Common Bee Diseases: To tell you the truth, I didn't even know that bees could get diseases. Not only can they get diseases but they are so many types that can happen. Keeping your bee hive clean is obviously extremely important on making sure that your bees have healthy and longer lives.
Id would love to look through the hive we have at our school just to make sure everything is clean and no diseases are found. I doubt we would find anything but it would be cool just to look and see if we found anything abnormal.
Colony Collapse Disorder: I find this so interesting because the bees literally drop everything they are doing and essentially disappear. You would think that if all the bees left, then the queen would leave with them but that's not actually what happens. If you look into a hive and see that the queen is gone and all the bees are gone, then that's usually a sign that the queen dies off and the bees couldn't survive anymore without her but if the queen bee is still there, then that's usually a sign of Colony Collapse Disorder.
I also found it interesting that they actually just leave everything there. Like they don't take any honey or food or everything they just leave. I would love to see what a hive looks like when this has happened and if there's anything that you can notice that looks different or things like that.
Nosema Disease: This is crazy because firstly, it usually only effects adult bees and secondly, within two weeks the bees gut is completely infected with this Nosema disease. Also, it looks like this disease travels quickly and is most commonly spread when bees are forced to stay in the hive (aka:winter) and are not able to do many flight trips. Bees lives are reduced once they have this infection and if many of the bees are infected, there is a chance that the whole colony could die out over the period of one winter which is kind of scary! This is what we were checking for in our last U.A. class and it all makes a bit more sense now because it is almost a rare disease but if one of the bees have it, then you have to look carefully into what might happen to the rest of the colony. My question would be if you found out that some of your bees actually had this disease, could your colony survive it or is there not much hope?
University of Florida talk: Well this was pretty big because it's the number one killer of bees on the planet! Varroa mites are so big actually it would be like us carrying a basketball around, which I never knew about. It's not only found in the US but actually in most countries. The females are usually attached to honey bees on the outside.Once their ready to reproduce, they leave the honeybee so basically they just use them as there camping ground for a bit. Whats crazy is they can actually stick something special they have into the royal jelly and this helps them to breathe near the royal jelly while none of the other bees actually know that they are there.Males are always white. Once their born near the royal jelly, they will just come out and actually hope on the another bee right away which is amazing because it's just a pattern that they do and there offspring do and so on. Are Varoa mites on most bees? And does it change the way the bee acts or does their work?
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
Week 3-5 (Oct 3rd-14th)
General Composting Tricks for the North Shore: I always knew that you needed a compost in order to create good composting but I never really knew that depending on where you put the compost, it will either work out better or it might not do the trick.Bacteria needs food, air and moisture and to do that you can put yard trimmings in your compost, or even fallen leaves so that it will better attract bacteria. I never knew as well that everything you put in the compost needs to be at an equal level or else too much of one substance will basically overtake it.
I would love to actually take a look at my compost in my backyard because I have never really checked it out and maybe talk to my family about what they put into into it and how it works exactly.
Other than a compost, is there any other form of composting that would work just the same?
Bokashi: I find it awesome to see how easy Bokashi actually is. When I first heard the name of it, it sounded like it might be a big process that takes a while but I was surprised to find out that all you really need is a bucket and the Bokashi mix. I never really knew that organic waste (key word:organic, that could be used for something else) actually fills a large majority of many landfills. Since they could be turned into fertilizer, I'm surprised more people don't do that and tend to throw it in the garbage. Even though the smell of a normal compost isn't too bad, it's nice to see that this one doesn't actually seem to smell a bit!
I would love to talk to someone who actually uses this method and see how well it works. And if it worked as well as they are saying here in this article, then I would love to try it myself and compare it to other methods.
My question is when it says under disadvantages that "finished" material isn't really finished, what does it mean by that and how long would it take after that to actually be completely done the process.
How to make a Leaf Mould: Leaf mould takes longer to decay than garden compost which can take up to a year. I never thought that it would take that long of a process to finish but I guess it's because it's a very intricate process. Also you don't really need that much the get everything ready. Of course there are some specific tools but you can replace any tools with just the simple use of your hands or using tools you have around your house. When the leaves are damp, it actually speeds up the process, which i thought was very interesting.
Do we have any of these at our school? and if not, I feel that it would be an awesome thing to start up. Obviously it wouldn't be done by the time some of us had graduated but I think even to get it started would be a good idea and it would be awesome to see how the whole thing turns out.
Worm Composition: I have always known that worms are a very important part of composting, but to say the truth, I have never really known why! Its amazing how just by adding worms to your compost, it can change food waste into rich, nutritional, soil. We have our compost outside in my backyard so I never really considered the idea of having one inside your actual house but after reading this, I see that it is actually possible and can be done which means that your compost can stay dry and be effective during the winter months as well as the summer! An area of creating a healthy environment that I probably would of forgotten is making sure you create a soil bed in the compost for the worms to actually stay in. This is a very important part to the whole process. I would love to actually spend an UA class and just see the different types of worms. Obviously earth worms would be best for this project but to see specifically how they actually decompose everything and why worms work so well for this sort of thing. All my questions were actually answered in this article.
High School Garden Pride: I think what these students have going on is so amazing! I hope that one day our school could have that many people working together to create something really beautiful. To see that they have been working on the garden for over four years now and it is still going so strong is awesome. It was a very good idea for those students to get help from outside the school, like getting Cargo Bike Co op PEDAL to donate bike trailers and so on. They even have a website for everything they do. My only comment on this page would be that hopefully our UA class will be able to get somewhat close to what they have this year. It would be great to have everyone's support in the school for this sort of stuff because it really is important and it is something that many students have actually no idea about.
I would love to actually take a look at my compost in my backyard because I have never really checked it out and maybe talk to my family about what they put into into it and how it works exactly.
Other than a compost, is there any other form of composting that would work just the same?
Bokashi: I find it awesome to see how easy Bokashi actually is. When I first heard the name of it, it sounded like it might be a big process that takes a while but I was surprised to find out that all you really need is a bucket and the Bokashi mix. I never really knew that organic waste (key word:organic, that could be used for something else) actually fills a large majority of many landfills. Since they could be turned into fertilizer, I'm surprised more people don't do that and tend to throw it in the garbage. Even though the smell of a normal compost isn't too bad, it's nice to see that this one doesn't actually seem to smell a bit!
I would love to talk to someone who actually uses this method and see how well it works. And if it worked as well as they are saying here in this article, then I would love to try it myself and compare it to other methods.
My question is when it says under disadvantages that "finished" material isn't really finished, what does it mean by that and how long would it take after that to actually be completely done the process.
How to make a Leaf Mould: Leaf mould takes longer to decay than garden compost which can take up to a year. I never thought that it would take that long of a process to finish but I guess it's because it's a very intricate process. Also you don't really need that much the get everything ready. Of course there are some specific tools but you can replace any tools with just the simple use of your hands or using tools you have around your house. When the leaves are damp, it actually speeds up the process, which i thought was very interesting.
Do we have any of these at our school? and if not, I feel that it would be an awesome thing to start up. Obviously it wouldn't be done by the time some of us had graduated but I think even to get it started would be a good idea and it would be awesome to see how the whole thing turns out.
Worm Composition: I have always known that worms are a very important part of composting, but to say the truth, I have never really known why! Its amazing how just by adding worms to your compost, it can change food waste into rich, nutritional, soil. We have our compost outside in my backyard so I never really considered the idea of having one inside your actual house but after reading this, I see that it is actually possible and can be done which means that your compost can stay dry and be effective during the winter months as well as the summer! An area of creating a healthy environment that I probably would of forgotten is making sure you create a soil bed in the compost for the worms to actually stay in. This is a very important part to the whole process. I would love to actually spend an UA class and just see the different types of worms. Obviously earth worms would be best for this project but to see specifically how they actually decompose everything and why worms work so well for this sort of thing. All my questions were actually answered in this article.
High School Garden Pride: I think what these students have going on is so amazing! I hope that one day our school could have that many people working together to create something really beautiful. To see that they have been working on the garden for over four years now and it is still going so strong is awesome. It was a very good idea for those students to get help from outside the school, like getting Cargo Bike Co op PEDAL to donate bike trailers and so on. They even have a website for everything they do. My only comment on this page would be that hopefully our UA class will be able to get somewhat close to what they have this year. It would be great to have everyone's support in the school for this sort of stuff because it really is important and it is something that many students have actually no idea about.
Week 2-4 (Sept 20th-30th)
Planting Winter Crops: I found this article very interesting because honestly, I never really knew that you could grow many vegetables other than pumpkins during the winter but, depending on what time of year you decide to harvest your crop and what you are going to put in them, their are SO many different foods to add to it! I also found it cool that that certain foods needs extra time to harvest and some needs a smaller amount of time. It just completely depends on what type of food you are going to harvest and when you are going to do it but their tons of different vegetables for different seasons.
For my own crop at home, I would like to try harvesting different foods that all need a different amount of time to harvest and see what the difference is or see how some develop over different times.
My question would be can you actually plant something in every season? Even in the coldest times of the Winter? And are there some foods that are able to harvest year round?
Growing Garlic:I found it interesting that it almost seems like the more cloves you have on your garlic is dependent on how strong or mild your garlic will taste. I was surprised that their was even more than one type of garlic! Plus, even though their are only two main types, inside those two main types, their are many other variations in color, texture, ect. For Serpent garlic, I never knew that to help the size of the bulb, it is a good idea to clip the flower stalk of early. Garlic is actually one of my favorite foods because I know that when I'm sick, all i have to do is take a couple garlic cloves a day and in less than a week, I am usually better> I find it a very healing food and so it's great to learn more about them.
My question would be is their a certain type of garlic that is actually the best for your body/your immune system? And if so, why is that one the best?
|In general, I would just love to harvest some garlic because I have never done that and I think it would be awesome since I am so interested in it!
Building Up and Protecting Soil: I would defiantly say that I take dirt for granted. I don't think that many people really think about how much it does for our earth and for the food we eat. It surprised me and it didn't when, in the article, it talked about how dirt has gotten a "bad name." This surprised me because it is SO important and it is needed for so many things but then I realized that even in my daily life, I do take it for granted and its is not appreciated as much as it should be.It amazed me to read about how much soil is actually involved in. Literally almost everything we do, soil or "dirt" has contributed to in some little way. I find that so crazy! I also never knew that only 20% of the earth is really covered by actual land and that most is covered by soil.
I would love to actually work more with soil now and find out how much it really is involved in. All I know is I definatly won't be taking it fro granted as I was before.
I wonder if all of the soil was taken from the Earth or at least 50% of it, how much differently would we be living our lives today and what major effects would this have on us as a society?
WHEAT BOARD DISMANTLED??: I think that it is, in a way, outrageous that basically the smaller farmers will be bought out of their jobs. Since wheat farmers with more money will be able to lower the cost of their wheat without it really affecting their job, they will completely take out the smaller wheat farmers, leaving them jobless. I think that this topic needs to be reviewed in depth because it's not right to some wheat farmers who may have been farmers and more skilled and educated on it that many of the farmers with more money. Of course, in the end, people will be buying the wheat that is at the cheapest price but I am sure that people don't really always know what they are buying and under what circumstances they are getting that wheat.
For my own crop at home, I would like to try harvesting different foods that all need a different amount of time to harvest and see what the difference is or see how some develop over different times.
My question would be can you actually plant something in every season? Even in the coldest times of the Winter? And are there some foods that are able to harvest year round?
Growing Garlic:I found it interesting that it almost seems like the more cloves you have on your garlic is dependent on how strong or mild your garlic will taste. I was surprised that their was even more than one type of garlic! Plus, even though their are only two main types, inside those two main types, their are many other variations in color, texture, ect. For Serpent garlic, I never knew that to help the size of the bulb, it is a good idea to clip the flower stalk of early. Garlic is actually one of my favorite foods because I know that when I'm sick, all i have to do is take a couple garlic cloves a day and in less than a week, I am usually better> I find it a very healing food and so it's great to learn more about them.
My question would be is their a certain type of garlic that is actually the best for your body/your immune system? And if so, why is that one the best?
|In general, I would just love to harvest some garlic because I have never done that and I think it would be awesome since I am so interested in it!
Building Up and Protecting Soil: I would defiantly say that I take dirt for granted. I don't think that many people really think about how much it does for our earth and for the food we eat. It surprised me and it didn't when, in the article, it talked about how dirt has gotten a "bad name." This surprised me because it is SO important and it is needed for so many things but then I realized that even in my daily life, I do take it for granted and its is not appreciated as much as it should be.It amazed me to read about how much soil is actually involved in. Literally almost everything we do, soil or "dirt" has contributed to in some little way. I find that so crazy! I also never knew that only 20% of the earth is really covered by actual land and that most is covered by soil.
I would love to actually work more with soil now and find out how much it really is involved in. All I know is I definatly won't be taking it fro granted as I was before.
I wonder if all of the soil was taken from the Earth or at least 50% of it, how much differently would we be living our lives today and what major effects would this have on us as a society?
WHEAT BOARD DISMANTLED??: I think that it is, in a way, outrageous that basically the smaller farmers will be bought out of their jobs. Since wheat farmers with more money will be able to lower the cost of their wheat without it really affecting their job, they will completely take out the smaller wheat farmers, leaving them jobless. I think that this topic needs to be reviewed in depth because it's not right to some wheat farmers who may have been farmers and more skilled and educated on it that many of the farmers with more money. Of course, in the end, people will be buying the wheat that is at the cheapest price but I am sure that people don't really always know what they are buying and under what circumstances they are getting that wheat.
Week 1-2 (Sept 5th-17th)
1. I find it very interesting that blowing on the bees or even breathing on them can aggravate them because of the carbon dioxide coming out of your mouth. I think the fact that the man in this video doesn't even wear any gloves when he is in the bees area and working with them is incredible and shows how comfortable he must feel working with and around the bees. Also, the way that you can and should smoke them seems like it is precise. You want to make sure you don't burn the bees but as well as that, you need to stay protected so just the right amount of smoke calms the bees down.
Next time I am in the garden, i actually would just want to make sure that I am observing the bees more carefully because as he said, there are so many little things that they do to show aggression or certain moods and I would like to be able to notice when those things start to happen.
My question is what is it in a bees mind that makes it think that there is a forest fire coming when you smoke them. You would think it might smell differently, the smoke from a fire and from a can but
I could be wrong.
2. I was looking through the life of a bee and notices how quickly they are born(within three days) but then I noticed the life span of a bee isn't even that long so it shows how much work they put into their hive. Also it's weird that the male bees (drones) literally do absolutely nothing. Their main goal in life is to mate with the queen bee which has a very very slim chance of happening. I find it interesting that the queen bee lays her larva down but it is the workers that take care of everything. The queen is mainly their to create new life.
I want to find the star like shape where all the bees are surrounding just the queen bee, I think that would be an awesome thing to find.
My question would probably be what is the longest a bee has ever lived for? Has there been any that have lasted months? If so, why?
3. It's so interesting how humans can now make hives that bees live in. I mean even though they don't look the same structurally on the outside, the inside bit still has all the essentials a bee needs to survive so they treat it like their home, which it is. Like the man said in the video, you usually have two medium deeps but since you are the one creating the hive, you can add or remove different things to see if it helps at all. Its amazing how the bees don't even seem to notice anything different with the hive even though it is man made.
I want to see how many medium deeps we have in our hive at school because I don't think I actually checked last time.
My question is since these hives are man made, what is the difference between one that is man made and one that isn't. Do they both have the exact same parts? Does one hold more honey and larvae than the other?
4.It's weird to think of people creating hives and making them more intricate than the normal hive, they started out so simple and are now actually being made with a lot more detail. You can see in the video how careful this man is being about taking the bees and the honey out of the hive, as to not disrupt their working in any way. When you see the bees on the comb of honey, you can tell that they are all working, none of them are ever not moving, which shows how intricate the hive must be, if they don't rest that often.
Next time I go to the hive, I want to see if I can find any warped combs and look more precisely at what the bees are doing if they are never standing still.
My question is do the bees notice when they are being picked up out of their hive? If so, do they just ignore it so they can keep working or do they not even feel it?
5. It's crazy how far bees will travel just to get that honey and how important it is for them. Also I find it amazing how there are different bees for different jobs, like the ones that just go to find the flowers and come back so that the others can actually extract what they want from it. To see what it looks like in a bees eye and how blurred everything almost looks is crazy. Their vision is so different that ours.
I would love to see a bee actually dance, I think that would be awesome and to see how the other bees react would be am amazing experience.
If bees could see with the clarity that humans can see with, would they be better at their assigned jobs for the hive? Or would it not make a difference?
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