[NetBehaviour] Fwd: Plummeting insect numbers 'threaten collapse of nature'

[Helen Varley Jamieson]

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
> <helen at creative-catalyst.com <mailto:helen at 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
>>
>>         helen at creative-catalyst.com <mailto:helen at creative-catalyst.com>
>>         http://www.creative-catalyst.com
>>         http://www.upstage.org.nz
>>
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helen varley jamieson

helen at creative-catalyst.com <mailto:helen at creative-catalyst.com>
http://www.creative-catalyst.com
http://www.upstage.org.nz

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