Gross! Where did these pests come from?

We agree that bugs, lizards, snakes, and rats are bothersome as uninvited house guests.  But even sweet, furry woodland creatures are a catastrophe in your home.  There are a host of creatures that seem to be creeping into residences all over the US right now.  What's going on?

Bugs and other animals are influenced by many of the same weather disasters we have been facing here in the US.  Over the past few months, flooding and wildfires have forced many bugs and animals out of their natural habitat, often into residential and suburban areas that are build above flood plains.  Drought in other areas pushes wildlife to travel great distances seeking water that is often found in parks, fountains, pools, well watered lawns and possibly your bathtub.  Severe heat creates desperate situations for insects and animals that must seek any shelter, and some smaller creatures may find your home a comfortable fit.

A Day in the Park

I caught photo today of this tiny little worker as my kids and I were enjoying a local county park. I wondered if this little lady was enjoying the park's amenities as much as we were. Nature areas like this have an abundance of flowers, including clover, and water is plentiful from fountains and water features. What sort of park might a bee design?

Bees are suffering worldwide from Colony Collapse Disorder, killing massive numbers of hives each year. We need bees; they are critical to our well-being. The luscious honey they may provide is merely the icing on the cake. Worldwide bees pollinate most of the food we eat, allowing trees and plants to produce the bounty we enjoy each season. (The UN reports that bees pollinate 70% of the 100 crops that feed 90% of the world.  That's a complex  statistic, but it means bees do a lot of critical work to feed us.) Where would we be without the bee?

Here are a few things we can do to help:

• Reduce your use of pesticides and herbicides in your home and lawn. - Bees are particularly sensitive to many of these products.
• Plant nectar rich flowers. - Urban bees enjoy a wide-variety of bee-friendly flowers in a small convenient space. Try the University of Illinois or UC Berkley for flower suggestions.   
• Buy pesticide free or organic produce, giving growers additional revenue to expand their bee-friendly farming.
• Encourage local bee-keeping by purchasing local honey.  Find honey this summer at a farmers' market (or just google "honey" and your city name right now) and continue to purchase from them year round.
• Ask your local market to carry local honey products.  Even our big box grocery stores carry some local products.
• Try keeping bees yourself.  If you're within city limits, check local animal code first.  Although you'll have some start up costs and a learning curve, the rewards are certainly sweeter than most.

Related Posts
"Exotic" Preparedness Ideas
10 Things You Can Do to Save the Earth
What disaster should I plan for?
What's the buzz?

"Exotic" Preparedness Ideas

Many ideas and activities just might come in handy in extreme disaster situations.  However, these undertakings may require a substantial amount of effort, financial input, or maintenance to keep them going.  However, they may also provide some ongoing fringe benefits.  Some of you would call these hobbies.  (Some of you would call them a waste of time.)  I call them "exotic" preparedness ideas.  Let me know what you think and if you have any experience with these.

• Keeping chickens (goats, sheep, cows, horses, and other livestock, etc.)
• Keeping bees (which seems to me a whole different animal. Pun intended.)
• Making maple syrup (and sorghum molasses, etc.)
• Working on old cars (engines, tractors, and generators, etc.)
• Sewing (weaving, spinning, knitting, and leather work, etc.)
• Growing a garden (herbs, stevia, mushrooms, and fruit trees, etc.)
• Making your own bread (cheese and beer, etc.)
• Making your own bacon (ham, sausages, beef jerky, and a few canned vegetables, etc.)
• Composting (for your garden, for the environment, and for your health, etc.)
• Generating electricity (to save money, to save the earth, and to save your skin, etc.)
• Blacksmithing (silversmithing, goldsmithing, and you get the idea, etc.)
• Making your own soap (baby food, dairy products, and toys, etc.)
• Catching your own dinner (fish, squirrel, deer and pheasant, etc.)

I think of my life like a Bingo card and I'm playing "blackout."  I'd love to try every one of these at least once, and I plan to try many of them again.  (I have to count my childhood experiences to mark many of these off my Bingo card.)  Which ones interest you?

What's the buzz?

Let it be known up front that I initially wanted ants to represent us.  They are industrious little creatures and a fine biblical example to follow (Proverbs 6:6-8).  But something in my heart gave in to those beautiful little honeybees.  Perhaps it was my fond memories of family bee-keeping, warm honey sandwiches and helping make the sugar water my father fed the bees in late winter.  Maybe I was enamored by the A.A. Milne's delightful telling of Pooh's misadventures as he disguised himself as a rain cloud and tried to get the bees' honey stash.  It could be that my heart was touched by the current deadly dilemma that threatens bees world-wide.  I don't know what so easily swayed my decision, but I am convinced that honeybees do indeed represent Everyday Providence perfectly.

Bees have long fascinated us.  In ancient Egypt, bees were said to spring up wherever Ra's tears touched the sand.  If a bee touched an infants lips, the Greeks believed that child would be given the gift of verse.  God promised the enslaved Israelite people a land flowing with milk and honey.  Cretan mead (a fermented honey drink) is thought to be older than wine.

Honeybees embody many of the traits that Everyday Providence tries to support.
Bees care for their young, feeding them and cleaning them in their "beds" of honeycomb.
Bees protect one another.  They protect the queen, their young, and the hive to their death if needed.
Bees take advantage of resources.  They store up whatever good pollen or nectar is available.
Bees make judgments.  They determine whether a "foreigner" (bee, bug, animal or human) entering the hive is friend or foe.
Bees select their raw materials carefully.  Lesser quality pollen may be rejected or removed.
Bees store up for the winter.  They buzz around inside the hive all winter, snacking from the pantry.
Bees get organized.  Every bee does it's specified job, and each section of the hive is neat as a pin.
Bees get to work.  They start collecting pollen as soon as it's warm enough to fly. (50 degrees)
Bees solve community issues.  If the hive is too crowded, some move on but some stay behind.
Bees do what it takes.  In literally an instant, bees will switch jobs when needed.
Bees think things through.  They find the most efficient route between locations.
Bees take a vote.  Scout bees (looking for flowers or a new hive location) must convince the swarm to follow them, but they decide as a group.
Bees "talk."  They use "waggle dances" and pheromones to give directions and communicate needs.

I hope you enjoy our choice of little mascots.  I hope to keep some bees on my someday farm.  May we each be as fruitful and faithful to the task as they are.

For more information online about bees and bee-keeping, try:
The New York Times
Nova: Dance with Bees
Silence of the Bees (video)
or check your local library for books of all sorts.