What Happened with the Bees?

This isn't going to be much of a post, but I thought I'd bring you up to date about the bees in the kitchen wall/floor/whatever.

The link below is, I think, the last thing I shared about them. The story just got worse and worse last year.

There were always a bunch of live bees in the house, primarily in the kitchen and in my bedroom. Lots of dead ones on the floor. I tried to give them a way to get out by taking one of the screens off a window, but they simply couldn't figure that out. It only gave them another way to get in. Stopped that nonsense.

The closest places that deal with bees in your home construction are in Traverse City and Grand Rapids- both an hour-and-a-half away, in opposite directions. The Traverse City one wouldn't return my calls. I finally got the Grand Rapids guy, and he would do everything we needed, including reconstruction of whatever he had to rip out (think $$$). But he wasn't willing to come in the fall because the bees are more aggressive then. "Call me in April."

One bee expert said there was an 85% chance they would live through the winter. One said there was an 85% chance they would die over the winter and the honey would start oozing out of the wall or ceiling or whatever, depending on where they were. But since no one would come, it didn't seem to make much difference. I guess if we found honey we'd at least know where they were.

At the onset of really cold weather, I sprayed the heck out of the hole where they had been getting in. I mean, I sort of hated to do it, but living with bees in the house forever isn't really an option. I got stung about 5 times last year. And I'm supposed to avoid that so I don't get re-sensitized.

Then, I bought some insecticidal spray foam and filled the crack. And all the cracks nearby where they might find access.

Come spring of 2025... no bees.

Come July of 2025... they're back. But not very many of them. What a dummy. I didn't check the other side of the door.

There was one episode of a bunch of them getting in the house. I got stung twice in just a few minutes. I sprayed them and hightailed it to Sunny and slept in my trailer that night!

Only got stung once more this year when my worst fear came true- I stepped on a bee that wasn't dead when I was barefoot. But it was at bedtime and an icepack all night kept it from swelling.

I've been spraying the hole every night at dusk since then. The population seems to be very small now, but they just don't give up and move somewhere else. I'll do the same this fall- spray deep in the hole and then seal it with the same foam stuff.

But you can see in this picture taken today that there are still live bees using that crack.

Hopefully, one more winter, and more sealing will get this under control.

In other news, I was so good today the house smells like gold stars! Actually, it smells like pumpkin spice because I'm making some pumpkin custard, but that's about the same thing.

See Bees!

Final Hurrah of the 2025 Rock Garden?

This isn't a real rock garden report although there is one comparison picture at the end.

There was a possibility of frost last night, but I guess we didn't get it. Nevertheless, I had removed sensitive plants and brought them inside. Covered some experiments with leaves to insulate a bit.

Here's the 'Oriental Dancer' sedum with a bit of color left.

All the rest of the sedums are done, but the faded heads still add textural interest. I'll show you 'Coraljade' again. The Artemesia 'Silver Mound' to its right is lying down, but provides some contrast.

I'll spare you the blanketflower again. It still looks great. But I will show you Dianthus 'Olivia Wild' because the fact that it keeps blooming is a big surprise. I just got it this year.

This was a huge surprise. It must have planted itself, and it's not blooming. Not sure if it will get around to that before a hard frost. One lonely marigold came up and it's quite large.

This is just to point out how changeable the Sempervivum 'Black' is. It went from near black in the spring, to mostly green in the summer, and now it's a reddish-brown. (Note that the two Lewisia near it are still alive. Now we get to see if they make it through the winter.)

Here's the parting long shot for 2025.

October 2024.

October 2023



And July of 2022.

Today, I managed to be quite productive. Did laundry- UGH, the washer needs repair. Worked on my deadline item and other things as well.

See Last of the Rock Garden Color

A Sad Little Calico Aster

 I didn't sleep well last night and have had a headache all day. Sigh... but I have to keep after a couple of things with solid deadlines, so I've been working on that.

I think I mentioned last year that some calico asters have planted themselves just outside the rock garden fencing. I'm allowing them to stay. But they sure didn't advance their cause much this year. This is the best one.

Here's an older picture of a fuller one.

That's about all for today. Will see what else I can talk myself into doing this evening.

See Calico Aster

Reclaimed Methodist Property Trails

Last week Shirley at bell choir told me that a bunch of people cleaned up the trails on the church property. So today before practice I went to check them out.

I started my tracker at the parking lot and walked past the Community Garden which the church also hosts.

Then I walked past the pavilion and campfire circle which the church uses for various outdoor events. Just beyond there, the trail system begins. I have walked all of these in the past, but that was prior to having electronic tracking, and at that time there were also no markings. I just wandered around until I came back to the church. Today, I recorded a track.

Not only are the trails cleaned up, but there are some simple colored arrows so you can actually tell where to go. There is a total maze of side trails because people who own homes nearby have made trails to get to the loops.

There are several loops, interconnected. I'll try to get the map and info on my Get Off the Couch website in a few days. Anyone can come walk there. Long ago, a couple of bridges were put in to cross the small creek, so you don't have to get wet feet. A little topography on the yellow loop, but most of the paths are quite tame.

You can loop back to the pavilion or cut to another trail which leads you to the church Prayer Garden. I don't know for sure that's what it's called, but it's a beautiful space where you could pray or visit with a friend.

Best plant find of the day was some of the Rabbit Tobacco, Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium, I showed you a couple of weeks ago that is in its second year, so it is mature.

Here is a reminder of what it looks like in the first year.

I walked all the loops, which meant I had to do some overlapping, and counted the distance from the parking lot to the start of the trails. Got in 2.5 miles before bells. It's an easy place to get a short walk- anything from less than a mile to as long as you want to wander.

Edited, brought in the plants from the rock garden that can't freeze.

Miles hiked in 2025: 389.2.

See Methodist Trails

How''d Those Marigolds Work Out?

This is the peak of the marigolds in the front garden (along with a lot of fallen birch leaves). Not too bad, but not really sufficiently successful compared to the amount of work. They need to be started earlier and there should be more of them. A bunch died while I was gone in June.

They did end up looking a lot better than in early August when you really couldn't even see them.

Will I do them next year? Not sure. I may collect seeds and throw some around in the spring. I don't think I'll try to start them inside. I have to dig up most of that section to thin the daffodils this fall. I am working on a collection of coleus that can go in after the dafs are done. So far, those are alive and fine. There's not an actual frost advisory for Tuesday or Wednesday, but it's going to get right down there. I have to pull some plants out of the rock garden.

Today I woke up tired and lay in bed until my brain cleared. Worked some, did some errands and shopping. Still tired. Just one of those days.

See Annual Mistakes, Part 2