Beekeeping Class Combo Pack - Level 1 & 2
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Bee Rooted Honeybees and Botanicals rescues honeybees and sells bee and botanical products.
Message: Did you know that we have launched our "Honeybee Guardians" program? Students that take our Level 1 class, Level 2 class, and a mentoring session will receive their very own colony once the program is complete. That is 5 hours of instruction plus bees for about the same price as a package of bees! Register now to learn sustainable beekeeping! P.S. If you are just a gardener interested in helping honeybees, our Level 1 course is perfect for you! https://ift.tt/2JuTcJw

Non Toxic Irvine
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Steam weed abatement costs have decreased and the tech and mobility improved. Thank you IUSD for hosting the demo today! We had city and school district staff from Irvine, Carlsbad and Tustin attend, round two was held this afternoon at Dana Pointe. #winwin #iusd #cityofirvine #pesticidefree #solutions #toolboxupdate #carlsbad #tustin #tusd #organic #nontoxicneighborhoods #nontoxiccarlsbad #california #orangecounty #rootsandshoots
Message: Part of our volunteer programs involve speaking to schools, parks, etc. on how to get rid of pesticides and herbicides. Contact us for more info!

David
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Squash bees, and getting your squash well pollinated. If you are fortunate enough to have the native squash bees (Peponapis sp.), you have a wonderful crew of free workers for your garden. They are early morning bees, often working before sunup. They are likely the most efficient pollinators of squash, because they are specialists, and because they catch the newly opened blossoms when the most pollen is available. Peponapis is fairly common all throughout North America, but are highly sensitive to pesticides, so they may be missing in some locations. They look just like honey bees, but are smaller, and have banding that's a bit more distinctive. And they do not have pollen baskets like honey bees. They return to their ground nests to rest by mid-morning. Squashes (including pumpkins) are native American species, and so are the specialist Peponapis bees, so they are ideal pollination partners. Because they nest in the ground, they are not mobile (and are not transportable by commercial squash growers). You need to have continuous squash year after year to build up populations of squash bees. And they must have nesting areas that are undisturbed by cultivation. Where they have ideal pesticide-free locations, they can build up high populations. I have often have two or three squash bees in every squash flower in my garden. Squash bees mate in the flowers, and probably in the process, get a lot of additional pollen on their fuzzy bodies, making them even more efficient pollinators. The males have the habit of sleeping at night in the closed flowers, and many a person, collecting male blossoms for fritters have surprised a sleeping male when they open a closed flower. Don't be frightened if a squash bee comes out of the flower when you open it in the kitchen. The males cannot sting, so just shoo it out the door. What better place to meet the girls than to spend the night in the place where they will congregate early the next morning! The males simply chew their way out through the closed petals. Squash flowers are only open for a short time. In the hot South (US), they may close by 10 a.m., or in cooler locations they may not close until mid-afternoon. During that open time, it's highly important to get two grains of pollen into each female blossom *for each incipient seed.* So we need a high population of bees - or they've got to hurry! If a full complement of pollen is delivered by many bee visits, the squash will develop perfectly and grow quickly. If pollen is lacking the squash (especially visible on summer squash varieties) can be deformed or wrinkled. If pollen is badly lacking the fruit may develop slightly and then abort. Because an opportunistic fungus often grows on the blossom end, pollination failure is often not recognized, and blossom end rot (BER) is falsely blamed. There are all kinds of home remedies for BER: they don't work. The real cure is good pollination. If you are having pollination problems with your squash, you probably don't have squash bees, or not enough of them at least. All those grains of pollen must be delivered quickly, before the female blossoms close. The second shift of squash pollinators is bumble bees, halictid bees, and sometimes honey bees. Squash is not a preferred species for honey bees, so they often don't work squash in a garden setting where other more favored flowers are available. But honey bee hives are placed in squash fields, where they have no choice but to work squash, and they do it well. People often say, I have plenty of bees in my garden, so my squash problem can't be pollination. The rationale doesn't work. If specialist squash bees are absent, other generalist bees may be going exclusively to more favored blossoms that give a richer reward. Squash pollen is very large grained, very sticky, and spiny, so a generalist bee finds it harder to handle. In a garden setting, you may see lots of honey bees working on cucumbers and melons, right beside your squash, and there are none (or very few) visiting the squash blossoms. So don't say, I have plenty of bees, unless you have watched the squash blossoms. If your bee populations are high, as they were in Grandpa's day, they will compete and ALL blossoms will get visits. And planting flowers to "attract bees" is a good thing *in the long run,* not because it brings in enough bees to pollinate your squash, but because it helps build up bee populations. Planting flowers should be part of a broader program to provide nesting materials and sites, fresh water, continuous feed, and most of all, freedom from pesticide poisoning. Planting nectar rich flowers to attract bee may work against your squash pollination *for the short term*, because you will draw the sparse bee populations right past your squash to work on the more attractive flowers you have provided. Sadly, I've often seen whole gardens in full bloom, dusted with Sevin dust. This is deadly to squash bees and other valuable pollinators. It is also a label violation, so one can be prosecuted for pesticide misuse. Note: Illustrations are for summer squash. Winter squash has similar principles, but are not so readily visible. Poorly pollinated winter squash may just be small, or it may also abort if severely short of fertilized seeds. Photo 1: Squash bees in the flower. Photo 2 and 3: Squash pollen on squash bees Photo 4: Mating squash bees Photo 5: Bumble bee in squash flower with pollen Photo 6: Halictid bee in squash flower Photo 7: Aborting squash is rotting Photo 8: Aborted squash Photo 9: Sevin dust label that forbids application on any blossoming plant
Message: Problems with squash pollination? You need squash bees! They get to the blossoms early before they close! Contact us for a consultation to learn how to attract the right pollinators for your garden ?

Sign me up!
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Membership to Beyond Pesticides includes a subscription to our quarterly magazine, ...
Message: June 18 - 24, 2018 is National Pollinator Week! We are celebrating the entire month of June. Help us celebrate by helping to save pollinators by asking your cities, counties, and governor to ban neonic pesticides as they harm pollinators! Over 1,500 independent studies provide a definitive, independent conclusion that overall, continued use of neonicotinoids risk the long-term health of pollinator populations. https://ift.tt/2paSsNC

Pesticide Free USA
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School Groundskeeper Gets Cancer from Roundup. Many groundskeepers for golf courses, City schools, parks, public spaces, getting Non-Hodgkins lymphoma and kidney, liver and brain cancers. Switch to nontoxic solutions or Steam your weeds. Many City managers switching to steam due to zero health risks.
Message: We always get asked why we became beekeepers. It is because we learned first hand of the dangers of pesticides. Also, pesticide applicators have an increased risk of cancer and they increase the number cancer cases in children. Regardless of the outcome of this case, there ARE safer alternatives to synthetic herbicides: organic horticultural oils, soapy vinegar, steam machines, living mulches, etc. Beekeeping is our vehicle to advocate for healthy sustainable environments. As a Certified Organic Landscape Professional, we can consult with your school or organization on moving towards a such a landscape.

Killer bees are calming down
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The gentling of “Africanized” bees in Mexico bodes well for beekeeping in the southern U.S.
Message: We are going to do some math and play a little game..... My city is 40 square miles. It is estimated that there are 10-12 feral colonies per square mile in SoCal. That means there are at least 400 feral colonies in my city alone. It is also estimated that 70% - 90% of SoCal bees are "Africanized". That means that there are at least 280 Africanized colonies in my city. If Africanized bees were truly evil, then shouldn't I hear of attacks almost daily? I relocate AHB every day. I spend 4-12 hours a day with AHB. They are not lap dogs, but 99.9 percent of them are manageable. In my years of doing this every day, I have only come across one colony I thought deserved putting down (they were massive and in a huge wood pile) and I have requeened another. I have 6 feisty colonies that are surviving the harshest of environments and are helping restore desert native plants in the area. I am thankful for them. The rest of my colonies are just right for their space. That being the case, because of the slight risk, I only give swarms to students that: * Go to my classes (I have another round coming up on June 30th) * Go through mentoring with an AHB specialist * Follow up with me for the life of that colony * Are willing to surrender them if they are overly defensive for their space. I am not selling swarms at Farmer's Markets or to anyone that just wants bees. A mentor specializing in AHB should teach you to: * Have several smokers going when doing anything invasive * Wear several layers of gloves, a full suit, boots, and clothes underneath the suit * Duct tape every possible entrance * Have a spray bottle with water to just the airborne bees * Keep them covered at all times, even when separating boxes * Work calmly, steady, and with a purpose * Yardwork must be done with a scheduled closure * Requeen and split into small nucs * Do not wear anything fragranced There are many more points. Our feral AHB are adapted to our microclimates and withstand stressors, including mites, better than their bred counterparts. When you are prepared and that colony is as sweet as can be, it is the perfect moment. My AHB bees are being managed all throughout the Inland Empire. I know a few people that need a new mentor because the mentor riles up the bees. Now, for the new beeks, experienced omment in this thread to share what NOT to do, mistakes you have learned from, or good tips on handling our feral survivor bees. "The bees are gentler than they used to be. Not exactly kittens, but they’re manageable."

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Message: When your team found the bees your competition couldn't find, you treat them to a sweet peach tea! A long day in a closet without air conditioning makes you grateful for an outdoor breeze. #thisismylife #beerooted

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Message: People ask how to tell if a bee has been poisoned. Seizure like activity with back turning, shaking, etc. when the wings and legs are attached are signs of neurotoxicity from pesticides. This bee was poisoned after foraging on flowers at a school. If this is what is happening to bees, what is happening to our children. Get pesticides out of schools! This video is at real time speed.

Sustainable Honey
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Our sustainable Southern California honey is in high demand! We have a limited stock, so get it while you still can! ​What do we mean by sustainable? ​If the bees do not put it there, neither...
Message: We have limited stock of our sustainable honey! If the bees do not put it there, neither do we! Get it while you can! Local delivery only. https://ift.tt/2JjiWcJ

Beekeeping Class Combo Pack - Level 1 & 2
https://ift.tt/2JuTcJw
Bee Rooted Honeybees and Botanicals rescues honeybees and sells bee and botanical products.
Message: We have announced our next series of beekeeping classes to be held June 30th starting at noon. Level 1 & Level 2 can be bought separately, but we have bundled special. We also offer mentoring services at your location. Register now as seating is limited. (These are also live streamed for long distance students.) https://ift.tt/2JuTcJw Level 1 - Intro to bee biology and anatomy... perfect for gardeners or those just interested in bees Level 2 - Hive management