Just When You Thought Mother Nature's Got Your Back Some Probably Beaked Creatures Decide To Prove You Wrong

in #vlog7 years ago (edited)

Have you got a bee hotel in your garden? You do? Then you probably know what a joy it is to watch them bees work in it everyday of their short lives.

My husband is a pretty busy person and till I moved here he hasn't really taken much notice on them buzzing creatures. I, on the other hand love them so freakin' much - it is almost an obsession.

Have you ever watched or observed a bee or two do their task once in your whole life? Then you probably can attest that they are freaking essential in this life. Next to the ants, these buzzing creatures are the most zealous of them all. They work till 8pm in Summer here and sometimes even later, specially them bumblebees that I think I may say that beats the lazies. Thanks to them fruit buffs like I am can enjoy them fruits for all seasons!

I got two bee hotels in my backyard and I actually wanted to have more in my vegetable garden but my husband talked me out of it because there are more beaked creatures in there. Don't get me wrong, I love them beaked creatures, too just because they make gardening so much fun singing and doing their chirping concerts while am tinkering in my garden.

On the other hand, I love the bees more! This year, I wasn't able to watch the bees that were checked in last year - hatch except for one.

The hatchling and a trespasser.

This year, different kinds of bees utilized both bee hotels. The new one even got the most checked ins. During my coffee breaks or each free time I spent in my garden, I looked forward to watching workers check some eggs in the bee hotel and I would happily report to my husband how many holes have been sealed.

My husband would sometimes say;

"Your bees, have they paid the rent?" ..

I would reply the usual;

"uhmm.. unfortunately no, they knew it's for free."

He'd just kid back;

"What? Again? That would have all been passive income had they paid their rent honey."

If only those rooms in the bee hotels really generate money...

I would have already struck it rich because they use it all year through. However, they actually fight, too. I don't know why but this hole must be a suite?

Boy, those worker bees really worked hard too. How did I know? They've carried sand? mud? clay? (can't tell) on their bodies and my guess is in their mouth and probably compulsively spat it in the hole (cause I can't really clearly see - my phone camera just wasn't able to capture that plus I have to take the videos pretty quick cause there are birds around us and I don't want to give them bee hotels under the bushy apple stems - away to them beaked creatures).

We surely have no wet mud nor sand nor clay and I saw them fly over the conifers back and forth doing this every freaking day of their short lived lives.

It wasn't just one sort of a bee that used them holes and sometimes they fight for the same spot. One thing I also noticed, they cleaned the whole place first cause there were remnants of last year's seal on each holes and the day later I saw they were all gone.

I guess had I not been sick, I wouldn't have managed to watch them, capture their behavior and found out that they were all different.

On some days, I wondered.. "What on earth are they doing? Work and hide?

I also found out that they actually seal the holes with sand counter clockwise

While I was watching one at work, [another one went in the hole at the bottom and seem to have brought the egg

Having seen how bees work and sit on the eggs (am not sure about this though.. it could also be a larva ;D!) overnight, risking their lives into getting pecked out of them bamboo holes in the bee hotel and waking up early the next day to gather something wet to seal the holes to keep them eggs of the next generation safe made me totally appreciate their effort and existence the more!

Here's the the egg sitter at work the next day.

6.jpg

By the way, they seal them in the middle first and then again, in the opening of each bamboo holes. Talk about precision, diligence and patience.

Here's what they've accomplished all summer long.

For some days, I wasn't able to sit in the garden for it has been raining and sometimes I have no time to. Last Monday, we were just at home and we decided to have brunch in the garden since we woke up freaking late. As usual, I checked on my bee hotel again and here's what I found.

I could only think of a beaked creature.

Suspect #1 : The sparrows pecking on the green aphids on the apple trees.

Suspect #2: The black bird couple in our garden. On the contrary, they haven't been around it can't be them! Plus those black birds were even pecking on snails while those bees were working and never set a beak on them. I refuse to believe that.

Suspect #3: The doves trying to nest on top of the pine tree in the middle of the garden. Must be their version of vendetta for being shooed away with a water gun.

Suspect #4: The magpies that terrorize the swallow's nest, that destroyed the blackbird's nest on the sycamore tree and even chased away them doves.

Unfortunately, I wasn't there and I could only conclude it was the magpies for they are the rudest of them birds! I somewhat blamed myself because a week before the incident, I actually pruned the apple trees just because they've caught mildew that seem to be around specially on young acorn trees at this time of the year. I had to let go of them stems above the bee hotels so that must have given the bee hotel away. Oh bother.. hard lesson learned but next year, I'm going to put nets on each bee hotel.

I am wondering whether I should actually move them. Them magpies are too damn intelligent they'd probably check the place back next year.

What do you think?
Should I move the bee hotel to another place or just put a net to cover them and make sure the beaked creatures won't be able to reach them holes next year?

This content's 100% mine and each pic is taken with a plain Samsung Galaxy A3 2016 edition camera -as organic as it is - no app involved.

edit 1 : added two images
edit 2 : got rid of 'em html codes



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Thank you for posting @englishtchrivy.

Will have to come back round in the morning.

Lovely layout and photographs. A great topic....bees are amazing. Am not sure what would be the best solution. bleujay would probably wait and see if the bees have their own solution....

Wishing you and yours all the best. Cheers.

Thank you Mon Ami,

It's nice to have you drop me a comment. It's unusual for you to be up at this time :D
almost 1 am am pretty late - acting like an owl now haha

as for the layout .. this one doesn't show exactly how I drafted it but it's fine - readable still haha ...

yes, bees are amazing indeed!

Sleep tight Mon Ami!

You are right.....my eyes do not want to stay open... ^_^

As meesterboom said....just checking and then what do you know....bleujay was wondering where everyone was.

Sleep tight Mon Ami....

Love bees, resteemed

me, too!
thanks a lot!

edit : how come you aren't posting anymore ?
are you alright?

i have to laugh because i thought AirBeeNBee😎

wahahahahha
that's freakin' funny
I'm off to bed thanks to the belly laughter :D
hahahha
have a great day!
it must be morning there :)

you are welcome.
good night from someone in the morning train

oh i didn't get to read this anymore
i hope you had a great day
going somewhere?
Malaysia?
anyway .. it's night time there and you'd probably sleeping soon
you know - i as still laughing in bed about your " AirbeeNbee" hahahhaha

No, just the daily train to work.

oh you finally found work !
Congrats!

Thanks. At least till the end of the year.

Just going to bed as I saw this, I will read properly in the morning but couldnt leave it hanging commentless from me!!

hahahah
aw! thanks a lot!
sleep tight!
yeah .. am posting late tonight ... my net connection's acting up
so uploading them videos took forever
but it's okay now so Steemiting now ^ ^
nyt nyt chico

Lol, I was determined ot get an early night so had tp dive off but simply couldnt resists letting you know I had seen your post! I am gonna get a bee hotel next spring :O)

aw that's very sweet!

Bees are great!

Also watch out for these, they parasitise solitary bees' larvae:

They love bee hotels too, but for entirely different reasons.

Oh that's an awesome pic!
that's the guy the damselfly was chewing at
and its bigger than the damselfly's head
i thought it was a wasp cause he's too pointy everywhere
bees are somewhat all roundy
til its a parasite

I really enjoyed reading about your bee guests :-)

:)

Lol, I cant believe you spent so long poking the wasp out! What will they do when you are not there! I would definitely not try this at home. I think you could be right and it was the magpies that were the villains of the piece :O)

hahahah im not afraid of them
but that time i was cause it might feel threatened and sting me
normally they are also just like bees - calm and just doing their thing if you are calm too
i often save them just picking them up off their wings when they get stuck in the strawberry greenhouse
but this time i was poking it - i was freaked out haha

i have a very strong hunch its them magpies
they chased all the other birds away specially the great tits i love those the most

It was the poking that made me fear for you!!

Dash those blooming magpies!!

I really love this post! Bees, so important insect for our lives, for the flowers to blossom so we can enjoy them, for the marvellous honey they produce for us. I never saw a bee hotel, let alone a bee hotel in the works! Simple amazing to see. And these bees are busy little creatures. About the wasp, although lesser needed for our own lives, maybe allow them also to use part of the hotel? Or maybe start a wasp hotel as well? :)

thank you
how is that possible that you've never seen any bee hotel? Don't them bees every get lost in A-dam anymore?

No No no wasp in the bee hotel
no no no

wasp hotel ? they nested at the back of our garage 2 years ago, grocery beside our house ;) .. not okay for people using the parking space behind our garage .. they could get stung so they were smoked out by some guys from the gemeente ..

wasps are cute lil' creatures specially the tiny ones
they're not aggressive unless too hot or threatened but
i still dont want them in the bee hotel
they know they're welcome in the garden though
one of them keeps trying to peel the bamboo wall of the wood shed
grrr

Last Thursday I was in my local Ekoplaza supermarkt and saw a bee hotel like you have one! I took a photo of it :) I guess I it never triggered, but seen your one the road for bee hotel trigger got opened! :) Unfortunately I dont have a outdoor space at my apartment, otherwise I would consider to get one myself.

oh you also eat organic I take it ?

Mostly yes, not always, but yeh, I try to do my best :)

otherwise you won't be lost in Ekoplaza

"been passive income"

Where have I heard this before!? I know, it's here, at my one place!! It seems a men feature! ;)

Those hotels are great, I also love to watch bees moves (well, on plants actually).

I'm not sure if it can work, but what if you build an advice that could make some noise when the wind blows to keep birds away?!

I learned that word from a Jew - my first ever mentor here
but I heard about that word back when I was still in the Philippines from a Pinoy friend :) he didn't explain about it properly so I can't say I learned it from him :)
If someone's talking about it in your place I suggest that you sit and listen

build a device that could make noises? i could - hmm.. but the magpies which probably committed the crime won't be scared of it . Those magpies are very very rude, too bold and annoying. I like their appearance but not their nature. Very very annoying!

Passive income is probably the principal sentence of Robert Kiyosaki and it's Cashflow game! ;) I've a huge fan of his "school" at home!

I haven't noticed it were magpies (birds are not my thing, I had to search on google). We have it here too, they are everywhere and are fearless. Annoying, to not say another bad thing!

yes, but he's not the only one
there's a lot of them
and I've seen him 2x in person here
I play his cashflow game here in a Cashflow Club here
in fact, some of my friends there are already registered in Steemit
I just know a few names, the others I haven't gotten their account name yet
many of them are investors

the magpies are freaking annoying indeed!

Yes, but I will always associatepassive income to him, as he was the first one I heard.
I knew you were playing CashFlow (from a previous chat) that's why I mentioned it ;)

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