http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphecius_speciosus
Read this article on Cicada Killer Wasps.  We have them in our front lawn - here are some pictures - and they are really very interesting.  Please do not kill them!  They are natural predators, and are just doing their thing.

Blue Orchard Bee house, and bumble bee box (currently uninhabited!)

Holiday at the Evening Star

On the Bog, Wild Azalea

Pitcher Plant

Pitcher Plant Colony

Moku and friend Dennis

Carpinus Caroliniana (Musclewood)

Ben happily cutting trail

Amazing photo by Josie

Josie's Swedish Christmas Bread before baking (sorry no after photos, got eaten too quickly)

Woodswoman

Christmas at the Evening Star!

Meanwhile, back in Stillwater....things seem strange...

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR

Bombus affinis

Bombus ternarius

The Bombus affinis bumblebee, shown in the top of the two photos, is on the verge of extinction, and the Xerces society has asked members to inform it should any of us spot one. Claire and I saw what we thought might be a Bombus affinis last week and took some pictures, the best of which is the bottom photograph, and sent them to Xerces. Rich Hatfield of the Xerces Society wrote us promptly and said it was not a Bombus affinis but likely was the multi-colored Bombus ternarius, which is not a
bumblebee of concern. He encouraged us to keep looking.

Gate Crasher!

This is a picture of the security gate at the Evening Star Nature Reserve after the driver of a Ford Ranger pickup truck decided to enter the premises even though the security gate was closed and locked.

According to papers filed in the Pine County court, on February 4, at about 10 p.m. the truck was heading westerly along highway 48 pursued by State Trooper Matt Heaton who had observed itʼs erratic driving. In trying to elude the patrol car, the truck turned into our driveway and crashed into the embankment and security gate and got hung up in the gate.

The driver, Ronald Jerome Plumley, fled into our property on foot pursued by Trooper Heaton and his ride-a-long, Officer Dean Huhta. After a considerable struggle, Plumley was subdued and arrested in our front yard. It turned out that the pickup truck had been stolen in Chisago County, and a police duty bag was found in it that had been stolen from a police car. Plumleyʼs record showed that he had been busy over the past 20 or so years with convictions for third degree burglary, theft, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, robbery, second degree burglary, possession of burglary tools, possession of a firearm by an ineligible person, attempted first degree burglary, aiding and betting possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of a controlled substance, receiving stolen property, and theft of a motor vehicle. This impressive list of past accomplishments now seems likely to be expanded.

None of us was at the cabin when all this happened, although we had been there a few hours earlier. Another busy and exciting day at the Nature Reserve. One just never knows who might drop in.

Our First Beekeeping Season

Our first season of beekeeping at the Evening Star Nature Reserve could not be called  successful.  Not only did we not harvest honey, but there was not enough left for the bees to winter over.   No doubt this state of affairs was due in part to the incompetence of the beekeeper, there were other contributing causes.   The November 2011 edition of “Bee Culture” called it, “one of the worst honey seasons many beekeepers can remember experiencing in a long time . . . .”   What went wrong?   Principally, we think, it was the weather.  The nectar flow season was characterized by periods of excessive heat (it reached 101 degrees at the Evening Star) interspersed with heavy rains .  Both of these conditions tend to reduce honey production. 

 High temperatures reduce foraging by the bees, because the foragers spend time and energy collecting water to reduce the temperature inside the hive. Temperatures over 36C (96.8F), that exist in the hive for any appreciable time are harmful to brood, even causing developmental abnormalities and death.  Honeybees have effective measures to cool the nest.  Before temperatures reach 36 degrees C, workers begin to ventilate the nest by lining up in chains and fanning with their wings, producing cooling air currents and suction which draws warm air out of the nest.  If that is not enough, they deposit droplets of water throughout the nest in small cell-like enclosures made of old wax and propolis and in indentations in brood cappings, then fanning  to increase the cooling effects of evaporation.  The efficacy of this was demonstrated in a study in California.   During the day even when temperatures reached 48 degrees C  ( 118.4 F), the bees were able to regulate the nest temperature.  At night when the water supply gave out, many of the wax combs actually melted. 

During rain the bees are eating honey, not making it.  Heavy rains not only prevent honeybees from foraging, but they can batter down the blossoms of plants leading to their collapse and loss of nectar and can wash away or dilute the nectar in unprotected flowers.  European honeybees seldom forage even during light rain. 

But we won’t excuse the beekeeper.  Good beekeeping requires the ability to see at a glance when things are beginning to go wrong and to know what corrective action to take.  It helps to take courses and read, but this does not make up for lack of experience.  We will tell you later on of other experiences we had this past season that hopefully will improve performance in the future.

Almost An Apiary!

The photo you see is the site of the Evening Star Apiary, which has been readied to open for business upon the hiving of four packages of bees which will likely arrive in early May.  In order to keep the black bear and skunk out of the area, we have an electric fence powered by the solar panel you see in the center of the area, which delivers about 5000 to 7000 volts, enough hopefully to discourage would-be invaders.  With the forests, the prairie and all the flowers we intend to plant, the bees should have ample supplies of nectar and pollen by June or so.  In the meantime, we will feed them sugar water and pollen patties. By mid-summer we should have honey, but this year, some or all of it will have to remain with the hives so the bees can survive the winter.  If all goes well, in future years we should have a surplus.