For those of us experiencing a decrease in Japanese beetle population this is the perfect year to knock them down further with milky spore applications
At this point there is a lot of speculation as to the cause of colony collapse but the already declining population is further suffering the effects of climate change. Add everything up and it seems to me that a perfect storm is brewing. I will be drastically increasing seed saving and refining...
I just spoke with a beekeeper friend who confirmed my concern. He stated that across the country there was an 80% mortality rate for beekeepers. He lost 8 out of 10 hives. He also stated that finding replacement bees was impossible
The jury is still out on the cause of the reduction in honeybee population. Luckily other pollinators seem to be doing the job as I am having no pollination problems.
In NW indiana we had a long cold winter with record snowfalls and it looks like it had a major effect on our dwindling bee population. I spend a great deal of my time in my garden and have yet to see a single honey bee. A possible benefit though is the Japanese beetle population seems to also...
I've read that there is an anomaly in the commercial market involving BSM and that at least some companies are labeling a similar variety named chernimor (sp) as BSM
Okra seeds should be scratched and soaked in water overnight before planting much like morning glories and need heat to perform well. Two years ago I had a bumper crop...last year nada. This year they are off to a good start
Last year was my first attempt at potatoes. They did so well I had enough left this year to use for seeding. Of course being the ocd gardener that I am I doubled the sq footage this year :)
I grew what I thought was BSM last year. That's what it was labeled. It looked right but was indeterminate. I didn't save seed unfortunately but I have a volunteer in that spot this year
I also practice succession planting as a back up. This week I planted new zucchini and patty pan squash. As my spring plantings play out or get ravaged new ones are taking their place at the opposite side of the garden