sleeping BEEuties

[TallTrees]

Autumnal Bucket

Talking recently about the autumn bucket list ~

This is part of my October must do

Clean my Osmia Rufa  (Red Mason Bees) 

Solitary bees nesting in tubes (or naturally in holes in brickwork/trees etc.)

I keep them as a hobby and they are great early pollinators for apple, pear, plum trees 

They are sweet and gentle do not sting

I take each tube and carefully remove each silk cocoon one by one for cleaning (34 tubes this year)

average bees in tubes 7

Each Cocoon now contains a fully developed bee in hibernation/sleeping for waking up in Spring.

This is one of nature's miracles

I clean them to save as many from pollen mites or may have fly predators putting in their eggs in the tube.

They have a sand bath in kiln dried sand to remove dirt and debris

This year they had a mild bleach bath because they all have to stay in one box so can't

let any other cocoon be infected with anything as I would lose the lot.

Photos of the bees

The female bee puts in a mud plug between each of the cells she puts in pollen and lays her egg. Finally she plugs the end with mud.   It looks impossible to get out but they do.

Everyone having a sand bath

Everyone in clean and ready for Spring in their wood box

See you all in Spring when I put you all out in the release box.

Happiness is Bee Shaped

[Cleoriff]

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@Anonymous wrote:

And then there’s the other use of the ‘bees knee’ for the weak or weedy..

‘I’ve seen more meat on a bees knee’

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Never heard that one @Anonymous. I suppose it could be a regional expression?

For a skinny person we used to say 'I've seen more fat on a chip'

[jonsie]

Seen more meat on a butcher's apron....

[Cleoriff]

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@jonsie wrote:

Seen more meat on a butcher's apron....

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Yes, I've heard that one. When I was about 18 a few people said it to me....Oh how times have changed

[Anonymous]

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@Cleoriff wrote:

The phrase "the bee's knees", meaning "the height of excellence", became popular in the U.S. in the 1920s, along with "the cat's whiskers" (possibly from the use of these in radio crystal sets), "the cat's pajamas" (pajamas were still new enough to be daring),

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Talk:bee%27s_knees

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Very interesting link @Cleoriff 

[liggerz87]

Very intresting

[TallTrees]

I have mentioned that the Fox is regularly fed.

I have put some sunflower seeds under the front bird feeder and recently I saw the Male Fox feeding on these with a hedgehog!  

So brilliant....couldn't get a good enough photo though.

Here he is yesterday night under the feeder picking up (somehow!) the sunflower hearts.

Not a good photo but at least a photo.

[Cleoriff]

Wildlife at night @TallTrees . Lovely. We have two robins in our garden who sit together on the gazebo waiting for their breakfast in the morning.

[TallTrees]

@Cleoriff
Some how it's very comforting to interact with the little birds in the garden.

[TallTrees]

Although this morning I tried to interact with a woodpecker on the same feeder this morning but he wasn't having any of it...so no photo.   I get him yet! @Cleoriff 

[Cleoriff]

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@TallTrees wrote:
@Cleoriff
Some how it's very comforting to interact with the little birds in the garden.

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I know @TallTrees , It's strange for me... as we have cats but these Robins have no fear