Bee people are always observing, always thinking, which is a very good
thing.  Sometimes we miss things, though, because we don't know what to look
for, or it simply doesn't occur to us..
 
   You can roughly evaluate the pollinator populations in your area by using
some observation techniques.  (You may, like me, then become very concerned
as to what is happening to them.)
 
Direct Observation:
   Find a common flower that is very attractive to bees.  Blackberry is good
in the spring; goldenrod or aster in the fall.  Locate patches with roughly
the same dimensions, say 10 x 10 feet (or 100 square feet) of good bloom.
 During the time of forage activity, count the number of honeybees you see in
one minute.  Do it several times, and average.  Then count carpenter bee,
bumble bees, solitary bees, etc.
Repeat at other locations.  A half day spent at that kind of activity will tea
ch you a lot.
 
Observing Results:
   Direct observation has some drawbacks, the worst being that you have to mak
e time at the right time.  Saturday afternoon just might have a rain or be
cold and windy. So we can do secondary checks.
 
   All across the southeast the wild plum is ripening now.  It is very common
in patches along the edges of fields and forests, and the yellow fruit is
easy to spot from the road. (Very tasty, too, although too much of a good
thing can lead to some quick stepping.)
 
   Around my bee yards each year, unless the bloom gets frosted, the fruit
hangs heavy.  In open country, I can drive along and usually spot where
honeybees are kept, simply by watching the yellow plums.  In some areas of
Georgia and South Carolina this past week, I could drive for many miles
without seeing a single fruit.  Other spots were just like around my bee
yards.  If I had time, I'm sure I could track down the bee colonies
responsible.
 
   Do you have such an indicator plant in your area?
 
   It's not really science, just observation.  But to do science, you'd have
to have a wad of money, and you'd have to have *peer review,* which means
your colleagues get to agree, or shoot you down.  Good scientific experiments
eliminate all variables possible, except the one studied, have controls,
etc., and may give information that is 90% valid for 15 or 20 thousand bucks.
You can get information that is 70% valid for a few hours observation and a
little gas.  If we refine our techniques a bit, and all put our results
together, we might get the 90% validity, too.
 
       I just wanted to get the creative juices flowing.  E-mail to me and
I'll post a summary of communitiy thoughts on this.
 
[log in to unmask]  Dave Green  PO Box 1215, Hemingway, SC  29554