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A forum dedicated to discussing how to easily grow organic food sustainably and inexpensively year-round in urban Houston settings, in individual and community vegetable gardens. Other food related issues are also discussed.
 
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 Loss of biodiversity= loss of pollinators= loss of nutritional food for humans

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dragonfly
Grape Vine
Grape Vine
dragonfly


Posts : 112
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Join date : 2010-06-04

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PostSubject: Loss of biodiversity= loss of pollinators= loss of nutritional food for humans    Loss of biodiversity= loss of pollinators= loss of nutritional food for humans  EmptyTue Sep 28, 2010 3:34 pm

There are lots of bees native to Texas (or any where you pick) in addition to the non-native honey bees most of us are familiar with.The native bees are much better pollinators that the honey bees. They don't waste time making honey (although thank goodness the honey bees do!). Hives of the honey bees are the ones suffering from colony colapse syndrome. All the causes are still unclear but the stress of moving these hives around to pollinate crops is a factor.

Native bees are mostly solitary, and don't live in a hive. They need some undisturbed ground or wood (i.e. dead trees, fences) to make a tunnel to lay their eggs in. They layer an egg, pollen (food for the larva), and a plug, then repeat. So one tunnel has many egg compartments layered on top of each other. Surprizingly, and efficiently, the first egg laid (deepest in the tunnel) is the last one ready to get out of it's compartment! So there is an orderly unpacking of the bee family.

Native bees, our best pollinators, are also suffering decline due to lack of habitat/ habitat destruction. We can all help native bees recover by leaving or creating areas of undisturbed native habitat in our yards, schools, churches, etc.

Ther are over 500 types of native bees in Texas. They are incredibly varied in size, shape and color!
One of my favorites are the small metalic blue bees.
Plant some natives! Don't miss the beauty!


A short overview:
Native bee article

A Texas group and for identification:
Texas Bee Watchers site

And finally:
BBC article on pollination crisis
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