Reader Buzz on Bees

In last eZine’s editorial, Rob mentioned the beehive project that graces the front cover of the July/August edition of the print Woodworker’s Journal magazine. That got some eZine readers buzzing with their thoughts on bees. – Editor

“Funny you should be talking about bees right now. For the first time in years, I have been seeing honeybees in my veggies where in the past few years all we’ve had is bumblebees and wasps so the pollination has been sketchy. At times I would go out and do a bit of hand pollination to help the crops. That is also sketchy, to say nothing of a bit messy. No, I won’t be building a hive in my yard anytime soon. For one I don’t have the room, and it takes a permit from the local politicians (not my thing).” – Robert Hoyle

“Your editorial in the latest issue of the eZine is justifiably enthusiastic, and I agree with your sentiments about pollinators. However, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Here in New Zealand, the value of one particular type of honey, from Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) is so high that beekeepers are greatly overstocking areas where it grows, leading to very poor hive survival. Still, if you are so successful in stimulating beekeeping, it is an easy problem to dial back from!” – Graeme Coles

“While I understand the desire to encourage honeybees, what I really want is a better way to discourage carpenter bees. Those flying drill bits are annoyingly common in this area, to the exclusion of most other kinds of bees. Periodically poisoning my eaves seems to keep them from doing too much damage, but I’d really be happier if we could find some way to displace or eliminate them entirely.” – Joseph Kesselman

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