It is pretty dry here in central Wisconsin. I have a bird bath I empty every day, rinse, and refill. The last few days the bird bath is dry, the plants around it a bit droopy. The moment I began rinsing, honeybees started to alight on the rim. First, three or four, then a dozen. By the time I filled the bowl there had to be two or three dozen swarming to get a drink. It is dry if a honeybee can't find a drop of water.
The morning before last, I went to the garden with the intent to pull these mustard green gone to seed. It was a cool morning and I thought to get a bit of gardening in before the temperatures climbed.I decided against pulling the brassica nigra as the bees were gardening pretty avidly on this mustard.
I'm not the keeper of these bees, but in a way I am my neighbor's keeper. My neighbor gave me a head's up this spring he intended to get a hive. He has told me the honey-making is going slowly this year. The hive is literally a couple dozen steps from the flowers in my border and the potager. I haven't seen too many of them at any one time. Today was a first.
I think my early strawberries froze (like the apples and apricots). The blackberries and later strawberries might be doing better. It might be because of the bees. Typically, I see mainly carpenter bees doing the pollinating in my yard.
But it has been dry, so folks, be sure there is water for the bees!
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