The bees in our neighborhood appear to be starving and so they are gathering on our hummingbird feeder to drink the nectar. One of our resident hummingbirds had had enough!
Hummingbird Showdown
Category Archives: Wild Things
Hummingbirds are Here
The hummingbirds have come to gather nectar from the feeder hung in the Hibiscus Sorrel bushes. They are having to share the feast with the honeybees from other parts (we lost ours again), who are apparently being left hungry in this very hot and dry weather.
Apparently the neighborhood bees are starving in this hot dry weather. In addition to losing our hive to marauders for the third time, now they are bullying the hummingbirds!
Black Soldier Flies Summer 2016
Despite all our best efforts to wipe them out (just kidding), initially by drowning them, then by feeding them too much corn, the Black Soldier Flies are alive and well. Actually they are back this summer in plentiful supply. They disappear in the winter because of the low temps. Once the temps hit the 80s + the flies come back and lay their eggs in the cardboard nests in the fly bins.
Black Soldier Flies are not like common house flies. They are not interested in people or in finding their way into the house. They actually help cut down on the fly population!
We split the composting scraps between the compost pile and the fly bins, although the flies get all the meat scraps. We harvest the larvae about three times a week, feeding some to the livestock and freezing the rest. The larvae are a treat for the ducks and chickens and at 40% protein they are a healthy snack. The geese turn their nose up at the BSFs, since they are primarily herbivores.
Check out the brief video…Good stuff!
Happy Homesteading!
T.