In ref to the "wet tires" bit, I remember as a kid in the summer time our
"outhouse" always seemed to have an abudance of honey bees buzzing arounf
the, um, effluence? at the bottom of the hole.  This really thrills me as
I think that there might still be some folks in my area who still use
privies.
Why do honey bees visit places like this?  Do they smell something in
there that I don't, or are they just after the moisture?
 
Les Vaughn
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On Mon, 8 Sep 1997 22:49:15 -0400 Paula Franke <[log in to unmask]> writes:
>I've read with interest everyone's observations on what their bees are
>working now. So I've been paying attention to who is working what here
>at
>Head of Happy Hollow Farm.
>
>Bumblebees and butterflies are working jewelweed and Joe Pye weed.
>
>Some sort of 1/4-inch long black bee with thin white stripes (which
>display
>frantic activity but are apparently very gentle) are doing something
>furious around the bottom of the tobacco plants and chrysanthemums,
>and
>collecting loads of white pollen.
>
>The honeybees are hard to find, but I've seen them collecting pollen
>from
>broadleaf plantain (bumblebees are collecting pollen from the English
>plantain), and are gathering syrup/nectar from wild cherry trees. By
>that,
>I mean they are on the sap that is oozing from the bark. They are also
>working what clover is left.
>
>And, OK, be warned that this is probably offensive, but the honeybees
>appear to have an unseemly attraction to certain fresh wet spots on
>the
>tires on all of our vehicles, shortly after the dogs visit the same
>tires.
>
>This is also the time of year for witch hazel trees/shrubs to be in
>bloom,
>but I haven't found any of those yet so don't know if the bees are
>there.
>
>Paula Franke in Tollesboro, KY
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>http://www.users.kih.net/~pfranke
>"There are only two rules in life:
>  1. Don't sweat the small stuff.
>  2. It's all small stuff."
>