Tag Archives: orchard mason bees

Bees & bikes

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Sandy

Wow! After a slow start, the Orchard Mason Bees have done really well this year. Last week, I shared a video of the bees doing their thing. A few sunny days later and the bee nesting tubes are pretty much … Continue reading →

Posted in Bees, Energy usage, Gardening | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Orchard Mason Bees

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Sandy

Steve the bee guy set up an extra orchard mason bee nest at our place this year. The bees having been doing great and have almost filled all the nesting tubes. The timing has been perfect since we have many fruit … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening | Tagged | 8 Comments

Video: Flight of the Orchard Mason Bees

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Sandy

  The Orchard Mason Bees are doing great this year! By far, this has been the best year for the bees since we started hosting them a few years ago. The weather has cooperated well, with enough decently warm days … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Wildlife | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Grape pruning, bees, and an essential gardening tool

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Sandy

Grapes need a good pruning each year. They produce more grapes when properly pruned. While there are different methods for pruning grapes, I keep grape pruning pretty simple. I focus on a number of “lead” vines and hack pretty much … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Bees, basil, lemons, and eggs

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Sandy

Steve the bee guy installed the orchard mason bee condo a few days ago. Last year, Steve and I worked out a nifty arrangement. He uses my yard as a base for an orchard mason bee colony and I get … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Tomato towers, chicken RIP, and bees

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Sandy

Yay! I arrived home today to find a giant package from Gardener’s Supply Company. I could easily spend way too much at Gardener’s so I try to focus my purchases on “infrastructure” items that should last many seasons. Out of … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Moles, bees, flowers and gardening zen

Posted on May 9, 2010 by Sandy

It appears as though the hardware treatment we did to two of our raised beds is working!  The moles have been digging like crazy around the beds, but they don’t appear able to get in.  Now I just have six … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Video: Orchard mason bees + the straw bale garden

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Sandy

The orchard mason bees are going gangbusters! Listen to Lily explain the orchard mason bee life cycle, and then head over to Wikipedia to get the real scoop.  In any case, I’m really happy to see them out and about and … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

The bees arrive, the tomato seedlings rally, and pink blueberries!

Posted on March 21, 2010 by Sandy

 Just as I was about to embark on a series of beekeeping classes, I found Steve the bee guy on Craigslist. Steve offered to help me set up an orchard mason bee house. This was great timing because my schedule was … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments