I setup up a Bee Water Bar hoping to help the bees, but instead, I have learned so much from them. So continuing on my journey of discovery into the world of bees, I’ve learned some things I want to share. First, the many fruits and vegetables that I enjoy depend on pollinators. I like almonds, apples, avocados, blueberries, peaches, strawberries, squash, tomatoes, and watermelons. Not too big of a shock that pollinators are needed, but what about Coffee, milk, and chocolate? What?? Coffee?? Chocolate??
What, No Coffee without bees doing their pollination magic???. Yep, Pollination is a critical link in securing better yields in Coffee.
Are you surprised? I was.
The second thing that amazes me is the size of the collaborative effort between the farmers and the beekeepers. Extra Beehives arrived at the peak of the flowering period for the Almond trees in the orchard behind us to assist in the massive pollination project. I counted twelve double-stacked beehive boxes on the southwestern edge of the orchard. That would be a total of 24 extra beehives. I cannot see the entire perimeter of the Almond orchard, so there may be many more. No wonder I have so many thirsty little bees in my backyard.
Now Green leaves are replacing the ocean of pink and white flowers on the Almond trees. Since all of the extra beehives are still in place, I have many bees visiting my bee water bar each day.
The third thing I wanted to share is that all of the bees visiting my water bar and all of the bees working their cute little bee butts off pollinating the orchard are “worker bees.” Workers are the only bees that most people ever see. These little bees are all females that are not sexually mature. Oh my, they are all little girls. Talk about Girl Power!
We are learning to coexist with our honeybees. However, I am still concerned about Teddy and Summer. They are running around in their little bare doggie feet, and if they step on a bee, they might be stung. But I am happy to report that the bees are docile, and Teddy and Summer are safe. We are all enjoying the backyard.
The following references are beneficial for learning about the positive collaboration between farmers, crop growers, and Bee Keepers.
Advancing California Almonds Through Innovation.
National Geographic Honeybees
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/facts/honeybee
The Great Courses: Why Insects Matter: Earth’s Most Essential Species
Professor Scott Solomon, PhD