very inspiring! :D On 17.02.19 20:57, Mez Breeze via NetBehaviour wrote: > [A quick follow-up: one of the best twitter threads I've read so far > on this topic is here: > https://twitter.com/MezBreezeDesign/status/1097211711717658624] > > On Thu, Feb 14, 2019 at 6:32 AM Helen Varley Jamieson > <he...@creative-catalyst.com <mailto:he...@creative-catalyst.com>> wrote: > > > 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 >> > _______________________________________________ > NetBehaviour mailing list > NetBehaviour@lists.netbehaviour.org > <mailto:NetBehaviour@lists.netbehaviour.org> > https://lists.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour > > > > -- > | mezbreezedesign.com <http://mezbreezedesign.com> > > > > > _______________________________________________ > NetBehaviour mailing list > NetBehaviour@lists.netbehaviour.org > https://lists.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour --
helen varley jamieson he...@creative-catalyst.com <mailto:he...@creative-catalyst.com> http://www.creative-catalyst.com http://www.upstage.org.nz
_______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list NetBehaviour@lists.netbehaviour.org https://lists.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
