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   Sarah Taber (sarahtaber@mastodon.online)'s status on Sunday, 20-Oct-2024 07:31:39 JST Sarah Taber

   It's time for BEE FACTS

   For every donation to this link, I will post one (1) fact about bees!

   https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mastodon

   • Embed this notice
     Sarah Taber (sarahtaber@mastodon.online)'s status on Sunday, 20-Oct-2024 07:31:37 JST Sarah Taber

     in reply to

     Honeybees are famous for working hard, but if you watch a hive, most of them spend a lot of time just chillin out on the honeycomb.

     So when people tell you you gotta "be a good worker bee".... now you know the secret to their work ethic. Secure housing, affordable food, & naps.

     Bill repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Sarah Taber (sarahtaber@mastodon.online)'s status on Sunday, 20-Oct-2024 07:31:38 JST Sarah Taber

     in reply to

     We don't know why smoke calms bees down!

     We have some theories- maybe it covers up the smell of their alarm pheromones? Maybe they think there's a forest fire so they eat a lot of honey to prep for evacuating & mellow out?

     No solid, proven reason why though.

     Bill repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Sarah Taber (sarahtaber@mastodon.online)'s status on Sunday, 20-Oct-2024 07:31:38 JST Sarah Taber

     in reply to

     After a rough time with colony collapse disorder in the early 2000s, US honeybee populations have recovered!

     https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/29/bees-boom-colony-collapse/

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     Sarah Taber (sarahtaber@mastodon.online)'s status on Sunday, 20-Oct-2024 07:31:38 JST Sarah Taber

     in reply to

     But wild bees are still having a rough time!

     So some of these bee facts will be about honeybees. And I'll also post some wild bees that I think you will like.

     Bill repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Sarah Taber (sarahtaber@mastodon.online)'s status on Sunday, 20-Oct-2024 07:31:38 JST Sarah Taber

     in reply to

     These little green bees are sweat bees. They're called that because they love salt & might come get some from you if you're sweaty.

     They're solitary, sting but not very hard, and most of them nest in bare patches of dirt next to plants.

     Plant flowers & leave some bare spots!

     Eaton, Bill, Matthew Lyon and GreenSkyOverMe (Monika) repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Sarah Taber (sarahtaber@mastodon.online)'s status on Sunday, 20-Oct-2024 07:31:39 JST Sarah Taber

     in reply to

     To kick us off: if you need to find the queen in a honeybee hive, there's usually a ring of bees standing around her in a circle.

     Sounds weird but the ring of bees is usually easier to find than looking for the queen herself.

   • Embed this notice
     Sarah Taber (sarahtaber@mastodon.online)'s status on Sunday, 20-Oct-2024 09:21:16 JST Sarah Taber

     in reply to

     Nurse bees!

     Honeybees spend the first 2-3 weeks of adulthood feeding larvae. They don't know how to fly or sting yet.

     Bill repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Sarah Taber (sarahtaber@mastodon.online)'s status on Sunday, 20-Oct-2024 09:21:16 JST Sarah Taber

     in reply to

     A hazard of beekeeping: you gotta check yourself carefully & get all the bees back in the hive before you close it up.

     If you don't, you might have lost nurse bees wandering around on your clothes all day trying to figure out how to get home 😭

     Bill repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Sarah Taber (sarahtaber@mastodon.online)'s status on Sunday, 20-Oct-2024 09:21:16 JST Sarah Taber

     in reply to

     Taking a quick break- I'll be at the NC State Fair this evening!

     I'll be at the Democratic Party booth at 6.30 or 7! We're in the Education building with the quilt & cake decorating exhibits.

     Will be back with more Bee Facts tonight ( :

     Bill repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Sarah Taber (sarahtaber@mastodon.online)'s status on Sunday, 20-Oct-2024 09:21:17 JST Sarah Taber

     in reply to

     This little chonk is a blue orchard bee! They call em BOBs.

     If you need a fruit orchard pollinated in spring, this is the bee for you! Honeybees are ok for that. But BOBs are better able to fly around & do the job in cool, rainy early spring weather.

     Bill repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Sarah Taber (sarahtaber@mastodon.online)'s status on Monday, 21-Oct-2024 00:24:14 JST Sarah Taber

     in reply to

     Bee facts are back! Let's talk about squash bees!

     Squash bees only visit flowers of squash, gourd, pumpkin, melon, and cucumber plants.

     These plants have big, sticky pollen grains. Squash bees' leg hairs are long & unbranched so they can pick up & carry their pollen.