leaves. It got so bad that I had to throw a sheet over it during the day to discourage them, or there would be no leaves for me to see turn those amazing fall colors. <BR/>JenRURAL https://www.blogger.com/profile/11871803235521431504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-6805785905456285092008-07-17T19:04:00.000-04:002008-07-17T19:04:00.000-04:00This was very informative on the bees. Your garden...This was very informative on the bees. Your garden is so beautiful, but I guess there can still be trouble in paradise. We have the same problem with Hollyhocks.<BR/>Regards,<BR/>PhilipPhilip Bewleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02593795071070337798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-34649382340791018172008-07-17T14:50:00.000-04:002008-07-17T14:50:00.000-04:00Ooops, Robin, you slipped in there while I was wri...Ooops, Robin, you slipped in there while I was writing to Deb. I have to be honest, it is not perfect here, and sometimes readers help with a solution. Glad you enjoyed the info about the leaf cutter bee, <I>your</I> post on the subject enlightened me and I went from there. Thanks go to out to you!<BR/><BR/>Niels (Denmark): What a lovely and wonderful comment! It has added so much interest, and helpful, too. I never dreamed so much honey could come from one hive. Mmmm, I can just smell the honey and see the flowers. I once saw Erica on moors, so you bring mental pictures to mind. Thank You!Barbee'https://www.blogger.com/profile/11316077390373348067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-46657854208335866542008-07-17T13:16:00.000-04:002008-07-17T13:16:00.000-04:00Like you I actually can live with the decorative d...Like you I actually can live with the decorative damage leaf cutter bees do. I love the scent of dames rockets in the evening - but I do something about the powdery mildew - usually I water the plants and I spray with neem oil - neem oil is also an organic insecticide - but even organic insecticide kill bees - so I am very careful and target the area I spray making sure not to hit any bees. When I was a boy my family had 35 beehives. 2 of them were my beehives and I took care of them. It was so fascinating and it was possible to harvest 40 pounds of honey from each hive - my favorite honey was the dark brown spicy honey from wild Erica flowers on moors - or strawberry honey!Niels Plougmannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10357785820016940457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-1086835255441879752008-07-17T01:24:00.000-04:002008-07-17T01:24:00.000-04:00Thanks Deb: I appreciate your coming by and thank...Thanks Deb: I appreciate your coming by and thanks for the comment. I guess by now we all have learned more about bees than we really cared to know.Barbee'https://www.blogger.com/profile/11316077390373348067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-71061279719789049952008-07-17T00:53:00.000-04:002008-07-17T00:53:00.000-04:00Interesting info on the leaf cutter bee.Sometimes ...Interesting info on the leaf cutter bee.<BR/><BR/>Sometimes we do need to be realistic about the garden uglies. We all probably have them but rarely show them.Robin's Nesting Placehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-70638062632844806222008-07-16T23:09:00.000-04:002008-07-16T23:09:00.000-04:00Great post. Love the bee information. Deb.Great post. Love the bee information. <BR/><BR/>Deb.Aunt Debbi/kurts momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05663049154538571378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-30253647096068668702008-07-16T22:47:00.000-04:002008-07-16T22:47:00.000-04:00Patientgardener: I will be over there to check it ...Patientgardener: I will be over there to check it out, but it may be tomorrow before I get there. Thank you!!!<BR/><BR/>Amy: Thank you, I suspect most people have some wild area :) I had to work up the courage to show those yucky pics. Shudder!<BR/><BR/>Greg: Awww.. how nice of you. I didn't even know you noticed the basket I was carrying. My post just before this one was about honeybees and bumblebees. <BR/><BR/>Phil The Gardener: Wow, a real live beekeeper in our midst. I never expected that, but thanks for the positive feedback. I'd say that <I>would</I> ruin a beekeeper's day! Hmmm.. I grew up with alfalfa growing all around me from time to time, and I never once thought to tell one blossom to say 'Ah'. <BR/><BR/>Cinj: Where oh where have the bumblebees gone?! Give those wild ones space. Hope no one gets stung. I'll never forget the <I>first</I> time I stepped barefooted on a honeybee. Scared me to death. Hurt, too. <BR/><BR/>Meadowview Thymes: Hi there! Thank you! I'm glad you liked the post. As I wrote above: the post just before this one was about honeybees and bumblebees. I thought the wild bees should have their moment in the limelight. Wow! Sorry about your Hollyhocks; strange that you didn't find anything under there. We need to figure this out. Hollyhocks are just too delightful to not grow because of some little critters. Wish birds would eat them, but guess they can't if they are on the underside of leaves, give them credit for knowing how to play it safe.Barbee'https://www.blogger.com/profile/11316077390373348067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-58150125396598362032008-07-16T21:22:00.000-04:002008-07-16T21:22:00.000-04:00How interesting (about bees!) I am going to print ...How interesting (about bees!) I am going to print your findings and put them in my garden folder.<BR/>Thanks!<BR/>For the Hollyhocks--first year for me to have them and some of the leaves started to look like yours. I used insecticide soap, and it helped a little bit. Some of the leaves were just gone, but I did have blooms. I never could see anything--I kept looking under the leaves thinking I would see the culprit--but never did.Meadowview Thymeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16867494627331444375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-32191710554343645832008-07-16T20:47:00.000-04:002008-07-16T20:47:00.000-04:00We have many wild bees around here too. I don't m...We have many wild bees around here too. I don't mind it if they sample my plants as long as they're thriving. Come to think of it I haven't seen many bumble bees here this year either.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09582157624382487302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-68420358886926112662008-07-16T18:47:00.000-04:002008-07-16T18:47:00.000-04:00Barbee You have done your homework. I used to be a...Barbee You have done your homework. I used to be a beekeeper and migrated from Eastern Washington to California for several years. I have helped clean up truck loads of over turned bees. It is unfortunate when a car stops or suddenly turns in front of a semi-truck. It has a tendency to ruin a beekeepers day. <BR/>The cool thing about a leaf-cutter bee is that he is a better alfalfa pollinator than a honeybee. He goes straight into the alfalfa bloom triggering the (what I call) pollen smack. Ifyou hold an alfalfa bloom in your hand and use a straw to activate it you will see what I mean about the bloom opening as it is triggered.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-3398752042491127722008-07-16T16:13:00.000-04:002008-07-16T16:13:00.000-04:00Barbee, what a fascinating post about the wild bee...Barbee, what a fascinating post about the wild bees. I had focussed so much on honey and bumblebees in the past that I'd not really paid much mind to the others, so knew next to nothing about them when I "discovered" them making the rounds in this year's garden! I wonder if the leaf-cutter bee could be responsible for the chewing of my coneflower petals.<BR/><BR/>Also, on that note (about coneflowers), thanks for your visit to the Midnight Garden today, and for the garden basket of enlightenment you brought along with you!Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14337889899066280559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-75501200109584682992008-07-16T13:19:00.000-04:002008-07-16T13:19:00.000-04:00What an interesting post, especially about the lea...What an interesting post, especially about the leaf cutter bees. I don't know if we have any of those here, but we certainly have wild areas in our yard :) You're very brave to show the good, AND the bad, AND the ugly :)Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08691765466320690473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2683241997705053264.post-12643978673563117052008-07-16T12:30:00.000-04:002008-07-16T12:30:00.000-04:00Hi Barbee - there is something on my latest post f...Hi Barbee - there is something on my latest post for you. Please dont feel obliged to respond as I know you have been tagged alot recently.Helen/patientgardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02164036792673009326noreply@blogger.com