On 12.02.19 02:22, Mez Breeze via NetBehaviour wrote: > > but in germany i'm limited to the balcony. i've had an "insect > hotel" on it for a couple of years but no insects have shown any > interest in it yet. > > > ...where is the insect hotel placed? Sometimes too much or little sun > can effect them depending on season? if anything it gets too little sun; our balcony is east-facing, & the insect house is on the wall that doesn't get any direct sunlight. i'll try moving it to the other end of the balcony where it gets sun up to early afternoon in the summer. > > You could go for an actual home-made bee attractant like is shown here > <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl0o2aytaFE>, though I've never tried > it. I'd also be careful where you source your plants/seeds too - > heritage and local varieties suited [native] to your region/season > could help, and make sure to always go true organic [as opposed to > greenwashed <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwashing> organic] that > haven't been artificially boosted with all types of chemical crud. And > never use pesticides/herbicides - use companion planting methods > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companion_planting> + seaweed/kelp > solution as tonic + good compost [do you have an in-home composting > setup > <https://www.treehugger.com/lawn-garden/i-just-started-composting-my-apartment-and-you-can-too.html> > for your apartment? Homemade is the best, and it stops vegie/fruit > scraps going to landfill.]
great, i'll try the insect attractant. all seeds are proper organic ones, into organic potting soil, & definitely no pesticides or herbicides going into the balcony garden, only additives are organic fertilisers & composts. the city does composting here, so we add our compost into that (get a voucher for free compost in return). > > And it does sound like you're doing all the right things - I'd suggest > keeping up planting anything with a blue/purple flowers: > > /"According to Bee Culture > <http://www.beeculture.com/bees-see-matters/>, the most likely colors > to attract bees are purple, violet and blue./ > > /A study of nine bumblebee colonies in Germany found that those who > favored purple blooms were greatly rewarded for their preference./ > > /“In the area we studied, violet flowers produced the most nectar – > far more than the next most rewarding flower color (blue),” Dr. Nigel > Raine from Queen Mary’s School of Biological and Chemical Sciences > told ScienceDaily > <https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070624141133.htm>. > “Inexperienced bees are known to have strong color preferences, so we > investigated whether the bumblebee colonies with a stronger preference > for violet flowers foraged more successfully in their local flora.”/ > > /Raine found that the bumblebees developed their favorite color over > time, corresponding with the most nectar-rich flowers."/ [From: > https://www.totallandscapecare.com/landscaping-blog/bee-vision-and-the-color-purple/] > great - we always have lots of cornflowers, & some other purple ones that i don't know the name of, plus lavendar. the bees also seem to like nasturtiums, which we always have plenty of too. i'll look into more purple flowers. thanks, h : ) > -- > > helen varley jamieson > > he...@creative-catalyst.com <mailto:he...@creative-catalyst.com> > http://www.creative-catalyst.com > http://www.upstage.org.nz >
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